Ella Fitzgerald, the "First Lady of Jazz", sold more than 40 million albums, and was at her peak in 1960 when she recorded her holiday album, Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas.
Chances are you've heard Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer a million times. Pretty much every artist ever has recorded them so it can be really difficult to make a new version stand out. But Ella does just that.
At first, the way Ella sings yuletide classics seems far from traditional, but after a few listens, you'll start to believe that this is the only way they should ever be done. From peppy, upbeat classics like Frosty the Snowman and Sleigh Ride, to quiet, romantic numbers such as Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, the album offers a perfect blend of happy nostalgia to make any Christmas event a festive one.
There are many Christmas albums around, but you could get away with playing this one on repeat for all 12 days of Christmas. The only downside is that after such a gem, festive mall muzak is even more annoying than usual.