20 country artists who sound like home (for the holidays)

Released in conjunction with the live-action film "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," starring Jim Carrey as everyone’s favorite green holiday grump, Faith Hill’s “Where Are You Christmas ” became an instant classic after its debut in 2000. Originally, Mariah Carey was supposed to record the song, which she co-wrote. 

It’s not surprising that country traditionalist Alan Jackson would release an album of honky-tonk Christmas tunes, and that’s exactly what 1993’s "Honky Tonk Christmas" is. Alongside “Holly Jolly Christmas,” the album features songs like Merle Haggard’s despondent “If We Make It Through December,” a sad ode about financial struggles during the holidays, and “Santa’s Gonna Come in a Pickup Truck,” a duet with Alvin and the Chipmunks. 

Lending his iconic voice to a number of holiday songs, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” is perhaps the most recognizable Gene Autry Christmas song. The legendary singing cowboy also recorded classics like “Up on the Housetop” and “Frosty the Snowman,” both of which should also be on any country Christmas playlist. 

Not all Christmas songs are cheery, and Elvis Presley's mainstay "Blue Christmas" became the gold-standard for depressing holiday tunes. Weirdly, though, it fits in perfectly on any country Christmas playlist packed with happier songs. 

In 1999, Garth Brooks released "Garth Brooks and The Magic of Christmas," his second Christmas album, that’s totally packed with iconic songs. It was a No. 1 hit for Brooks on the Billboard Country Albums chart, thanks in large part to covers of traditional favorites like “Silver Bells” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” 

Arguably one of the most recognizable Christmas songs of all time, Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is infectiously fun and always creates that “sentimental feeling” this time of year. 

There’s no mention of reindeer or Santa, but Dolly Parton’s sobering “Hard Candy Christmas” is a holiday playlist staple. Despite the inclusion of “Christmas” in its title, “Hard Candy Christmas” isn’t explicitly a holiday song. But fans really don’t seem to care — it always ends up on the radio during the Christmas season. Parton also lends her iconic voice to standards like “Little Drummer Boy” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” 

In “Milk and Cookies,” Black takes on the persona of a 5-year-old eagerly anticipating Santa’s arrival in this cutesy, charming 1996 song about Mr. Claus’ favorite Christmas snack. More than two decades after the release of this song, Black is still so obsessed with Christmas that he made a musical about it, inspired by the album on which “Milk and Cookies” appears: "Looking for Christmas."

In 2012, Blake Shelton released "Cheers, It’s Christmas," his first holiday album, and it’s positively packed with excellent country songs for the season. Along with “Silver Bells” and “White Christmas,” find “Time for Me to Come Home,” a song co-written by Shelton and his mother that eventually inspired a Hallmark film. 

There are so many renditions of “The Christmas Song,” and Trisha Yearwood’s is arguably the best. The song appears on her 1994 holiday album, "The Sweetest Gift," alongside favorites like “Away in a Manger” and “Let it Snow!” She’s also recorded a host of excellent Christmas duets alongside husband and fellow country megastar Garth Brooks. 

Co-written by Whitley and performed with Alan Jackson, “There’s a New Kid in Town” is a subtle, stunning retelling of the Christmas story with a bit of a modern twist. The infant Messiah is the “new kid,” and Whitley serves as a Bethlehem narrator. Don’t be surprised if this one gets you a little bit teary-eyed. 

There’s perhaps no one in country music who’s better at performing his own spin on Christmas songs than Vince Gill. Whether it’s his gorgeous vocals on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” or performing “A Tennessee Christmas” alongside wife and fellow artist Amy Grant, Vince Gill is a Christmas essential. 

Also in the “sad Christmas song” genre, the Eagles made “Please Come Home for Christmas” a holiday mainstay. Written and originally recorded by bluesman Charles Brown, the Eagles made “Please Come Home for Christmas” a bit more of a downer by changing Brown’s original “glad, glad news” lyric to “sad, sad news.” 

Texan Robert Earl Keen brings a snarky, tongue-in-cheek look at dysfunctional family dynamics during the holidays with this “Merry Christmas from the Family.” Covering divorce, drinking a little too much and family drama, Keen’s Christmas hit isn’t exactly kid-friendly, but it is hilarious. 

Only the man who would become the king of country music can write a Christmas song with his own name in the title, and since the release of "Merry Christmas Strait to You," it’s been a classic. Also on that album alongside its title track: Strait’s renditions of holiday standards like “Winter Wonderland” and “Away in a Manger.” 

"A Very Kacey Christmas," Kacey Musgraves’ 2016 Christmas album, features cameos from Willie Nelson and Leon Bridges alongside cutesy classic “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” penned by John Rox in 1953. Also excellent: Musgraves's breezy, laid-back version of Hawaiian classic “Mele Kalikimaka.” 

Also recorded by Roy Orbison, Kenny Chesney and Glen Campbell, among other artists, Willie Nelson’s “ Pretty Paper” is an iconic country Christmas song and the title track of his first Christmas album. It was a hit twice — first when Orbison released “Pretty Paper” in 1963 and again when Nelson’s "Pretty Paper" debuted in 1979. 

For folks from the South, especially those who have moved elsewhere, there’s nothing better than “Christmas in Dixie,” Alabama’s most iconic Christmas tune. Written by the band, it’s a tribute to the South’s singular holiday experience, featuring a reference to Alabama’s own hometown of Fort Payne, Alabama. 

Bringing her distinctive vocals and Oklahoma twang to this tender Christmas hymn, Reba McEntire’s version of “O Holy Night” is packed with pitch-perfect harmonies and enough emotion to give anyone chills. 

Martina McBride could sing the phone book and make it sound good, but she’s got a seriously special touch with Christmas songs. Add “Do You Hear What I Hear” and “What Child is This” for the perfect way to round out any holiday playlist.