I am not Christian, nor has my family ever celebrated Christmas in a traditional manner. We have never put up a Christmas tree in our home, the thought of snow and sub-zero temperature repulses all of us, and since all of my family lives thousands of miles away, large get-togethers have never been possible. To me, Christmas always just meant a nice two-week break from school. 

However, my family has created one holiday tradition. Every December, my mother would take out our old, dusty CD player buried in the closet and perch it atop the living room window-sill. For the next month, the 19 songs from Michael Bublé’s Christmas album, “Christmas,” fill our home. I return home to Bublé’s beautiful take on “Silent Night,” do my homework while listening to “Silver Bells,” and awake to “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”

Bublé’s 2012 album “Christmas” has been a staple in holiday festivities for years. In its first year, “Christmas” sold over two million copies, making it the second most popular album of the year. Since its release in 2012, the album has reached the top 10 on The Billboard 200 chart every holiday season. The album features Bublé’s rendition of nineteen holiday classics, ranging from “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” to “Feliz Navidad.” 

While numerous artists have created holiday albums, no one has replicated the success of Bublé’s. What sets “Christmas” apart is Bublé’s beautiful voice — it has an indescribable texture, perfect for relaxing, joyous Holiday music. It is soft, smooth, and restrained and backed by crisp instrumentals and background vocals. He doesn’t attempt to flaunt his range and hijack the song. Instead, he lets his serene voice convey the music’s beautiful meaning. 

Amid a year full of changes and uncertainties, it was reassuring to see my mother once again bring out the dusty CD player radio on December 1. Even if we can’t celebrate the holidays the way we normally do, Bublé’s album serves as a timeless reminder of my family’s holiday memories.