1.   Black is the only major country artist this year to offer a holiday album of original songs.

2.   Both have headlined their own Christmas tours in past years, and released hit holiday albums.

3.   A holiday album allows an artist to bond with fans in ways not possible with a typical studio CD.

4.   Chat with him about his new holiday album Classic Christmas featuring a duet with fellow prodigy Charlotte Church.

5.   Every person on Earth with access to a recording studio has made a holiday album.

6.   Other tracks have been pulled from previously released holiday albums featuring Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Elton John, Aaron Neville and Aretha Franklin.

7.   Some of the others have exploited their success through the release of quick-hit fodder such as holiday albums, but not through an actual followup record.

8.   That buys a lot of mistletoe and helps explain why superstars and not-so-superstars have rushed to create their own holiday albums.

9.   The Oklahoma native with a penchant for infusing his contemporary country sound with bits of old-school bluegrass is no stranger to the holiday album, either.

10.   With hundreds of holiday albums, the challenge lies in too many options and high album prices.