It’s Halloween, and what could be scary than dozens of Christmas albums hawked by your favorite Christian music artists!
Seriously, I’ve been getting press releases about Christmas albums since July. I think the fact that we’re selling Christmas so early has helped to remove the sacredness and excitement of the holiday that I remember as a kid. I understand the flow of seasonal merchandise, and the fact that in order for products to be highlighted in holiday issues of publications review copies need to go out by early fall.
But it’s not even November, and if I see another CD with a quaint snowy scene on the cover, I’m going to hide under the blankets until spring.
But if you don’t have enough Christmas music, here’s a list of the artists with albums out for the holidays; many of these artists are also on the road for Christmas tours. And sure, you can buy most of the albums now.
Ami Rushes, Wonderful Counselor Medley
Amy Grant, The Christmas Collection
Annie Moses Band, This Glorious Christmas
Aretha Franklin, This Christmas
BarlowGirl, Home For Christmas
Cali, Christmas This Year
Casting Crowns, Peace on Earth
David Phelps, O Holy Night: A Live Christmas Celebration
Dennis Patton, Midnight Clear: A Piano Christmas and Smoky Mountain Christmas
Fernando Ortega, Christmas Songs
Kemper Crabb, Downe in Yon Forest: Christmas From The Middle Ages
Lenny LeBlanc, Christmas Night
Mandisa, It’s Christmas
Matt Brouwer, A Merry Little Christmas
Michael and Carrie Hodge, The Heart of Christmas
Point of Grace, Tennessee Christmas: A Holiday Collection
PureNRG,A pureNRG Christmas
Sara Groves, O Holy Night
Shane and Shane, Glory in the Highest, A Christmas Record
The Washington Project (formerly Souljahz) – Christmas EP
Third Day, Christmas Offerings live DVD
Travis Cottrell, Ring The Bells
Various artists, X Christmas
This Christmas is the first Christmas album for the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, and is available only at Borders.
The X Christmas project comes from BEC, and features artists like Sanctus Real, Kutless, Jars of Clay, Switchfoot, Project 86, Hawk Nelson, August Burns Red, Anberlin and David Crowder Band.
While he hasn’t released a new Christmas album Andrew Peterson is once again on the road for the Andrew Peterson & Friends Christmas Tour. In its ninth year, Peterson and special guests friends Bebo Norman, Jill Phillips, Andy Gullahorn, Andrew Osenga, Todd Bragg, Garett Buell, Cason Cooley, Gabe Scott and Ben Shive kick off this tour starting December 2. Andrew’s latest album, Resurrection Letters II, is in stores now.
Also on tour is Sandi Patty, with an intimate Christmas tour that kicks off November 28th in Fort Lauderdale. She’ll be singing Christmas favorites, accompanied by a local symphony in select cities on the tour. Then she’ll helpd celebrate the 12 days of Christmas by hosting the Baltimore Symphony Holiday Spectacular for 12 days starting on December 10 and carrying on until December 23. The event will take place at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, Maryland.
Ashmont Hill, Relient K and House of Heroes aren’t doing full albums, but each will have Christmas singles available at digital stores.
Another single release is the song, “Crying For A Christmas,” from Scott Krippayne and Jeff Peabody. Krippayne and Peabody are the songwriters who won last year’s American Idol songwriters contest, penning the song “This Is My Now,” which Jordin Sparks sang in the show’s finale. Last Christmas, the duo penned a song for their church’s youth group to use in a video project. They shared the tune with Seattle’s Spirit 105.3 and the song was a hit so Peabody says they’re doing grassroots effort to get the song out this year. The song is available at digital outlets.
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