Our holiday music favorites

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Holiday music fills our homes, malls, and minds from just about the moment after Thanksgiving until the end of the year. From choirs and orchestras to rock and pop to soundtracks and carollers, it's everywhere and anywhere many of us go. Here are our favorites!

Ally: When I think of Christmas music, I think of my mom who loves holidays more than anyone I know. I have some great memories growing up of decorating the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving, making cookies, and just having coffee or tea on a cold night. Naturally, a lot of the music I grew up listening to, thanks to my mother, has stuck with me. Some of my absolute favorites include songs by Jim Brickman, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Amy Grant, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Others come from movies we grew up watching around the holidays. The following are the songs and albums that are always on standby each and every holiday season in our house:

Derek: Not gonna lie, I have a soft spot for Christmas music. Even though I refuse to listen to it until after Thanksgiving. I'm a man of rules, dammit. What Christmas music, specifically, you ask? Well, inside that soft spot for Christmas music is a soft spot for the likes of Frank Sinatra, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and similar music. Here's a selection of some of my favorite tracks:

Peter: I'm an unabashed fan of rock and pop music, the cheesier the better. I misspent my teenage years in the 1980s, which means I'm squarely fixated on music from that era as well. So when it comes to Christmas music, these are some of my favorites. I've thrown in a few classics to round things out too, and one that one of my coworkers at the store, Annie, suggested (The Pogues).

Rene: Don't hate me. I don't listen to much music during the year — I watch videos at home and listen to podcasts when I drive — and if it were up to me I'd listen to just as little during the holidays. But it's not up to me, it's up to my family. And they drive me next to mad with an almost constant stream of music. (I'll never admit it, but part of me appreciates it.) So, what do I like? The African sounds of my birthplace, the majestic voices of Canada, and anything and everything that's either a true classic, or turns the classics upside down.

Ren: My parents' household was a classical music household, which meant lots of instrumental and choral tunes flooding the house from December 1 onward. I have a fondness for my classical roots and traditional 60s tunes, but also a great love for newer, subtly-holiday-themed music. Here's a (small) excerpt from my holiday playlist.

Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
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Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.