When I was in college, I would break out my cassette (YES. CASSETTE. AMEN.) of Amy Grant’s A Christmas Album just as soon as Halloween was over. It was my Official Soundtrack during November and December road trips, and “Heirlooms” was always a sure-fire recipe for Tender Introspection since I was a terribly sophisticated nineteen year-old and all.
A nineteen year-old driving a Buick Regal that would sputter to a dead stop if the accelerator wasn’t pressed at all times, and yes, that includes at red lights and stop signs.
Anyway, my point is that Amy Grant’s first Christmas CD is the gold standard of Christmas albums for me. Other Christmas albums have joined her in my Christmas music hall-o-fame over the years – like Harry Connick Jr.’s and James Taylor’s, for instance – but I’m a pretty discriminating Christmas music listener. I want worship and reverence and fun wrapped up in one musical package, and I don’t want want a hint of corny in the mix. But other than that I’m not picky at ALL.
Ahem.
Last year, not too long after Melanie and I dragged Travis Cottrell into the vortex of our lives by obsessing over his wife’s jeans, he mentioned that he was about to start working on a Christmas album. He also mentioned that his producer was going to be Brown Bannister, a name I immediately knew because I’d seen it printed on the top, right-hand corner of every piece of Amy Grant sheet music I tried to play on the piano when I was a teenager. Since I knew that Brown Bannister produced Amy Grant’s Christmas albums, I figured that Travis’ Christmas CD was bound to turn out pretty well.
However, I had no idea that when I heard Travis’ Christmas CD for the first time, I would get all teary-eyed and fan my face and feel so unbelievably proud of our friend. The CD is absolutely, positively, completely, stunningly beautiful. Christmas music perfection. We’ve been listening to it in our house since Labor Day (YES. LABOR DAY.), and on at least four different occasions David and I have had in-depth conversations about how great it is. Every single day the five year-old gets in the car when I pick him up from kindergarten and asks if he can hear “Frosty.” Every single morning I have some church with my iPod when I listen to “In The First Light.” It is, plain and simple, a wonderful CD.
Ring the Bells will be released next Tuesday, October 7, and there’s no question that you’re going to want to add it to your Christmas music collection. But if you’d like to try to win one of ten autographed copies of the CD before it’s released, then here’s what you need to do:
1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite Christmas song.
2. Pause and think for a moment about how this is pretty much the EASIEST GIVEAWAY EVER.
I’ll close this giveaway next Monday and announce the winners next Tuesday.
And just FYI: Travis is so stinkin’ humble and self-deprecating about this whole Christmas CD thing that it’s sort of unbelievable. In fact, we have debated for weeks about how many comments this giveaway will generate, and I have contended that we’re gonna hit the hundreds. Travis’ official prediction is 46.
I have a feeling y’all are going to prove him oh-so-wrong.
Make it a merry one, internets.
This giveaway is now closed.
46? As if.
My favorite Christmas song is What Child is This. I’m looking forward to hearing the new album (I’ll be buying it for sure)!
“O Holy Night” is definitely my favorite. Please pick me, Random Number Generator! :o)
Joy to the World
I have been reading your blog for a minute now and I love it! I had a pretty exclusive relationship with my Amy Grant Christmas casette and I spent hours trying to make my hair look like hers on the front of the album. From the moment I learned all the words to the song “The Night Before Christmas” and started belting it out as if I were actually Amy Grant, I have loved that song. But my favorite Christmas song is “I Have Seen the Light” or “Breath of Heaven.”
Does it sound too much like sucking up to say my favorite is “In the First Light”?
Brown Bannister is also producing Jeremy Camp’s new album, I believe. Rock on Brown!
Ooohhh, the original Baby It’s Cold Outside. So romantic.
Poor man, doesn’t he know that women always know the right answer? 46? Pshaw!
Thanks for the easiest giveaway ever.
I LOVE Christmas music. I believe the fact that I begin listening to it in JUNE testifies to that. ;-)
I have so many “favorites”, but one of the ones that ALWAYS make me cry, because it is SO touching, is “Merry Christmas With Love.”
Silent night especially on Christmas Eve at the candlelight service. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.
I’m so excited about this giveaway–and SOOOOO with you on Amy Grant’s Christmas albums! :-) Anyway, my all-time favorite Christmas song is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”
“O Holy Night” is my favorite!
Definitely O Holy Night.
I’ve always had a soft spot for “It Came upon a Midnight Clear.”
So hard to pick my favorite…but it would have to be Oh Holy Night.
pondering….hhmmm this IS the easiest giveaway ever in the history of everything.
Favorite song: OH HOLY NIGHT…I really like it when Celine sings it. I hope Travis has it on this CD!
Mary, Did you Know?
Oh, wow, picking out a favorite Christmas song is so hard!! I love almost all of them! Okay, “Oh Holy Night” is one that I love, and I really do like “Come on Ring Those Bells” too b/c it’s just so chipper. LOL
Thanks for such a great give away!
Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. I know it’s not exactly a worshipful Christmas song but it reminds me of all the coziness of Christmas—-warm glowing fires, stories being told over hot cocoa and teacakes, and the tender memories of childhood and family traditions.
Jesus was born in the spring anyway, i guess.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel is my most favorite, and who better to sing it than Amy Grant. I usually start listening to Christmas music November 1, but I have been cheating already. Thanks!
Oh Holy Night… Specifically Trisha Yearwood singing it on the Hallmark CD that also had Point of Grace on it. Now that-there is some good music.
And who can pass up a good rendition of “Deck the Halls” a-la 3 Chinese waiters in “A Christmas Story”?
I really can’t wait for this release.
Thanks BooMama and Fry Daddy!
~Donna
Silver Bells – I love the idea of “it’s Christmas time in the city”!
JUST ONE SONG? Good grief……um, can’t do it. Love anything Christmas by Harry, love The Christmas Song, love O Holy Night. Probably my fave, though, is “Christmas is All in the Heart”, by SCC. Love it to the nth degree.
I love all Christmas songs! O Holy Night is a favorite, White Christmas, and It Must Have Been Ol’ Santa Claus by Harry Connick, Jr.
Without a doubt, O Holy Night.
I can’t just pick one…but two of my favorites are “O Holy Night” and I love Mark Lowry’s “Mary Did You Know”.
Thanks for a chance to win and have a great day.
Mary Did You Know is my favorite Christmas song.
“O Holy Night” for sure. Makes me look forward to falling on my knees and hearing the angel voices one day with my sweet Jesus!!!
I was hoping Travis was right about 46 for my sake (better “providence” that I might win), but looks like he was overly humble :)
o holy night
I get the Christmas music out as soon as I can and drive the family crazy. Anyway, I love the non-traditional “I wanna Hippopotamus for Christmas” because when my kids sing it each year it make my heart sing with joy as well. As for traditional Christmas favorite it has to be…”Silent Night”
Please, please, please, I NEED another Christmas album.
“Breath of Heaven” or “I Have Seen the Light” or “Carol of the Bells”
I am right with you on Amy Grant’s Christmas casette. I broke mine I listened to it so much and bought it on CD the next year. I remember pretending I was her and belting out “Night Before Christmas” and “Grown Up Christmas List” like the best of them.
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day ~ is my favorite for the past few years. The words are soooo rich and beautiful.
LOVE what I’ve heard of Travis’ album so far – I’m giving it to both of my sisters for their birthdays in Oct. & Dec. : )
(pause)
I love O Holy Night, O Come O Come Emmanuel, and O Little Child of Bethlehem.
And on a related note, why do so many songs have “O” as the first word? And why are they my favorites?
I love Christmas music!
Hey, I’m #231. I think Travis lost the wager.
Well, I LOVED Amy Grant’s Christmas album when I was a teen. So I have high hopes for this album.
My favorite Christmas song of all time…
O Holy Night.
Oh, and today is my birthday, Mr. Random Number Generator. If that influences you at all.
“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” — something very powerful in both lyric and the vibrant melody.
http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Fellowship/Edit_I.Heard.the.Bells.html
I have just about the same Christmas music standards/requirements that you do! And it’s REALLY hard to find that perfect cd, so I’m excited about this one.
My favorite song changes each year, but is usually one of the classics about Jesus (Hark, the Herald Angels Sing; The First Noel; Silent Night; O Holy Night, etc).
(pausing)
; )
Thank you!
I am also of the Amy Grant cassette generation and it just wasn’t Christmas without it. To this day, one of my favorite Christmas songs is “Tennesse Christmas” and especially this year. My fervent prayer is that the hubby and I will be out of TX and having our own TN Christmas in Chattanooga!
I can’t pick just one, so, let’s see….Little Drummer Boy, Silent Night, and anything on James Taylor’s christmas cd.
O Holy Night for me!
“Mary Did You Know” – my all time favorite
“Jesus Is Born Today” – Oak Ridge Boys (an oldie but goodie)
And now I’m anxious to hear this new Ring The Bells cd. :)
I love many Christmas songs — pick one, you say? Okay, how about White Christmas by Bing Crosby.
For more information about Christmas music, read a page that I have written at http://www.squidoo.com/christmasmusic1 and vote there for your favorite song!
Brenda
Silent Night…and since I have three sons, I don’t get very many silent anythings!
My all time favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night!! I LOVE Martina McBride and Josh Groban’s versions.
I can’t wait to hear Travis’ new CD.
“Mary did you know” is my favorite, also just last year I added “the little drummer boy” to my favs because my one year old sang it for the first time… “pa rum pa pum pum” over and over! :)
Very cool! O, Holy Night! Thanks for the fun!
I love Christmas music too- I usually start listening to it in November. But, my favorite song is by Sammy Kershaw and is called “Daddy Stuff.”
“O Holy Night” or
“Breath of Heaven”….
then of course I could go with Angela from “The Office” and say “Little Drummer Boy.”….. :)
I totally hear you about Amy Grant’s first Christmas album. For some reason, I really loved “Tennessee Christmas” even though I live in Pennsylvania.
Now I love “Mary, Did You Know?” and also “Hark the Herald” and any other old Christmas hymn.
My favorite Christmas song is Silver Bells because it’s my dad’s favorite song and it always makes me think of him. Otherwise it would be all those Christmas records that we played on the old stereo (the combo record/8-track player) – Statler Bros., Bobby Vinton…good times.
Favorites to sing in church:
“O Holy Night” and “The First Noel”
Favorites otherwise:
“White Christmas” by Bing Crosby and “Silver Bells”
Only one?!
Angels We Have Heard on High.
Or Oh Holy Night.
Or Mary Did You Know.
Or my mother’s Away in a Manger.
Or my father’s I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.
And don’t get me started on the secular ones (Christmas Wrapping, Everything’s Gonna Be Cool this Christmas, etc.).
Clearly I need more Christmas music in my life. And Travis is very sweet and all but underestimates the power of an internet giveaway!
Oh Holy Night! is my absolute favorite! I can’t wait to hear this CD. I really hope I win!
Okay…so I am a bit obsessed too and I can’t name just one. So here goes:
1. Mary Did You Know? (makes me cry every time!) 2. The First Noel 3. O Come, O Come Emmanuel 4. Breath of Heaven
I am genetically incapable of picking a favorite. Some of my all-time fav Christmas songs are Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming (the tune is gorgeous) and In the Bleak Midwinter (for the second verse) and Hark the Herald, of course, and Mary’s Boy Child. How’s that for picking just one?
O Come Let Us Adore Him…
But honestly…I love ALL Chirstmas music. So do my kids. We’ve already got it playing in the car!
Gosh, just one?
I think I’ll have to settle on ‘Angels We Have Heard On High’, because ohmygosh, there are so many harmony parts on the chorus. I love that song.
I also love Harry Connick’s entire Christmas cd. Stunning.
You have made me think about Christmas seriously for the first time this year. That is no small feat.
Hmm, too many to choose. I do like White Christmas and O Holy Night, but my favorite is Away in the Manger. My oldest sang every word of this song when he was 2 at the Christmas Eve service. He had been sitting so quietly throughout the service and when the adults grabbed their hymnals and began this song he stood right up and joined in the singing. Its one of those moments I’ll remember for ever and always.
hands down Mary Did You Know…..
Love it, listen to it year round!!!!
I love “Evening in December.” It’s an oldie, but goodie!
I hope I win Travis’ CD!
My favorite is my ex’s version of silent night.
Love Amy’s song My grown up Christmas Wish. Looking through made me think about Michael English’s version of Mary Did You Know
Oh Holy Night
too many to name just one!!
I love Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree as a “secular” song & I love We Three Kings & O Holy Night
He is so wrong! I LOVE Travis Cottrell!!! I think my favorite Christmas song is Still, still, still. Beautemous.
My favorite is “Silent Night.”
I love Carol of the Bells. :-)
I’m going to be different and share the words to my favorite OLD Christmas song that’s out of print…I think.
Merry Christmas…comes the joyful sound again.
Merry Christmas everywhere.
Sentimental hearts are stirred by the magic of these words as they come to warm the cold December air.
They’ve been ringing down the corridors of time; always bringing thoughts of mirth.
But how often they are sung with no reference for God’s son and the wonder of His birth.
Did you think this was all just a story?Well, it’s recorded in your book of history.
But the thing they fail to mention is that God supplied redemption through his gift to you and me.
May you know Him as you never did before in the New Year soon to start. So that every single day you can mean it when you say, Merry Christmas…from His birth place in your heart!
My favorite is Welcome to Our World by Chris Rice. While it wasn’t originally a Christmas song, Michael W. Smith did record it on his second Christmas CD. As for traditional carols I really like Oh, Holy Night and O Come O Come Emmanuel (the Third Day version is great!).
O Holy Night is my all-time favorite.
“Regular” song, Ella Fitzgerald O Holy Night
“Extra” song, a tie between Harry Connick’s Must Have Been Old Santa and Bare Naked for the Holidays Sleigh Ride
“Mary, did you know?” Oh, it’s soon time to start playing Christmas music again!
My favorite Christmas song is “Mary Did You Know”. I love that song!
I would love to win Travis’ Cd – anything he sings is awesome!! My all-time Travis song is “Moses” – I saw Travis sing this at a Women’s Leadership Forum at Lifeway in Nashville several years ago and I went and bought the CD!
My favorites are O Holy Night, Carol of the Bells, and the good old Christmas Song!
I am SO PUMPED for this CD to come out!!!
I love all Christmas music. If I could and not drive my husband CRAZY I would listen to it all year. My all time favorite is “Mary Did you Know”
REALLY hard to pick just one favourtie….how about Breath of Heaven (Amy Grant)…..thanks
“Carol of the Bells” and “Little Drummer Boy” are my favorite Christmas songs, though I do love anything Michael W. Smith!
I know this is original, but “O Holy Night”
‘O Holy Night’ but love the Amy Grant Christmas CD too.
oh, hands down my favorite is O Holy Night!!! Yeah, I hope I win!
“Mary, Did You Know?” (any version, but especially Clay Aiken’s) is the Christmas song that brings me to tears every time I hear it. I guess it tugs at my “mother’s heart-strings.”)
O Holy Night.
Oh Come All Ye Faithful – maybe because I actually learned to play it on piano when I was struggling to develop my creative side (a struggle I long ago ran up the white flag about – I surrender – I ain’t got it – but I know it when I hear it!) I would adore, be delighted and thrilled with a TC Christmas recording –
Silent Night is my all time favorite. I love Christmas music!! I can’t wait to start listening to it this year :)
Looks like my favorite, O Holy Night, is a favorite of many! Thanks for the super easy giveaway.
O Holy Night, hands down. It’s an oldie but a goodie.
O Holy Night and It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
I really loved Silent Night but my kid favorite was Alvin and the Chipmunk song!
I’m joining the O Holy Night club. Just makes me remember what Christmas is all about!
O Holy Night, Carol of the Bells, Little Drummer boy – my all time favorites.
Anything on the Harry Connick Christmas album also – I listen to it over and over during the holidays.
Also, the Jim Brickman piano Christmas CD – excellent!
Thanks Boomama!
Two of my favs are Greatest Time of Year and Silent Night.
Have a great day!
-Tessa
It is so hard to pick just one! I would say “What Child Is This?” is one of my most favorites!
First, he’s already wrong, and you only posted this 3 hours ago!!!
Which makes me sad, because I really, really want this CD, and there are so many others who also want it… although not nearly as bad as me! ;)
O Holy Night gets me every. stinkin. time.
And all your requirements for Christmas music happen to neatly align with mine!
I love them all but O Holy Night is my all time favorite.
Well, I’m kind of a harmony nerd, so I always judge a song by how fun it is to sing. So, my favorites are Silent Night in German, and Sleep, Sleep, Sleep.
Harry Connick’s album is on tap from Oct through Feb in my house!! I CANNOT get enough!
Silent Night.
oops, I meant still still still. sleep sleep sleep is a later verse.
I really love Old Toy Trains by Nana Mouskouri. And Come on Ring Those Bells by Evie! I grew up listening to my parents records and they are my soundtrack to Christmas. No matter how old, it isn’t Christmas until I hear them!
I really want this album. But a favorite is O holy night. I also like, Once in Royal David City, which is never sung :)
(So Travis was pretty much wrong! 294!)
So I have to pick one?! First one that came to mind was Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. I know—very spiritual.
Oh and hmmmmmm. Yep the easiest giveaway EVER.
Oh, there’s so many to choose from! I love O Holy Night and Joy to the World. Can’t wait to hear the new cd!
It’s so difficult to choose because there are so many goo ones out there. I love Winter Wonderland, and Silent Night, but I also love some Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, and then there’s the whole Manheim Steamroller obsession!!! Oh, they are all so good!