Apple releases free iTunes Holiday Sampler in time for Christmas
In a burst of spontaneous Yuletide cheer not informed at all by an interest in showcasing their new iTunes LP format, Apple has knocked up a compilation of holiday tracks called the iTunes Holiday Sampler for free download… although if you live outside the United States, there’ll be no free iTunes Christmas for you.
What sort of songs will you get for your zero dollars and zero cents? Eh: mostly the typical, marginally inoffensive pablum-like tracks favored by American Apparel speaker systems all through December (*cough* Wynonna *cough* *hack* Sarah McLachlan *sputter* *gag*) although there are some decent groups on display here, including the Vince Guaraldi Trio, Barry Mannilow, Aretha Franklin, Weezer and Stephen Colbert.
In short, there should be something here for everyone. Still, I ask you: what kind of holiday mix doesn’t include MXPX’s “Christmas Night of the Living Dead?” Or at least the Kinks’ “Father Christmas?”
John Brownlee is Cult of Mac's Deputy Editor. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his girlfriend and two parakeets. You can follow him 
