You simply would not believe how many requests we get to feature new Christmas music. From artists known and unknown the month of December is filled with a steady stream of new songs. So why don’t we feature more of them? Honestly? Most of what we receive just isn’t all that great. Musicians tend to fall into two groups: those who want to make it big and roll in the money…and those who do it for deeper reasons. When it comes to Christmas music the separation between those two camps is huge. So many just want to use Christmas asRead more

One of the beauties of Christmas music is that what is old is constantly made new. Where else do you find songs that are 500 years old getting new spins? Even old songs of our day and age get celebrated anew. Take, for example, this new view of an old Bryan Adams Christmas classic: Now kids — once upon a time Bryan Adams was considered cutting edge. The Canadian rocker was an 80s icon (well, he still is). But songs like this show both his depth and his timeless style. The smoky voice still rings true and this song —Read more

Operation Christmas Cheer is now in its 14th year. This simple effort first collects names and addresses of the elderly, the ill or the downtrodden so that well wishers can extend a simple greeting of Christmas cheer. Then the list is distributed so that the Christmas community online can send them cards. In order for this effort to be successful we need names and addresses. The date for distribution of the list is December 8th. So we need names and addresses as soon as possible. This simple little effort every holiday season has over the years lifted many spirits. WhileRead more

We received dozens of notices about new music everyday in November and December. Most come from publicists or new artists themselves. We are grateful to receive them. Occasionally we receive tips on new Christmas music from our readers. We have learned over the years to trust these suggestions. Here is one that came late last night that we just love: Silent Night celebrated its 200th birthday last year. We have seen many different renditions of it over the last 12 months. This version stands out because we do not know who these artists are. Can anyone tell us? Silent NightRead more

Over the years we have openly mused in dicussion on the Merry Forums — who would we put in a Christmas Hall of Fame? We no longer need to wonder about that question. We can now do something about it. We can approach all the great debates of Christmas and settle them: Who played the best Scrooge? Which is more important, the Angel or the Star? Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? There are individuals we could honor, if only to keep them in the memory of a rising generation that scoffs at all history. People like Clement Clark Moore,Read more

Every year now we seem to find new ways to corrupt Thanksgiving. The facts about Thanksgiving have always been kind of inconvenient. It’s true history, meaning and origin has somehow created a state of endless debates. There are debates about stores open on Thanksgiving, debates about how Thanksgiving is taught wrong in schools, debates about debating politics at the Thanksgiving dinner table and now even a debate about if we should call Thanksgiving Thanksgiving. It is a pretty simple holiday – a celebration of gratitude for life’s goodness. Who can’t get behind that? For that Thanksgiving has become in theRead more

A new minimalist short film has been released depicting the birth of Christ in a more Biblical way. The Nativity story has been so romanticized in film, song and the written word for so long it is refreshing to see the story set back in a more original context. The result is a richly human look at what it must have been like. Produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the 18-minute film pops with overlooked details that many miss or merely do not know: The Shepherds we not ignorant of Christ and were jubliant at hisRead more

Stress at Christmas is a fact of life. In fact, it could be called a time-honored tradition. In our ongoing exploration of Christmas past we stumbled upon this poem, titled The Christmas Nightmare, written by Carolyn Wells and published in newspapers for Christmas 1900. It could have been written today: On the night before Christmas there’s something amiss With your placid, habitual slumber; You suddenly find that your overworked mind Is harassed by cares without number. You are stirred by the thought that the gifts you have bought Are less than your friends have expected; And your heart is besetRead more

While America debates Christmas Creep the UK celebrates with early Christmas light displays and an annual contest for the best Christmas commercial. One of the most anticipated ads every year comes from a department store chain called John Lewis, who has a history of schmaltzy yet entertaining commercials. This year’s video introduces a baby fire-breathing dragon named Edgar who has stirred up lot of attention. Take a look then read what Edgar has accomplished in the past day or two: There is no such thing as bad publicity, they say. If that’s true, the ad firm behind the creation ofRead more

What happens when you take a Christmas an old classic like Silver Bells and mix it with veteran artists? Marc Martel, Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith hand us a gift with their tight harmonies and unique arrangement of this Christmas standard: The song dates back to the post-war golden era of Christmas pop. Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell featured the song in The Lemon Drop Kid but it really found popularity when Bing Crosby recorded it later that same year (1950) with Carol Richards. Like many of the classics of that time Silver Bells has been since recorded byRead more