Unique, Free Christmas Music Online for the Holiday Aficionado

Ask anyone what their favorite holiday is and 9 times out of 10 you will be told unequivocally that it is Christmas! What is there not to love about this great celebration? Not only is it a federal holiday, but it has its own season, specialty foods, the lure of gifts to be received, beautiful decorations, and a body of music that has been steadily growing over the course of decades. Christmas music lovers who are searching for free downloads, album streams and other web sources to hear their favorite Christmas tunes have a plethora of sites to consider.

Live365.com is perhaps the premier site for 24/7 Christmas music and cheer. Tied to the Christmas Broadband website, it is the brainchild of what must be Christmas' #1 fan: Rob Shroeder. The music is mixed and you will hear Ella Fitzgerald's "Sleep, My Little Jesus" as well as Martina McBride's rendition of "O Come All Ye Faithful." Shut off the monitor - make sure to disable the standby mode for your computer - and you can listen via the computer to broadband's Christmas music all day. There is also a lot of fun going on at the site's forums and if you have a bit of time to kill why not see who is online and chat on the forum - while the music plays?

Another Live365.com favorite is the All Christmas Radio station which is famous online for its well ordered line up and repetition free blocks. One of the favorite segments is the 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM (7:30 PM to 9:00 PM CST) instrumental Christmas compositions which make for light listening pleasure. Known online as Not the Grinch, Jeremy Walker is a respected activist who is working hard to keep Internet radio going. Operating a blog, the site is a lot less interactive than others, but if you want to know exactly what you may find playing and when, this is the site for you!

Those Christmas connoisseurs who still like to put Christ into Christmas have to stop by the New Christmas Music site which is put together by Songs of Praise. A decidedly Christian themed site, freely downloadable midi, mp3, and wma versions of traditional Christmas songs both with lyrics and instrumentals are available.

Though slow in loading, the Christmas Songs Lyrics site by Links2Love is a must! Not only will you be treated to links to YouTube of unforgettable performances by your most unlikely carolers, but you also find lyrics to some of the funniest songs you will not hear on the radio all that often. Who could forget Twisted Sister's rendition of "Come All Ye Faithful" or Bill Engvall's "Here's Your Sign - Christmas"? This is the perfect site to spend a lot of time reminiscing, listening, and just laughing - something sorely needed during the holiday season!