Responding positively to the compilation, critics from AllMusic rated both versions of The Classic Christmas Album 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The Classic Christmas Album is a collection of previously distributed material from Streisand's music catalog.

[5] For the 2013 digital version and 2014 physical release, Stephen Thomas Erlewine from the same publication gave the same rating and wrote: "this holds together well because it's impeccably arranged, produced and performed and, as it contains the bulk of each holiday record from Barbra, it's a nice bargain to boot.

"[6] In the United States, the album debuted at number 150 on the Billboard 200 chart for the week ending November 30, 2013.

[8][9] However, on December 21 of the same year, The Classic Christmas Album rose and peaked at number 95 on the list, increasing its position by 98 places.

[14] During the following holiday season in 2014, the record debuted on the Top Catalog Albums component chart, where it peaked at number 28 for the week ending January 3, 2015.