Last year, someone recommended Brave Combo, and I loved it! The year before it was Fourplay, and I loved that one! So we gonna try for three in a row?
Q
By “original” are you meaning different - or local music? If it’s the former I will suggest the following rockin’ CD’s:
Merry Axemas - A Guitar Christmas (Jeff Beck’s version of Amazing Grace will send chills down your spine, and I dare you to not get up and dance when you listen to Satriani’s version of Silent/Holy Night.)
Gary Hoey - any one of his many Christmas CD’s! this guy rocks. Hark the Herald Angels Sing on his 3rd album is my all-time favorite.
The beauty of these works is that there are no lyrics - just awesome, beautiful rock n’ roll for the holidays.
Blonde, I mean anything other than the “standard collections” of stuff we hear every year, so your suggestions are “right on”, thank you.
Also, I understand The Ventures have 2 Christmas albums (CD’s). The one I have is “The Ventures Christmas Album”, but I think the other might be a Japanese import with songs that the first one doesn’t have. Anyone know?
Thanks!
Q
This thread is better suited for Cafe Society. I’ll move it for you.
Cajun Man ~ SDMB Moderator
Brian Setzer did a Christmas album, but that was last year.
If you’re not looking for stuff that was done this year, I strongly recommend the two Christmas albums by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and Christmas Caravan by the Squirrel Nut Zippers.
The Brian Setzer Orchestra contributed an amazing version of Jingle Bells to Merry Axemas - A Guitar Christmas. The CD states that is was originally published in 1997. Of course, I was a teenager then and purchased it several years later. 
Ever year since 1999, the cast of Broadway shows have released a “Carols for a Cure” CD. There are a combination of old favorites and new songs. My favorites are 1999’s “12 Days of Phantom” and 2001’s “Little Davy Dinkle,” brought to you by that nice cast of Urinetown. Ironic note: The 2001 CD was recorded on September 9 and 10, 2001 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, right by Ground Zero. The original cover was a drawing of two towers with Xmas lights on them. They had to recall it and redo the cover.
Just wanted to mention that I have Christmas Caravan in my collection and it gets played every year. Also this morning I found the Los Strait Jackets] Christmas CD on half.com and ordered it.
Every year I tell myself “no more Christmas music! You’ve got enough!”, but every year I buy at least two more CD’s!
Q
Hungry for Music is a DC organization that donates musical instruments to disadvantaged young people. They have released a series of holiday CDs by all manner of DC area musicians to raise money to further that effort. This year they have a “Best of” CD culled from all their previous releases. They typically contain some rock, rockabilly, country, folk, blues, gospel, zydeco and more. I highly recommend any and/or all of them. More info is available here.