US bests UK in iTunes Xmas giftiness

Jobs bless us, every one!

Santa Jobs has opened his big bag of iTunes toys and come up with an album of Christmas goodies for good little US girls and fanbois.

Last week iTunes (UK) announced that it would gift EuroTuners with a dozen tunes, music videos, apps, films, and TV episodes - one for each of the 12 days of Christmas - the catch being that you'd need to supply iTunes (UK) with your email address, then download one item per day beginning December 26.

Today comes word that Cupertino is being more generous to its US faithful. The iTunes Holiday Sampler contains 20 songs, is available today, and requires no email address sharing.

The new iTunes LP format provides, in Apple's words, "the visual experience of the record album"

In both cases, however, Apple decides what will float your Yule boat - and in the US case, the selection of tuneful stocking-stuffers is an eclectic one, indeed:

1. O Come All Ye Faithful - Amy Grant
2. The First Noel - David Archuleta
3. Silent Night - Sarah McLachlan
4. Carol of the Bells/Jingle Bells - Barry Manilow
5. It Snowed - Meaghan Smith
6. Above the Northern Lights - Mannheim Steamroller
7. Baby, It's Cold Outside - Lady Antebellum
8. We Three Kings - Toby Keith
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Rascal Flatts
10. Silent Night - Wynonna Judd
11. Twelve Days of Christmas - Mexicani Marimba Band
12. We Wish You a Merry Christmas - Weezer
13. A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss) - Glasvegas
14. Another Christmas Song - Stephen Colbert
15. Greensleeves - Vince Guaraldi Trio
16. Dream a Dream - Charlotte Church
17. The Nutcracker, Dance of the Reed Pipes - Kirov Orchestra & Valery Gergiev
18. Angels We Have Heard On High - Aretha Franklin
19. O Holy Night - Musiq Soulchild
20. Auld Lange Syne - The Lonesome Travelers

But as sure as there's an "X" in Christmas, Cupertino has pecuniary purpose behind its munificence. The iTunes Holiday Sampler is delivered as an iTunes LP, the new song-grouping format instituted in iTunes 9. A Christmas giveaway is just the thing to plug this buy-a-bunch song-supplying system.

The always-elegant Mr. Manilow wishes you Christmas cheer

And should you find yourself enthralled by, for example, Barry Manilow's "Jingle Bells" song stylings, his iTunes LP Artists page offers you one-click access to his must-have album, The Greatest Songs of the Eighties.

Eat your heart out, iTunes (UK) users. ®