Best-selling Christmas/holiday albums in the United States

This page shows the best-selling Christmas albums in the United States. It includes artists from all over the world, but it only includes sales in the United States of America.

Prior to March 1, 1991, the only means of tracking sales figures for record albums and singles in the United States was via the certification system of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), based specifically on shipments (less potential returns) on a long-term basis. According to the most recent record album certifications, the holiday album title that has shipped the most copies in the United States is Elvis Presley's 1957 LP Elvis' Christmas Album, which is certified by the RIAA for shipment of 13 million copies in the U.S. (three million copies of the original 1957 release on RCA Victor Records, plus ten million copies of a "budget" edition first released by RCA Camden in 1970 and then by Pickwick Records in 1975).[1]

From March 1, 1991 through the present day, the Nielsen SoundScan tracking system has been more widely used to accurately track sales of record albums and singles at the point of sale (POS) based on inventory bar code scans.

Contents

Best-selling Christmas/holiday albums since Nielsen SoundScan tracking began

This is a list of the top ten best-selling Christmas albums of the SoundScan era in the United States according to the Nielsen Company. Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data for Billboard on March 1, 1991.

1991–2011

  1. Miracles: The Holiday Album / Kenny G ~ 7.23 million[2]
  2. Noël / Josh Groban ~ 5.28 million[2]
  3. These Are Special Times / Celine Dion ~ 5.17 million[2]
  4. Merry Christmas / Mariah Carey ~ 5.12 million[2]
  5. Christmas in the Aire / Mannheim Steamroller ~ 3.73 million[2]
  6. A Fresh Aire Christmas / Mannheim Steamroller ~ 3.61 million[2]
  7. Mannheim Steamroller Christmas / Mannheim Steamroller ~ 3.48 million[2]
  8. Now That's What I Call Christmas! / various artists ~ 3.39 million[2]
  9. Christmas Eve and Other Stories / Trans-Siberian Orchestra ~ 3.19 million[2]
  10. When My Heart Finds Christmas / Harry Connick, Jr. ~ 3.08 million[2]

Best-selling Christmas/holiday albums by RIAA certification

This is an incomplete list of the best-selling Christmas/holiday albums in the United States based on shipment certification by the RIAA. This list provides a more complete representation of the best-selling Christmas/holiday albums in history, as it includes those released well before the Nielsen/SoundScan era of music sales.

Year of Release Artist(s) Title Label(s) Certification Award[3]
1970 Presley, ElvisElvis Presley Elvis' Christmas Album
(budget reissue of 1957 LP with altered track listing)		 RCA Camden/Pickwick 10x Platinum
1994 G, KennyKenny G Miracles: The Holiday Album Arista 8x Platinum
2001 Various Now That's What I Call Christmas! UTV 6x Platinum
1988 Mannheim Steamroller A Fresh Aire Christmas American Gramaphone 6x Platinum
1984 Mannheim Steamroller Mannheim Steamroller Christmas American Gramaphone 6x Platinum
1963 Cole, Nat KingNat King Cole The Christmas Song
(originally released in 1960 under the title The Magic of Christmas)		 Capitol 6x Platinum
2007 Groban, JoshJosh Groban Noël WEA/Reprise 5x Platinum
1998 Dion, CelineCeline Dion These Are Special Times Epic 5x Platinum
1994 Carey, MariahMariah Carey Merry Christmas Columbia 5x Platinum
1967 Streisand, BarbraBarbra Streisand A Christmas Album Columbia 5x Platinum
1958 Mathis, JohnnyJohnny Mathis Merry Christmas Columbia 5x Platinum
1998 Crosby, BingBing Crosby White Christmas
(originally released in 1945 under the title Merry Christmas)		 Decca 4x Platinum
1995 Mannheim Steamroller Christmas in the Aire American Gramaphone 4x Platinum
1987 Various A Very Special Christmas A&M 4x Platinum
1984 Various Christmas Through the Years Reader's Digest Music 4x Platinum
2010 Boyle, SusanSusan Boyle The Gift Syco/Columbia 3x Platinum
2001 Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Extraordinaire American Gramaphone 3x Platinum
1999 G, KennyKenny G Faith: A Holiday Album Arista Records 3x Platinum
1996 Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas Eve and Other Stories Lava 3x Platinum
1993 Connick, Jr., HarryHarry Connick, Jr. When My Heart Finds Christmas Sony/Columbia 3x Platinum
1992 Brooks, GarthGarth Brooks Beyond the Season Liberty 3x Platinum
1992 Grant, AmyAmy Grant Home for Christmas A&M 3x Platinum
1985 Presley, ElvisElvis Presley It's Christmas Time
(retitled reissue of 1970 budget edition of Elvis' Christmas Album)		 BMG 3x Platinum
1982 Winston, GeorgeGeorge Winston December Windham Hill 3x Platinum
1971 Presley, ElvisElvis Presley Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas RCA 3x Platinum
1965 Guaraldi Trio, VinceVince Guaraldi Trio A Charlie Brown Christmas Fantasy 3x Platinum
1957 Presley, ElvisElvis Presley Elvis' Christmas Album
(original release)		 RCA Victor 3x Platinum
2009 Bocelli, AndreaAndrea Bocelli My Christmas Decca 2x Platinum
2003 Various Now That's What I Call Christmas!: The Signature Collection Capitol 2x Platinum
1998 *NSYNC Home for Christmas RCA 2x Platinum
1993 Boyz II Men Christmas Interpretations Motown 2x Platinum
1993 Gill, VinceVince Gill Let There Be Peace on Earth MCA Nashville 2x Platinum
1992 Diamond, NeilNeil Diamond The Christmas Album Columbia 2x Platinum
1992 Various A Very Special Christmas 2 A&M 2x Platinum
1989 New Kids on the Block Merry, Merry Christmas Columbia 2x Platinum
1987 McEntire, RebaReba McEntire Merry Christmas to You MCA Nashville 2x Platinum
1986 Strait, GeorgeGeorge Strait Merry Christmas Strait to You! MCA Nashville 2x Platinum
1985 Alabama Alabama Christmas RCA 2x Platinum
1984 Rogers, KennyKenny Rogers & Parton, DollyDolly Parton Once Upon a Christmas RCA 2x Platinum
1981 Murray, AnneAnne Murray Christmas Wishes Capitol 2x Platinum
1981 Rogers, KennyKenny Rogers Christmas Liberty 2x Platinum
1979 Various Disney's Christmas Favorites Disneyland 2x Platinum
1975 Denver, JohnJohn Denver Rocky Mountain Christmas RCA 2x Platinum

Best-selling Christmas/holiday albums by year

In 1963, Billboard magazine began publishing a special weekly sales charts for Christmas album sales named "Christmas Albums" for three to four weeks during each holiday season. Titles that appeared on these charts were excluded from the regular Billboard 200 album sales charts. These special, year-end "Christmas Albums" charts were published from 1963 to 1973. The chart was discontinued from 1974 to 1982, when holiday titles were once again included in the regular Billboard 200 chart. "Christmas Albums" started up again in 1983 and appeared each year until 1985 (during these three years, holiday titles were eligible for inclusion on the weekly Billboard 200 chart). It was discontinued in 1986, but resumed in 1987 and continued each year under the "Christmas Albums" name until 1993. In 1994, the chart was renamed to "Holiday Albums" and has been published by Billboard each year since. Billboard's special Christmas/holiday albums sales charts have varied in size over the years, from a low of 5 chart positions to a high of 117 chart positions.[4]

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

See also

References

  1. ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Presley,_Elvis&format=&go=Search&perPage=50. Retrieved 2011-11-02. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Ask Billboard: What Are The Best-Selling Holiday Albums?". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2011-10-16. http://www.billboard.com/#/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-what-are-the-best-selling-1005413232.story. Retrieved 2011-10-16. 
  3. ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=&format=&go=Search&perPage=50. Retrieved 2011-11-02. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920–2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 106. ISBN 0-89820-161-6. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Chart Watch Extra: Bring On Christmas!". Billboard. http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/43185/chart-watch-extra-bring-on-christmas/. Retrieved 2009-12-04. 
  6. ^ She, by Harry Conick, Jr., harryconnickjr.com
  7. ^ The Best Selling Christmas Albums of 1997, neosoul.com
  8. ^ The Best Selling Christmas Albums of 1999, neosoul.com
  9. ^ The Major Minor, The New York Times, April 1, 2001
  10. ^ IDT Entertainment's DPS Film Roman and Harry Connick Jr. Team For 3D Animated Christmas Special, Business Wire, findarticles.com September 29, 2004
  11. ^ Clay Aiken Releases New RCA Records Album 'A Thousand Different Ways', emol.org, August 3, 2006
  12. ^ 2009 U.S. Music Purchases up 2.1% over 2008; Music Sales Exceed 1.5 Billion for Second Consecutive Year, Businesswire.com, Jan 7, 2010 article.
  13. ^ Kaulfield, Keith (2011-01-05). "Eminem's 'Recovery' Is 2010's Best-Selling Album; Katy Perry's 'California Gurls' Top Digital Song". Billboard. Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/news/eminem-s-recovery-is-2010-s-best-selling-1004137895.story. Retrieved 2011-12-29. 
  14. ^ Grein, Paul (2011-12-28). "Week Ending Dec. 25, 2011. Albums: A Very Jeezy Christmas". Yahoo! Music. Nielsen Business Media. http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/week-ending-dec-25-2011-albums-very-jeezy-155111343.html. Retrieved 2011-12-28. 
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