Christmas music does not always need lyrics to create that unmistakable holiday feeling. Sometimes a piano playing “Silent Night,” a warm jazz trio drifting through “The Christmas Song,” or an electric guitar tearing into “Carol of the Bells” can say everything that needs to be said.
Instrumental Christmas albums are especially wonderful because they can fit almost anywhere into the season. They can provide peaceful background music while you decorate the tree, create an elegant soundtrack for Christmas dinner, keep you company while wrapping presents, or transform a quiet snowy evening into something that feels straight out of a Christmas movie.
And there is far more variety than you might expect. Christmas instrumentals have been recorded as jazz, classical music, acoustic guitar, solo piano, surf rock, soul, smooth jazz, brass, flamenco, new age, and even steel pan music.
Here are 50 great instrumental Christmas albums worth adding to your holiday listening.
A quick note: A handful of the albums below are predominantly instrumental rather than completely vocal-free. Those exceptions are noted where appropriate.
🎹 Classic Piano Christmas Albums
1. A Charlie Brown Christmas — Vince Guaraldi Trio
Few Christmas albums are more instantly recognizable.
Vince Guaraldi’s gently swinging piano, Fred Marshall’s bass, and Jerry Granelli’s drums created a sound that became inseparable from A Charlie Brown Christmas. “Linus and Lucy,” “Christmas Is Coming,” and the instrumental version of “Christmas Time Is Here” combine jazz sophistication with childlike warmth.
There are a few vocal performances on the soundtrack, so it is not entirely instrumental, but its heart is very much Guaraldi’s jazz trio.
Best for: decorating the Christmas tree and nostalgic family evenings.
2. December — George Winston
If Christmas morning snowfall could be turned into a piano album, it might sound like December.
George Winston mixes traditional seasonal melodies, original pieces, and reflective interpretations into an extraordinarily peaceful solo-piano recording. His versions of “The Holly and the Ivy” and “Carol of the Bells” are particularly beautiful.
Best for: quiet winter mornings, reading, and relaxing by the fire.
3. Christmas Piano — Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman’s soft, melodic piano style feels perfectly suited to Christmas.
The arrangements are warm rather than flashy, making this a lovely choice when you want holiday music that fills the room without demanding everyone’s attention.
Best for: Christmas dinner and peaceful background music.
4. All Is Calm: Peaceful Christmas Hymns — Jim Brickman
As the title suggests, this collection concentrates on the gentler, sacred side of Christmas.
Traditional hymns are given Brickman’s soothing piano treatment, creating music particularly well suited to Advent evenings or Christmas Eve.
Best for: candlelight, reflection, and quiet evenings.
5. A Dave Brubeck Christmas — Dave Brubeck
Jazz legend Dave Brubeck strips Christmas music down to solo piano.
Rather than simply playing familiar melodies straight, Brubeck brings his distinctive harmonies, rhythms, and improvisational personality to standards and traditional carols.
Best for: jazz lovers who want something sophisticated but still unmistakably festive.
6. An Oscar Peterson Christmas — Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson’s tremendous technique could easily have overwhelmed these songs, but his Christmas performances are remarkably warm and inviting.
His piano leads tasteful jazz arrangements of seasonal standards, creating an album that works beautifully for both serious listening and an elegant holiday gathering.
Best for: Christmas cocktails and dinner parties.
7. Sound of Christmas — Ramsey Lewis Trio
Ramsey Lewis gives Christmas standards the easy swing of early-1960s jazz.
“Winter Wonderland,” “The Christmas Song,” and “Sleigh Ride” become relaxed piano-trio performances with plenty of personality.
Best for: vintage Christmas atmosphere.
8. More Sounds of Christmas — Ramsey Lewis Trio
If one Ramsey Lewis Christmas album is not enough, there is a sequel.
More Sounds of Christmas continues the combination of jazz piano, recognizable melodies, and an easygoing holiday mood that made its predecessor so enjoyable.
Best for: retro holiday parties.
🎸 Acoustic & Classical Guitar Christmas Albums
9. The New Possibility: John Fahey’s Guitar Soli Christmas Album — John Fahey
John Fahey helped establish the idea that traditional Christmas carols could work beautifully as serious solo acoustic-guitar music.
His fingerstyle arrangements are sometimes rustic, sometimes haunting, and wonderfully intimate.
Best for: fireside listening and acoustic-music fans.
10. Christmas with John Fahey, Vol. II — John Fahey
Fahey returned to Christmas music with another collection of inventive acoustic arrangements.
It is an excellent companion to The New Possibility and shows just how much variety a single guitarist can find within familiar seasonal melodies.
Best for: peaceful evenings and folk-music lovers.
11. Hymns, Carols and Songs About Snow — Tuck Andress
Tuck Andress turns his remarkable fingerstyle technique toward carols and winter songs.
The album is performed primarily as solo guitar, giving familiar melodies a detailed, intimate sound without losing their Christmas warmth.
Best for: guitar enthusiasts and quiet holiday evenings.
12. A Christmas Album — California Guitar Trio
Three guitars give Christmas music an entirely different personality.
The California Guitar Trio moves comfortably from “Carol of the Bells” and “O Tannenbaum” to Bach and even Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.”
Best for: listeners who want something adventurous but accessible.
13. A Sacred Christmas — Michael Dowdle
This is Christmas music in one of its simplest and most beautiful forms: unaccompanied acoustic guitar.
Michael Dowdle concentrates on sacred favorites including “O Holy Night,” “Silent Night,” “What Child Is This?” and “The First Noel.”
Best for: Christmas Eve and reflective listening.
14. Christmas Dreams — Liona Boyd
Classical guitarist Liona Boyd brings elegance and warmth to familiar Christmas melodies.
Her polished playing gives the album a timeless quality that works beautifully as gentle background music.
Best for: traditional Christmas gatherings.
15. Poets & Angels: Music 4 the Holidays — Ottmar Liebert
Ottmar Liebert brings his distinctive flamenco-influenced guitar sound to the holiday season.
The result feels warmer and more rhythmically adventurous than the average Christmas guitar record.
Best for: adding something different to a Christmas dinner playlist.
16. Christmas Guitar — Jack Jezzro
Jack Jezzro offers relaxed, polished guitar interpretations of seasonal favorites.
It is comfortable, melodic Christmas music that works especially well when you want festive atmosphere without vocals.
Best for: dinner, entertaining, and background listening.
17. Majesty & Wonder: An Instrumental Christmas — Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy’s expressive guitar playing gives traditional Christmas music both intimacy and grandeur.
The arrangements move comfortably between acoustic warmth and more contemporary instrumental textures.
Best for: guitar lovers looking for a reverent Christmas album.
18. Holiday — Craig Chaquico
Former Jefferson Starship guitarist Craig Chaquico approaches Christmas from a contemporary instrumental perspective.
Acoustic and electric guitar textures combine with smooth jazz and new-age influences for a polished modern holiday sound.
Best for: contemporary instrumental fans.
19. Songs of the Season — Peter White
Peter White’s acoustic guitar takes center stage on this smooth-jazz Christmas collection.
Traditional songs such as “The First Noel,” “O Tannenbaum,” and “Jingle Bells” receive breezy contemporary arrangements. One track features vocals, so the album is predominantly rather than completely instrumental.
Best for: relaxed Christmas entertaining.
20. I’ll Be Home for Christmas — Phil Sheeran
Guitarist Phil Sheeran performs Christmas favorites in settings ranging from unaccompanied guitar to small jazz ensembles.
It is an underrated choice for anyone who loves sophisticated instrumental guitar.
Best for: mellow evenings and smooth jazz fans.
🎹 New Age & Contemporary Instrumental Christmas
21. Christmas Eve — David Lanz
David Lanz’s expressive piano style is perfectly matched to winter and Christmas music.
The arrangements feel cinematic without becoming overly grand, making this an especially good album for quiet December evenings.
Best for: reading beside the Christmas tree.
22. The Christmas Album — David Lanz
Lanz returned to familiar Christmas melodies with another piano-centered collection.
Gentle contemporary instrumental arrangements make it an easy album to play from beginning to end.
Best for: relaxing during the busiest part of December.
23. For Christmas — Peter Kater
Peter Kater’s piano transforms traditional holiday melodies into graceful new-age instrumentals.
It is calm without becoming sleepy and festive without being overly bright.
Best for: peaceful Christmas mornings.
24. The Christmas Box — Paul Cardall
Paul Cardall’s melodic piano makes The Christmas Box an inviting collection of contemporary instrumental holiday music.
There is a tender, reflective quality throughout that suits the quieter side of Christmas.
Best for: family evenings at home.
25. Christmas Hymns, Vol. 1 — Paul Cardall
Cardall focuses specifically on sacred Christmas melodies here.
The simple piano-centered presentation gives well-known hymns room to breathe.
Best for: Advent and Christmas Eve.
26. The Carols of Christmas — Windham Hill Artists
Windham Hill’s distinctive acoustic sound proved almost tailor-made for Christmas.
Piano, guitar, clarinet, and other acoustic instruments give familiar carols an elegant contemporary-instrumental treatment.
Best for: sophisticated but unobtrusive Christmas background music.
27. A Winter’s Solstice — Various Windham Hill Artists
Not every track is explicitly a Christmas carol, but A Winter’s Solstice became one of the defining instrumental albums for the winter holiday season.
Its combination of acoustic guitar, piano, and atmospheric instrumentals beautifully captures the quietness of December.
Best for: snowy evenings and winter relaxation.
28. Jazz Christmas — Windham Hill Artists
Windham Hill’s holiday aesthetic meets contemporary jazz on this collection.
The result is warmer and groovier than the label’s more meditative seasonal releases while still remaining ideal background music.
Best for: stylish Christmas dinners.
🎷 Jazz & Smooth Jazz Christmas Albums
29. Christmas Time — David Benoit
David Benoit’s early Christmas recording blends piano with the polished contemporary jazz sound that would become his trademark.
The familiar melodies feel light, warm, and effortlessly festive.
Best for: daytime Christmas listening.
30. Remembering Christmas — David Benoit
One of Benoit’s strongest seasonal releases, Remembering Christmas combines traditional carols, Christmas standards, and original material.
The arrangements are sophisticated enough for jazz listeners while remaining easy to enjoy casually.
Best for: an elegant Christmas dinner.
31. Christmas Present: Music of Warmth & Celebration — Rick Braun
Trumpeter and flugelhornist Rick Braun brings his smooth-jazz style to Christmas favorites.
The mellow brass sound gives the album a cozy late-night character.
Best for: Christmas cocktails and candlelit dinners.
32. Home for Christmas — Kim Waters
Saxophonist Kim Waters gives favorites such as “White Christmas,” “Silent Night,” and “The Christmas Song” a smooth contemporary jazz treatment.
Best for: laid-back holiday entertaining.
33. Snowbound — Fourplay
Smooth-jazz supergroup Fourplay creates polished, sophisticated arrangements of traditional and modern Christmas songs.
Most of the album is instrumental, although a guest vocal appears on “The Christmas Song.”
Best for: an upscale Christmas gathering.
34. A Soulful Christmas — Brian Culbertson
Brian Culbertson combines jazz piano, keyboards, brass, funk, and soul into a Christmas album with considerably more energy than the typical quiet instrumental collection.
Best for: a livelier Christmas party.
35. Miracles: The Holiday Album — Kenny G
Few instrumentalists are as strongly associated with contemporary Christmas music as Kenny G.
His soprano saxophone glides through standards including “Winter Wonderland,” “White Christmas,” “Silent Night,” and “Silver Bells.”
Best for: classic smooth-jazz Christmas atmosphere.
36. Faith: A Holiday Album — Kenny G
Kenny G’s second major holiday collection takes a similarly mellow approach while expanding the seasonal repertoire.
It became another important entry in his hugely popular series of Christmas recordings.
Best for: quiet evenings and easy listening.
37. A GRP Christmas Collection — Various Artists
GRP Records gathered leading contemporary jazz musicians for this late-1980s Christmas collection.
Rather than reproducing traditional arrangements, the musicians reinterpret familiar tunes through fusion, smooth jazz, and contemporary instrumental styles.
Best for: anyone nostalgic for late-’80s and early-’90s contemporary jazz.
🎺 Brass, Orchestra & Easy-Listening Christmas Albums
38. Music of Christmas — Percy Faith & His Orchestra
For lush old-fashioned Christmas atmosphere, Percy Faith is hard to beat.
Sweeping orchestration turns familiar carols into the kind of grand instrumental Christmas music that instantly evokes mid-century department stores, decorated city streets, and family Christmas gatherings.
Best for: creating a classic 1950s Christmas mood.
39. Christmas Carols — Mantovani
Mantovani’s famous cascading-string sound gives Christmas carols an unmistakably romantic glow.
It is unabashedly traditional and wonderfully nostalgic.
Best for: vintage Christmas decorating.
40. A Festival of Carols in Brass — Philadelphia Brass Ensemble
Brass instruments can make Christmas music sound both majestic and joyous, and this collection is a perfect example.
Twenty-five traditional carols receive crisp, festive brass arrangements.
Best for: Christmas morning and traditional holiday gatherings.
41. An Instrumental Christmas — Canadian Brass
The Canadian Brass bring tremendous musicianship and a touch of playfulness to Christmas standards.
The bright sound of trumpets, French horn, trombone, and tuba makes familiar carols feel wonderfully celebratory.
Best for: family Christmas mornings.
42. Sweet Songs of Christmas — Canadian Brass
Another excellent Canadian Brass holiday collection, this album moves between joyful Christmas standards and gentler traditional melodies.
Best for: anyone who loves brass-band Christmas music.
🎸 Rock, Soul & Unexpected Instrumental Christmas Albums
43. Christmas — Mannheim Steamroller
Mannheim Steamroller changed the sound of instrumental Christmas music in the 1980s.
Chip Davis blended synthesizers, period instruments, drums, classical influences, and progressive rock into arrangements that sounded unlike almost anything that had come before.
Best for: dramatic Christmas decorating.
44. A Fresh Aire Christmas — Mannheim Steamroller
The group’s second Christmas album expanded its trademark combination of Renaissance-inspired textures, synthesizers, and modern production.
It remains an essential companion to the original Christmas.
Best for: anyone who wants Christmas music with plenty of atmosphere.
45. Christmas in the Aire — Mannheim Steamroller
Mannheim Steamroller’s third major holiday collection continued to explore traditional melodies through electronic, orchestral, and acoustic textures.
Best for: a big, cinematic Christmas soundtrack.
46. Christmas Extraordinaire — Mannheim Steamroller
By this point Mannheim Steamroller had virtually created its own subgenre of Christmas music.
Christmas Extraordinaire offers another polished mixture of carols, orchestral textures, synthesizers, and driving rhythms.
Best for: fans who want a larger-than-life holiday sound.
47. The Ventures’ Christmas Album — The Ventures
What happens when one of rock’s greatest instrumental bands plays Christmas songs?
You get surf guitar, twang, rock-and-roll riffs, and an enormous amount of fun.
The Ventures cleverly weave familiar contemporary guitar riffs into standards such as “Sleigh Ride,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “Jingle Bells.”
Best for: retro Christmas parties.
48. In the Christmas Spirit — Booker T. & the MG’s
Christmas music meets Memphis soul.
Booker T. Jones’s organ, Steve Cropper’s guitar, Donald “Duck” Dunn’s bass, and Al Jackson Jr.’s drums transform “Jingle Bells,” “Silver Bells,” “White Christmas,” and other standards into irresistible instrumental grooves.
Best for: anyone tired of hearing Christmas music played the same way every year.
49. Visions of Christmas: An Instrumental Holiday Collection — Various Artists
This compilation explores several corners of instrumental holiday music, moving through contemporary jazz, new age, acoustic styles, Celtic influences, and more.
It makes a particularly good sampler for listeners who want to discover instrumental artists rather than commit to one musical style.
Best for: building a varied Christmas playlist.
50. It’s Christmas Mon! Steel Pan Music Christmas Style — Robert Greenidge
Christmas music does not have to sound snowy.
Steel pan musician Robert Greenidge gives familiar holiday melodies a Caribbean personality, producing one of the most cheerful and unusual instrumental Christmas albums on this list.
Best for: anyone dreaming of spending Christmas somewhere warm.
🎄 The Best Instrumental Christmas Albums by Mood
If 50 choices feel overwhelming, start with the atmosphere you want.
| Mood | Albums to Try |
|---|---|
| Peaceful & reflective | George Winston — December; David Lanz — The Christmas Album; Paul Cardall — The Christmas Box |
| Classic Christmas nostalgia | Percy Faith — Music of Christmas; Mantovani — Christmas Carols |
| Cozy jazz | Vince Guaraldi Trio — A Charlie Brown Christmas; Dave Brubeck — A Dave Brubeck Christmas |
| Smooth jazz | Fourplay — Snowbound; Rick Braun — Christmas Present; Kenny G — Miracles |
| Acoustic guitar | John Fahey — The New Possibility; Tuck Andress — Hymns, Carols and Songs About Snow |
| Big & dramatic | Mannheim Steamroller — Christmas; A Fresh Aire Christmas |
| Fun & retro | The Ventures — The Ventures’ Christmas Album; Booker T. & the MG’s — In the Christmas Spirit |
| Traditional brass | Philadelphia Brass Ensemble — A Festival of Carols in Brass; Canadian Brass — An Instrumental Christmas |
| Something unusual | Ottmar Liebert — Poets & Angels; Robert Greenidge — It’s Christmas Mon! |
⭐ 10 Instrumental Christmas Albums to Start With
If you only want the essentials, these ten give you an excellent cross-section of styles:
- A Charlie Brown Christmas — Vince Guaraldi Trio
- December — George Winston
- Christmas — Mannheim Steamroller
- The New Possibility — John Fahey
- A Dave Brubeck Christmas — Dave Brubeck
- An Oscar Peterson Christmas — Oscar Peterson
- The Ventures’ Christmas Album — The Ventures
- In the Christmas Spirit — Booker T. & the MG’s
- Music of Christmas — Percy Faith & His Orchestra
- A Festival of Carols in Brass — Philadelphia Brass Ensemble
Those ten alone can take you from peaceful Christmas Eve piano to jazz, acoustic guitar, brass, soul, surf rock, and sweeping orchestral nostalgia.
❓ Instrumental Christmas Music FAQ
What is the most famous instrumental Christmas album?
There is no single definitive answer, but George Winston’s December, Mannheim Steamroller’s Christmas, and the largely instrumental Vince Guaraldi Trio soundtrack A Charlie Brown Christmas are among the most enduring choices.
What is a good instrumental Christmas album for dinner?
For elegant background music, try An Oscar Peterson Christmas, David Benoit’s Remembering Christmas, Peter White’s Songs of the Season, or George Winston’s December.
What is the best instrumental Christmas music for relaxing?
Solo-piano and acoustic-guitar albums tend to work especially well. George Winston, David Lanz, Paul Cardall, John Fahey, Michael Dowdle, and Tuck Andress are all excellent starting points.
Are there instrumental Christmas albums that aren’t classical?
Absolutely. Instrumental Christmas music includes jazz, surf rock, Memphis soul, smooth jazz, flamenco guitar, new age, progressive rock, brass, steel pan, and many other styles.
Is A Charlie Brown Christmas completely instrumental?
No. Most of the album centers on Vince Guaraldi’s jazz performances, but there are vocal tracks as well, including the children’s vocal version of “Christmas Time Is Here.” It is therefore better described as a predominantly instrumental jazz Christmas album.
❤️ Christmas Without Words
One of the pleasures of instrumental Christmas music is hearing just how adaptable these familiar melodies can be.
“Silent Night” can become a delicate acoustic guitar piece. “Jingle Bells” can swing with a jazz trio, groove with Booker T. & the MG’s, or race along behind the electric guitars of the Ventures. “Carol of the Bells” can sound meditative on piano one moment and enormous when surrounded by synthesizers and percussion the next.
Without lyrics, the melody itself becomes the memory.
And whether your ideal Christmas soundtrack involves a quiet piano beside the tree, the warm sound of a jazz club, a grand orchestra, or a surf guitar turned up considerably louder than Santa would probably approve, there is an instrumental Christmas album for it.
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📚 Sources
- AllMusic — The 30 Top Christmas Albums of All Time
- AllMusic — A Christmas Album, California Guitar Trio
- AllMusic — Hymns, Carols and Songs About Snow, Tuck Andress
- AllMusic — A Sacred Christmas, Michael Dowdle
- AllMusic — Christmas Dreams, Liona Boyd
- AllMusic — The Christmas Album, David Lanz
- AllMusic — For Christmas, Peter Kater
- AllMusic — The Christmas Box, Paul Cardall
- AllMusic — Christmas Hymns, Vol. 1, Paul Cardall
- AllMusic — An Oscar Peterson Christmas
- AllMusic — Sound of Christmas, Ramsey Lewis Trio
- AllMusic — In the Christmas Spirit, Booker T. & the MG’s
- AllMusic — The Ventures’ Christmas Album
- AllMusic — Remembering Christmas, David Benoit
- AllMusic — Christmas Present: Music of Warmth & Celebration, Rick Braun
- AllMusic — Home for Christmas, Kim Waters
- AllMusic — Snowbound, Fourplay
- AllMusic — A Soulful Christmas, Brian Culbertson
- Sony Music — Miracles: The Holiday Album, Kenny G
- AllMusic — Music of Christmas, Percy Faith & His Orchestra
- AllMusic — Christmas Carols, Mantovani
- AllMusic — A Festival of Carols in Brass, Philadelphia Brass
- AllMusic — The Carols of Christmas, Windham Hill
- AllMusic — Visions of Christmas: An Instrumental Holiday Collection
- AllMusic — It’s Christmas Mon! Steel Pan Music Christmas Style, Robert Greenidge
