8. A Twisted Christmas
Twisted Sister (2006)
What's better than old guys in tons of makeup and hairspray rocking out to teenage songs of rebellion? Old guys in tons of makeup and hairspray rocking out to Christmas music. A Twisted Christmas is obviously a far cry from Dee Snider's controversial lyrics from three decades ago (which led to the creation of "Explicit Content" labels on albums), but it still sounds exactly as you'd expect an aging hair metal band's Christmas album to sound. It might be a good thing that this was the last Twisted Sister release (for now).
7. Christmas in the Heart
Bob Dylan (2009)
Bob Dylan's never been afraid to adopt a different persona to put out music from a different point of view, so it's no surprise that the once-Jewish legend released a Christmas record for his 34th studio album. Dylan's profits from the album went to charity, and thanks largely in part to his instant name recognition, the album charted significantly higher (No. 23 on the Billboard 200) than holiday albums typically do. Never afraid of covers, Dylan's signature sound on classics like "Little Drummer Boy" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" works surprisingly well.
6. Songs for Christmas
Sufjan Stevens (2006)
Technically, Songs for Christmas isn't a Christmas album. It's actually a set of five Christmas-themed EPs that Sufjan Stevens gave to his friends as Christmas gifts. The set contains 41 songs, with everything from traditional Christmas covers to foreign carols and original Christmas songs by Stevens. A second Christmas collection from Stevens, Silver and Gold: Songs for Christmas, Vols. 6-10, was released in 2012, and contains another 58 songs. If you're into obscure Christmas music, it's going to be hard to beat the 99 songs released by this cult hero.
5. Christmas with Weezer
Weezer (2008)
We're willing to bet that Christmas with Weezer is the only Christmas EP by a major-label artist to ever be originally released via iPhone game. The six songs were originally released as the "Christmas with Weezer" pack for the popular Tap Tap game on iOS, but they were remixed and improved for the EP. With Rivers Cuomo's signature voice on each of the holiday classics, this album will surely make you feel nostalgic for all those late-'90s holidays you spent listening to Pinkerton on cassette.
