If you're one of those people who never buys Christmas albums because they're not cost-effective, then you're probably sick of the Como/Sinatra/Elvis collections. However, a trip to the record store in search of something new will likely result in disappointment. Destiny's Child? Kenny G? Michael Bolton?
But don't despair: I strongly recommend the new, limited-edition Asylum Street Spankers double-live album which, as it happens, is only available in Japan. You can't get more cost-effective: two CDs for the price of one; the first containing selections from concerts recorded last summer in Switzerland and Denmark, and the second a Christmas show recorded in Austin, Texas, the Spankers' home base.
A caveat: Though "A Christmas Spanking" does contain standards such as "Blue Christmas" and "We Three Kings," these are not the versions you are familiar with. "Silent Night," for example, is played on a musical saw -- and that's one of the more straightforward songs.