Apple offering free Christmas music through iTunes

With the holidays fast approaching, Apple is getting into the spirit of giving by offering an iTunes LP Holiday song sampler with 21 tracks for free.

The free iTunes Holiday Sampler download includes a variety of artists from wide-ranging genres, such as Aretha Franklin, Amy Grant, Sarah McLauchlan, Toby Keith, Weezer, Glasvegas, Barry Manilow, and comedian Stephen Colbert.

The iTunes LP collects the songs from a variety of albums and compilations, with Christmas classics such as "The First Noel," "Silent Night, "Twelve Days of Christmas, and "O Holy Night."

The free Holiday album comes in the new iTunes LP format that bundles a multimedia experience to the song selection.

The free album also serves to promote Apple's iTunes LP format, which offers DVD-like extras such as lyrics and photos. Download it now on iTunes.