NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – They have covered Madonna and Britney and gone from Journey to Lady Gaga, so it seems only natural with the holidays coming soon, that the cast of hit TV musical "Glee" is now singing about Christmas.

Columbia Records on Tuesday unveiled plans to release a Christmas-themed album featuring well-known holiday tunes like "Jingle Bells" and "O Holy Night" sung by the show's cast.

"Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album" goes on sale on November 16, a few weeks ahead of a special "Glee" Christmas episode to be broadcast on the Fox television network on December 7.

A sometimes dark, subversive comedy featuring a high school choir, "Glee" has taken US pop culture by storm since its 2009 debut. Superstars like Madonna, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga readily agreed to license their songs to the show.

The program has produced three best-selling albums, won two Emmys and deals boldly with issues like sex, disability, and gay bullying. It is regularly watched by some 13.4 million US viewers and has a strong youth following.

More than 15 million "Glee" songs have been downloaded on the Internet, and over five million "Glee" albums have been sold around the world.