Wednesday, November 30, 2016

List of 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 16 million copies in the U.S. (3 million copies of the original 1957 release on RCA Victor Records, plus 10 million copies of a "budget" edition first released by RCA Camden in 1970 and then by Pickwick Records in 1975, and 3 million of a RCA reissue titled It's Christmas Time released in 1985).[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.

Best-selling Christmas/holiday albums (using RIAA

 certifications and Nielsen SoundScan sales)[edit]

In November 2016, Billboard has compiled a list of the top ten selling Christmas albums, using both RIAA certification information and actual point-of-sale data from Nielsen SoundScan. For albums released before SoundScan started collecting data in 1991, Billboard used their RIAA certification to determine sales.[2]
  1. Elvis' Christmas Album / Elvis Presley ~ 10,000,000[2]
  2. Miracles: The Holiday Album / Kenny G ~ 7,370,000[2]
  3. The Christmas Song / Nat King Cole ~ 6,000,000[2]
  4. Mannheim Steamroller Christmas / Mannheim Steamroller ~ 6,000,000[2]
  5. A Fresh Aire Christmas / Mannheim Steamroller ~ 6,000,000[2]
  6. Noël / Josh Groban ~ 5,890,000[2]
  7. Merry Christmas / Mariah Carey ~ 5,500,000[2]
  8. These Are Special Times / Celine Dion ~ 5,440,000[2]
  9. A Christmas Album / Barbra Streisand ~ 5,370,000[2]
  10. Merry Christmas / Johnny Mathis ~ 5,240,000[2]

Best-selling Christmas/holiday albums since

 Nielsen SoundScan tracking began[edit]

This is a list of the twenty-five best-selling Christmas albums of the Nielsen SoundScan era in the United States. Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data for Billboard on March 1, 1991. This list includes accumulated SoundScan sales through December 1, 2014.[3] For the top four albums, the sales is updated through November 2016.[2]
  1. Miracles: The Holiday Album / Kenny G ~ 7,370,000[2]
  2. Noël / Josh Groban ~ 5,890,000[2]
  3. Merry Christmas / Mariah Carey ~ 5,500,000[2]
  4. These Are Special Times / Celine Dion ~ 5,440,000[2]
  5. Christmas in the Aire / Mannheim Steamroller ~ 3,740,000[3]
  6. A Fresh Aire Christmas / Mannheim Steamroller ~ 3,660,000[3]
  7. Mannheim Steamroller Christmas / Mannheim Steamroller ~ 3,500,000[3]
  8. Now That's What I Call Christmas! / various artists ~ 3,480,000[3]
  9. Christmas Eve and Other Stories / Trans-Siberian Orchestra ~ 3,430,000[3]
  10. A Charlie Brown Christmas / Vince Guaraldi Trio ~ 3,410,000[3]
  11. Christmas / Michael Bublé ~ 3,390,000[3]
  12. When My Heart Finds Christmas / Harry Connick, Jr. ~ 3,150,000[3]
  13. My Christmas / Andrea Bocelli ~ 3,010,000[3]
  14. Christmas Extraordinaire / Mannheim Steamroller ~ 2,920,000[3]
  15. Home for Christmas / *NSYNC ~ 2,760,000[3]
  16. Faith: A Holiday Album / Kenny G ~ 2,750,000[3]
  17. Beyond the Season / Garth Brooks ~ 2,650,000[3]
  18. Home for Christmas / Amy Grant ~ 2,540,000[3]
  19. A Very Special Christmas / various artists ~ 2,520,000[3]
  20. The Lost Christmas Eve / Trans-Siberian Orchestra ~ 2,380,000[3]
  21. A Very Special Christmas 2 / various artists ~ 2,200,000[3]
  22. The Gift / Susan Boyle ~ 2,180,000[3]
  23. Christmas Portrait / The Carpenters ~ 1,950,000[3]
  24. White Christmas / Bing Crosby ~ 1,950,000[3]
  25. The Christmas Album / Neil Diamond ~ 1,910,000[3]

Best-selling Christmas/holiday albums by RIAA certification[edit]

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 ReleaseArtist(s)TitleLabel(s)Certification Award[4]
1970Elvis PresleyElvis' Christmas Album
(budget reissue of 1957 LP with altered track listing)
RCA Camden/PickwickDiamond
1994Kenny GMiracles: The Holiday AlbumArista8× Platinum
2001VariousNow That's What I Call Christmas!UTV6× Platinum
1988Mannheim SteamrollerA Fresh Aire ChristmasAmerican Gramaphone6× Platinum
1984Mannheim SteamrollerMannheim Steamroller ChristmasAmerican Gramaphone6× Platinum
1963Nat King ColeThe Christmas Song
(originally released in 1960 under the title The Magic of Christmas)
Capitol6× Platinum
2007Josh GrobanNoëlWEA/Reprise5× Platinum
1998Celine DionThese Are Special TimesEpic5× Platinum
1994Mariah CareyMerry ChristmasColumbia5× Platinum
1967Barbra StreisandA Christmas AlbumColumbia5× Platinum
1958Johnny MathisMerry ChristmasColumbia5× Platinum
1995Bing CrosbyWhite Christmas
(originally released in 1945 under the title Merry Christmas)
Decca4× Platinum
1995Mannheim SteamrollerChristmas in the AireAmerican Gramaphone4× Platinum
1987VariousA Very Special ChristmasA&M4× Platinum
1984VariousChristmas Through the YearsReader's Digest Music4× Platinum
1965Vince Guaraldi TrioA Charlie Brown ChristmasFantasy4× Platinum
2010Susan BoyleThe GiftSyco/Columbia3× Platinum
2001Mannheim SteamrollerChristmas ExtraordinaireAmerican Gramaphone3× Platinum
1999Kenny GFaith: A Holiday AlbumArista Records3× Platinum
1996Trans-Siberian OrchestraChristmas Eve and Other StoriesLava3× Platinum
1993Harry Connick, Jr.When My Heart Finds ChristmasSony/Columbia3× Platinum
1992Garth BrooksBeyond the SeasonLiberty3× Platinum
1992Amy GrantHome for ChristmasA&M3× Platinum
1985Elvis PresleyIt's Christmas Time
(retitled reissue of 1970 budget edition of Elvis' Christmas Album)
BMG3× Platinum
1982George WinstonDecemberWindham Hill3× Platinum
1971Elvis PresleyElvis Sings the Wonderful World of ChristmasRCA3× Platinum
1957Elvis PresleyElvis' Christmas Album
(original release)
RCA Victor3× Platinum
2014PentatonixThat's Christmas to MeRCA2x Platinum
2009Andrea BocelliMy ChristmasDecca2× Platinum
2004Trans-Siberian OrchestraThe Lost Christmas EveLava2× Platinum
2003VariousNow That's What I Call Christmas!: The Signature CollectionCapitol2× Platinum
1998*NSYNCHome for ChristmasRCA2× Platinum
1993Boyz II MenChristmas InterpretationsMotown2× Platinum
1993Vince GillLet There Be Peace on EarthMCA Nashville2× Platinum
1992Neil DiamondThe Christmas AlbumColumbia2× Platinum
1992VariousA Very Special Christmas 2A&M2× Platinum
1989New Kids on the BlockMerry, Merry ChristmasColumbia2× Platinum
1987Reba McEntireMerry Christmas to YouMCA Nashville2× Platinum
1986George StraitMerry Christmas Strait to You!MCA Nashville2× Platinum
1985AlabamaAlabama ChristmasRCA2× Platinum
1984Kenny Rogers & Dolly PartonOnce Upon a ChristmasRCA2× Platinum
1981Anne MurrayChristmas WishesCapitol2× Platinum
1981Kenny RogersChristmasLiberty2× Platinum
1979VariousDisney's Christmas FavoritesDisneyland2× Platinum
1975John DenverRocky Mountain ChristmasRCA2× Platinum

Best-selling Christmas/holiday albums by year[edit]

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.[5]

1940s[edit]

1950s[edit]

1960s[edit]

1970s[edit]

1980s[edit]

1990s[edit]

2000s[edit]

2010s[edit]

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