MERRY SWIFTMAS!!

With Christmas coming on Thursday, there were a total of 17 albums topping 100k on this week’s HITS Album sales chart, as Big Machine’s country phenom Taylor Swift leads the way at #1, scoring 330k in sales for her Fearless album to beat out Geffen’s debuting diva Keyshia Cole, whose A Different Me enters at #2 and 324k.

J/RMG’s talented multi-hyphenate Jamie Foxx bows at #3 with Intuition, selling 262k. The other Top 10 newcomer is Island/IDJ’s Fall Out Boy, whose Folie a Deux debuts at #8 and 146k.

Columbia’s Beyonce (#4) and Jive/ZLG’s Britney Spears (#5) round out out the Top 5, while Roadrunner’s Nickelback (#6), Atlantic’s Twilight soundtrack (#7), Columbia’s AC/DC (#9) and UMe’s Now 29 (#10) complete the Top 10.

Other first-timers include LaFace/ZLG soul crooner Anthony Hamilton’s Point of it All (#12), Atlantic rapper Plies’ Da Realist (#16), DGC/Interscope Okie emo punks All American Rejects’ When the World Comes Down (#24) and Interscope’s Soulja Boy Tell’Em (#46).

The week’s biggest gainer is Decca’s Mamma Mia! soundtrack, up #35-19, thanks to the DVD release and a ubiquitous TV marketing campaign.

Provident/Reunion Christian rockers Casting Crowns (#49-37, +87%) are also predictably up, followed by Warner Bros. rockers Metallica (#38-33, +51%), representing the other side.

Others experiencing major gains include Reprise’s Enya (#14, +51%), Capitol’s Coldplay (#41-38, +46%), Atlantic’s Zac Brown Band (#49, +45%), Columbia’s Il Divo (#17, +41%), Big Machine superstar Taylor Swift’s self-titled debut (#25, +41%) and Mercury Nashville’s Sugarland (#33-30, +41%).

That’s right folks. This holiday season, give the gift of music. It’s cheaper than anything else you can come up with.