These are the Christmas albums that should be on South Mississippi’s holiday playlist

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and Christmas is right around the corner. What better way to get in the holiday spirit than with some Christmas tunes?

In a world where almost everyone has released a Christmas album (a “Star Wars Christmas” anyone?), there are many, many selections from which to choose.

And the Gulf Coast is well represented in the world of Christmas music. Here are some Christmas albums that are sure to be big hits around your South Mississippi Christmas tree.

What better way to kick off Christmas on the Mississippi Gulf Coast than with Pascagoula’s Jimmy Buffett? Released in 2016, “’Tis The Season” has the Buffett classic “Santa Stole Thanksgiving” and a cover the Paul McCartney staple “Wonderful Christmastime.”

The best piano jazz Christmas album you’ll hear this holiday season.

Missisppi native Jimbo Mathus and the Zippers bring the New Oleans-style jazz to numbers such as “Winter Weather” and “Sleigh Ride.” But the band really shines on Mathus’ heartbreaking country song “Gift of The Magi.”

The king of comedy songs released this album in 2016. It features “Claws (A Cat’s Letter to Santa),” which was written by Taylor Craven and Tommy Crawford, both of whom live in Jackson County. If you want to know what a letter to Santa would sound like from a cat’s perspective, this is your answer.

New Orleans’ native son and the queen of jazz teamed up for several Christmas songs during their careers. This is a 2016 compilation of some of the best including a comedy-tinged “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and Fitzgerald bringing it on “Frosty The Snowman.”

The Gulf Coast troubadour bookends this list. “Christmas Island” was released in 1996 and it features “Ho Ho Ho And A Bottle of Rum” and a cover of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over).”

This story was originally published November 25, 2017 at 1:04 PM with the headline "These are the Christmas albums that should be on South Mississippi’s holiday playlist."