Mariah Carey Merry Christmas vs Bing Crosby Merry Christmas Vol.1

Buy the Mariah Carey Merry Christmas Ultradisc One-Step if you want a collectible audiophile pressing: it is cut at 45RPM from the original master tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl, and limited to 4,000 gold-foil numbered copies in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve. The Bing Crosby listing is a 7-inch single, so it holds one or two tracks, not a full album. On music, Carey's 1994 record has the original songs she wrote with Walter Afanasieff, including "All I Want for Christmas Is You," and reviewers praised its gospel and soul-infused vocals even when some newspapers were cool on the holiday concept. Choose Crosby only if you specifically want a small vinyl single from him.

• Choose the Mariah Carey Merry Christmas One-Step if you want a full-length Christmas album in a numbered, audiophile-grade pressing built to be kept and played.
• Choose the Bing Crosby 7-inch if you want a compact single rather than a full album and do not need a limited, remastered collector's edition.