That's Christmas to Me

That's Christmas to Me is the third studio album by a cappella group Pentatonix. It is their sixth release overall and their second holiday release following their 2012 EP PTXmas. It only features previously unreleased material (except "Let It Go", a bonus track of the Japanese Edition of Vols. 1 & 2).[1] It was released on October 21, 2014 through RCA Records,[2] peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[3]

That's Christmas to Me
Studio album by Pentatonix
Released	October 21, 2014 (Standard edition) October 30, 2015 (Deluxe edition)
Recorded	2012, 2014
Genre	A cappella Christmas music
Length	32:39
Label	RCA
Producer	Pentatonix Ben Bram Bill Hare
Pentatonix chronology
PTX, Vol. III (2014) That's Christmas to Me (2014) Pentatonix (2015)

The album is named after the eponymous song by Pentatonix, the only original song featured on the album.[4][5] By year's end, December 31, 2014, according to Billboard, it reached a final 2014 total of 1.14 million copies sold, becoming the 4th best selling album of 2014 by any artist of any genre.[6] The album is also the highest charting holiday album by a group since 1962.[7] The album has sold 2,200,000 copies in the United States as of December 2016.[8]

Commercial performance

That's Christmas to Me peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 in the United States.[9] and at number 4 on the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart.[10] The album also charted moderately in other countries including Australia, New Zealand and Norway. On December 1, 2014, That's Christmas to Me was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and became the group's first accredited release in the US. By year's end (December 31, 2014), Billboard reported that the album had sold a total of 1.14 million copies, becoming only the 4th album to sell a million copies in 2014 in any genre (being surpassed only by Taylor Swift's 1989, the Frozen soundtrack, and Sam Smith's In the Lonely Hour) and was the Top Selling Holiday Album for 2014.[6][11] [12] Pentatonix became the first act to top both the Holiday Albums and Holiday Songs charts simultaneously since the Holiday 100 launched as a multi-metric tabulation in December 2011.[13] The album is also the highest charting holiday album by a group since 1962.[7] The album has sold 1,900,000 copies in the US as of December 2016.[8]

A single from the album, the group's cover of "Mary, Did You Know?", both debuted and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 26,[14] number 7 on the Adult Contemporary chart,[15] and at number 44 on the Canadian Hot 100.[16] The album's title track, "That's Christmas to Me", also peaked at number 8 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[17] During the holiday season, seven songs from That's Christmas to Me charted on the Billboard Holiday Digital Songs chart: "Mary, Did You Know?" at number 1, "White Winter Hymnal" at number 2, "Silent Night" at number 5, "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" at number 8, "Sleigh Ride" at number 12, "That's Christmas to Me" at number 16 and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" at number 17.[18]

Critical reception

The album received generally favorable reviews by critics. Popdust complimented its "blistery bold arrangements," and the group's "truly remarkable, pinpoint precision."[19] Markos Papadatos from Digital Journal described it as "pure joy and one of the best projects I've heard this year."[20] FDRMX gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, claiming the album has "a good mix of traditional holiday songs, religious ballads and originals thrown in." The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel dubbed it a "Christmas miracle," citing a "streak of beautifully sung, creative arrangements."[21]

Promotion

In November 2014, Pentatonix were invited by Australian film director, producer and screenwriter Baz Luhrmann to be involved with the Holiday Window display at Barneys in New York City. Pentatonix performed at the opening night with a medley of songs from That's Christmas to Me.[22][23]

On November 27, 2014, Pentatonix participated in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, performing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" on the Homewood Suites float.[24][25] Pentatonix also performed during NBC's annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center special on December 3, 2014, performing "Sleigh Ride" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town".[26]

Pentatonix returned to The Sing-Off, performing a medley of songs from That's Christmas to Me during the Season 5 holiday special, which aired on December 17, 2014.[27][28]

Track listing

All songs arranged by Pentatonix and Ben Bram.

That's Christmas to Me — Standard edition

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"	Charles Wesley	Felix Mendelssohn	Scott Hoying	3:12
2.	"White Winter Hymnal"	Robin Pecknold	Pecknold	Kirstin Maldonado, Mitch Grassi, Hoying	2:47
3.	"Sleigh Ride"	Mitchell Parish	Leroy Anderson	Maldonado	2:16
4.	"Winter Wonderland" / "Don't Worry Be Happy" (featuring Tori Kelly)	Richard B. Smith / Bobby McFerrin	Felix Bernard / McFerrin	Hoying, Kelly	3:27
5.	"That's Christmas to Me"	Scott Hoying, Kevin Olusola	Hoying, Olusola	Hoying, Grassi, Avi Kaplan	3:02
6.	"Mary, Did You Know?"	Mark Lowry	Buddy Greene	Hoying, Kaplan, Maldonado, Grassi, Olusola	3:23
7.	"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"	-	Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky	Pentatonix	2:06
8.	"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"	Edward Pola, George Wyle	Pola, Wyle	Kaplan	3:05
9.	"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"	John Frederick Coots, Haven Gillespie	Coots, Gillerspie	Hoying, Grassi, Maldonado	2:42
10.	"Silent Night"	Joseph Mohr	Franz Xaver Gruber	Pentatonix	3:13
11.	"Let It Go"	Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez	Anderson-Lopez, Lopez	Grassi, Maldonado	3:26
Total length:					32:39

That's Christmas to Me — Deluxe edition[29]

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Joy to the World"	2:19
13.	"Just for Now"	3:19
14.	"The First Noel"	3:39
15.	"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"	3:22
16.	"Mary, Did You Know" (featuring The String Mob)	3:22
Total length:		48:40

That's Christmas to Me — Japanese edition (bonus tracks)[30]

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Angels We Have Heard on High"	3:41
13.	"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"	3:35
14.	"Carol of the Bells"	3:13
15.	"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)"	3:43
16.	"O Holy Night"	2:25
17.	"This Christmas"	4:23
18.	"Little Drummer Boy"	4:15
19.	"Go Tell It on the Mountain"	3:04
20.	"Christmas Eve"	2:39
Total length:		63:37

That's Christmas to Me — QVC exclusive CD[31][32]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Angels We Have Heard on High"	3:41
2.	"Carol of the Bells"	3:13
3.	"Little Drummer Boy"	4:15
4.	"O Holy Night"	2:25
Total length:		13:34

Personnel

• Scott Hoying – baritone lead and backing vocals, co- vocal bass, and bass backing vocals on "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"
• Mitch Grassi – tenor lead and backing vocals
• Kirstin Maldonado – alto lead and backing vocals
• Avi Kaplan – vocal bass, bass lead and backing vocals, lead vocals on “Most Wonderful time of the year”
• Kevin Olusola – vocal percussion and backing vocals, lead vocals on "Mary Did You Know?" and "The First Noel"

Additional personnel

• Pentatonix – producers
• Ben Bram – producer
• Tori Kelly – lead vocals in "Winter Wonderland" / "Don't Worry Be Happy"
• Andrew Kesler – string producer on "Mary, Did You Know" (featuring The String Mob)
• Ed Boyer – mixing
• Bill Hare – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2014–15) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[33] 21 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[34] 11 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] 192 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[36] 4 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[37] 52 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[38] 96 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[39] 18 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[40] 23 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[41] 11 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[42] 23 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 63 US Billboard 200[44] 2 US Digital Albums (Billboard)[45] 1 US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[46] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2015) Position Canadian Albums (Billboard)[47] 20 US Billboard 200[48] 14 US Digital Albums (Billboard)[49] 12 Chart (2016) Position Canadian Albums (Billboard)[50] 49 US Billboard 200[51] 31 US Catalog Albums (Billboard)[52] 2 US Digital Albums (Billboard)[53] 21 Chart (2017) Position US Billboard 200[54] 98 US Catalog Albums (Billboard)[55] 23 Chart (2018) Position US Billboard 200[56] 197 US Catalog Albums (Billboard)[57] 39 Decade-end charts Chart (2010–2019) Position US Billboard 200[58] 75

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[59]	Gold	35,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)[60]	Gold	7,500^*
Canada (Music Canada)[61]	Platinum	80,000^^
United States (RIAA)[3]	2× Platinum	2,200,000[8]
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References

1. "Pentatonix Sets 'Vol. 3' Release Date, Second Holiday Album". Billboard. August 8, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
2. "That's Christmas to Me - Pentatonix - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2014-10-17. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
3. "American album certifications – Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 7, 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
4. "Video: Pentatonix releases EP "PTX Vol. 3". NewsOK.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-09. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
5. "'The Sing-Off' champs Pentatonix bringing a cappella into the mainstream". AXS. Archived from the original on 2014-10-10. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
6. "Taylor Swift's '1989' Beats 'Frozen' As Top Selling Album of 2014". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2014-12-31. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
7. "Pentatonix Has the Highest-Charting Christmas Album by a Group Since 1962". Yahoo Music. Archived from the original on 2014-12-09. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
8. Caulfied, Keith (December 30, 2016). "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Pentatonix's 'That's Christmas to Me' Surpasses 2 Million Sold in U.S." Billboard. Archived from the original on 2016-12-30. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
9. "Pentatonix Hits Top Three on Billboard 200, Nickelback Debuts in Top 10". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2014-11-28. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
10. "Billboard Canadian Albums Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2014-10-15. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
11. Caulfield, Keith (December 24, 2014). "Pentatonix's 'That's Christmas To Me' Surpasses 1 Million in Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2014-12-27. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
12. "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Pentatonix Earns 2014's Top Selling Christmas Album". Archived from the original on 2015-01-05. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
13. "Pentatonix Tops Holiday Songs & Albums Charts". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2014-12-27. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
14. "Hot 100: Pentatonix Scores Second Top 30 Hit with "Mary, Did You Know?"". HeadlinePlanet. Archived from the original on 2014-12-05. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
15. "Billboard Adult Contemporary chart". Archived from the original on 2014-10-15. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
16. "Pentatonix - Chart history - Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2014-10-15. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
17. "Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart". Archived from the original on 2014-10-15. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
18. "Billboard Holiday Digital Songs Chart". Archived from the original on 2014-10-15. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
19. Jason Scott (October 22, 2014). "Pentatonix, 'That's Christmas to Me' - EP Review". Pop Dust. Archived from the original on 2016-02-15. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
20. "Review: Pentatonix shines on new holiday album 'That's Christmas To Me' (Includes first-hand account)". www.digitaljournal.com. 2014-10-22. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
21. "From Idina Menzel to Pentatonix, 10 new Christmas albums". www.jsonline.com. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
22. "Barneys Holiday Windows Get the Baz Luhrmann Treatment". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2014-11-16. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
23. "Baz Luhrmann Brings Pentatonix, Stilt Walkers And Magic To Barneys' "Baz Dazzled" Holiday Windows". LogoTV NewNowNext. Archived from the original on 2014-11-18. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
24. "Thanksgiving Day Parade: What time to watch, who has the best line-up, and where to see Taylor Swift". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2014-11-27. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
25. "Thanksgiving Music at The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: LIVE UPDATES! Meghan Trainor, Taylor Swift and yes, The Radio City Rockettes". Music Times. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
26. "Scoop: CHRISTMAS IN ROCKEFELLER CENTER on NBC - Wednesday, December 3, 2014". Broadway World. Archived from the original on 2014-12-06. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
27. "'The Sing-Off' preview: One night only". The Community. Archived from the original on 2014-12-18. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
28. "Pentatonix Return To 'The Sing Off' With Epic Holiday Medley". PopDust. Archived from the original on 2014-12-18. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
29. "Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me (Deluxe Edition)". iTunes Store (MY). Apple. Archived from the original on 2015-12-12. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
30. "Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me (Japan Edition)". iTunes Store (JP). Apple. Archived from the original on 2015-08-04. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
31. "Pentatonix That's Christmas to Me CD & Bonus CD with Jane Treacy". QVC. October 7, 2014. Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
32. "Pentatonix Thats Christmas to Me CD & Bonus CD". QVC.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-25. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
33. "Australiancharts.com – Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
34. "Austriancharts.at – Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
35. "Ultratop.be – Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
36. "Pentatonix Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
37. "Dutchcharts.nl – Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
38. "Officialcharts.de – Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
39. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2014-12-29" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
40. "Charts.nz – Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
41. "Norwegiancharts.com – Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
42. "Swedishcharts.com – Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
43. "Swisscharts.com – Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
44. "Pentatonix Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
45. "Pentatonix Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
46. "Pentatonix Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
47. "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
48. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-10-22. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
49. "Digital Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-02-14. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
50. "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
51. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2016-12-08. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
52. "Catalog Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-11-14. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
53. "Digital Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-11-18. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
54. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2017-12-24. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
55. "Catalog Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-02-06. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
56. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-12-04. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
57. "Catalog Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2020-08-14. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
58. "Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
59. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2018 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
60. "Austrian album certifications – Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
61. "Canadian album certifications – Pentatonix – That's Christmas To Me". Music Canada. Retrieved December 7, 2016.