One of the more iconic Christmas albums of the 1980s thanks to the famed cover art by Keith Haring and its goal for fundraising for the Special Olympics, 1987’s A Very Special Christmas serves as an often-intriguing snapshot aiming to capture both veterans and up-and-comers as a kind of state-of-the-field effort in (mostly) American pop/rock music. It’s a mixed bag for sure – sorry, Bon Jovi fans – but standouts abound, including Run-D.M.C.’s giddy throwdown “Christmas in Hollis,” the album’s sole original, and turns by Whitney Houston and Alison Moyet.