It takes perfect timing, sensitive production and a whole lot of luck to land a timeless Christmas song. Many try, but most fail to live up to the glam anthems, carolling standards and crooning staples that we like to call the best Christmas songs of all time. But what does it take to land a perfect festive album? A damn site more than luck…

If you’re putting together a compilation, you’ll need cash - and lots of it. Which is why so many Best Of collections have fallen by the snowy wayside of this poll. No Wham!, Mariah, or Chris Rea? Forget it. You’re not a ‘Best Of’ anything.

If you’re an artist putting together an entire LP, you’ll need a dedication to the Christmas cause like no other. You’ll need to immerse yourself in the festive spirit in a way that us Scrooge-like mortals can only dream of. You’ll need to become Christmas itself.

So whose classic albums have made the cut? Which charitable compilations stand head and shoulders above the rest? We asked, you answered, and this is a gallery of the results: the 18 greatest Christmas albums of all time.

First up: Christmas - Low