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What holiday has more family traditions than Christmas? And who knows more about "family tradition" than country music lovers? We've spent the past few weeks trimming the tracks on our radio tree and adding plenty of shiny new tunes to make sure it sounds nice for all you folks—even you naughty ones.

On Holiday Hayride, we feature such iconic old-school country artists as Gene Autry, Johnny Cash and Kitty Wells, dropping them in the mix with several decades' worth of more contemporary artists: Alabama, John Denver, George Strait, Kenny and Dolly, and many more favorites. Does anyone sing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" better than Gene Autry? Take a listen to George Strait's and Merle Haggard's versions. Kenny Chesney's reggae-fied version of "Jingle Bells" has to be heard to be believed, mon. And we've also included plenty of brand-new Christmas tunes from Joey and Rory, Toby Keith, Little Big Town, Julie Roberts and a whole lot more.

So dig your spurs into old and new country Christmas classics via Rhapsody's Holiday Hayride radio.

The holiday season is upon us. And if you're like us, and you can't help but thrill to the yuletide aural exploits of Charlie Brown, Phil Spector, Bing Crosby, James Brown, Mariah Carey, Celia Cruz, The Muppets, King Diamond and all the rest, then here's our gift to you: an absolute enormous guide to the holiday music available on Rhapsody, from soul jams to Latin favorites to deep-cut crooner epics, from new 2011 favorites (Justin Bieber!) to our 10 favorite classic rockers who look like Santa (Rick Rubin!), from the tasteful lilt of John Fahey to the seedier exploits of St. Nick himself. We've got an in-depth guide to A Charlie Brown Christmas, an ultimate holiday-party playlist, and capping it all off, our 30 favorite Xmas albums of all time. Enjoy, and have a jovial holiday season.

	The Pantheon: Our 30 favorite holiday albums of all time			Ultimate Holiday Party Playlist: Classics, deep cuts, oddities
	2011 Xmas Roundup: New jams from Michael Bublé, Justin Bieber and more			Charlie Brown's Parents: The piano-jazz influences behind a holiday classic
	Santa's Clones: The Top 10 classic rockers who look like St. Nick			Xmas Soul Muzak: Cheesy jams from Whitney, Mariah and more
	New Country Christmas: Fresh yuletide cheer from your favorite stars			Global Holiday Albums: From Enya to Sly & Robbie
	Santa's Dark Side: He cheats, he lies, he kisses Mommy and/or Daddy			Winter Indieland: Good tidings from She & Him, Fleet Foxes and more
	Christian Roundup: New tunes from TobyMac, Matthew West and more			Feliz Navidad: Latin holiday hits from José, Celia, Luis and more
	Crooner Deep Cuts: Lesser-known jams from Bing, Frank and the gang			John Fahey's Respite: The folk giant soothes even holiday haters
	Radio: Silent Night: Classical carols and merry symphonies galore			Radio: Holiday Hooks: Pop hits, from The Beach Boys to Destiny's Child

It's nearing the end of the year, and there's no shortage of rappers trying to squeeze in an album for holiday shoppers. The big releases this month come from Drake, Wale, Gym Class Heroes and, surprisingly, Mac Miller. December brings The Roots, Common, and Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa. However, there are plenty of lower-profile albums worth a listen, too; so many, in fact, that I couldn't squeeze them in. I compiled a list of them at the end of this roundup.

Click here to listen to a playlist: November 2011 Hot Rap Singles


1. Drake
Take Care
For Take Care, Drake re-ups the lush R&B romanticism of 2010's Thank Me Later, albeit with a twist. "I know I exaggerated things/ But now I got it like that," he says on "Headlines," where he threatens to sic his bodyguards on haters. (What happened to Gang Starr's "Suckas Need Bodyguards"?) Big cars, pliant women and deliciously ambient beats from Boi-1da and Noah "40" Shebib inspire this tastefully appointed exercise in debauchery. But Drake's not too famous to beg the girls on "Marvin's Room" and the title track, even if it sounds more like a booty call than true love. [Mosi Reeves]

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