When this album came out in 1989, the New Kids on the Block were so huge that a spoken-word album featuring them reciting “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” probably would have gone platinum. But to the credit of the ‘Boys and their producer Maurice Starr, they didn’t turn in a mere tree ornament with Merry, Merry Christmas; instead, they put together a completely charming entry in the venerable pop music tradition of Christmas music albums (and it went double platinum). Among the original compositions, “This One’s for the Children” was deservedly a Top Ten hit and “Funky, Funky Xmas” was a silly but spirited hoot, while the versions of “White Christmas,” “Little Drummer Boy,” and “The Christmas Song” were admirable additions to the Christmas canon.
