About A Christmas To Remember They say the third time’s the charm, but for Amy Grant, the release of her third collection of Christmas music, A Christmas to Remember, is really just the continuation of an already sparkling tradition. The Dove and Grammy award winning artist first stepped into the seasonal spotlight back in 1983 with the release of A Christmas Album, a holiday offering that birthed her now classic and signature song, "Tennessee Christmas." Nine years later, Amy did it again with Home for Christmas, a Yuletide ride that put another classic into everyone’s holiday repertoire, the haunting and elegant "Breath of Heaven." Back in 1993, with two holiday albums under her belt it seemed only natural to take the magic on stage. That year Amy, together with her hometown Nashville Symphony, started what has now become an annual tradition—Amy Grant’s Tennessee Christmas—a live concert event filled with music, nostalgia, friends and the spirit of the season. Now embarking on the sixth year of this popular outing, Amy Grant had good reason to head back into the studio. "I always want to keep the concert experience fresh," she says of her latest album. "Recording A Christmas to Remember gave us a whole new set of music to bring on tour." The album also gave Grant a chance to capture some of her favorite concert moments from past years. Her love of the live symphony sound is no more evident than in the beautiful instrumentals—staples of the live show and now, captured forever on album—"Gabriel’s Oboe" and "Highland Cathedral." The latter, which features the renowned Nashville Pipe and Drum Corp, is a particular standout for Amy. "It’s a gorgeous melody," she says of the song, "so soulful and mournful and beautiful…it’s the kind of thing that moves your soul." Also committed to tape is her concert closer, the sentimental "Till the Season Comes ‘Round Again." But while A Christmas to Remember dips into Amy’s memory bank for some of its offerings, many new songs grace the project including the Chris Rice penned, "Welcome to our World," the newly written, but according to Amy "nostalgic feeling" cut, "Christmas Can’t Be Very Far Away," and the Amy Grant/Chris Eaton collaboration "Christmas Lullaby." Eaton and Grant first joined forces on "Breath of Heaven" and created a masterpiece. Hoping to continue the collaborative success, the two joined up again to create something new for A Christmas to Remember. Their inspiration came from an unlikely source—an old book, actually titled Amy Grant, published over 100 years ago and found by a friend of Amy’s in some dusty New England bookstore. The story proved to offer great fodder for the searching songwriters as Eaton found a key passage in the book. "He was reading the part where this ‘Amy Grant’ was being praised as a wonderful schoolteacher who taught by example," she recalls. "The narrator asks, ‘who would best lead you—someone who gives you directions or someone who holds out a light and says follow me, I’ll show you the way?’ That stunning line led to the first verse of what became the lilting, hope-filled "Christmas Lullaby." Of course, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without some lighter-hearted musical fare and the jingle-laden "Jingle Bell Rock" and the boppy "Mr. Sandman" redo – "Mr. Santa" – fit the bill perfectly. As Amy explains, "the silliness and goofiness of Christmas is still all part of the magic." And for Amy, the magic of A Christmas to Remember was not only in the songs themselves, but in the entire recording process. At the helm of the production wonder-producer Michael Omartian was joined by conductor/arranger Ronn Huff (who led Amy Grant’s "Tennessee Christmas" live shows for 4 years) and Patrick Williams, a veteran arranger/composer whose work long enchanted Grant. As a matter of fact, just as Amy finished up work on her acting debut for the CBS television movie "A Song From the Heart," she found out that the very Patrick Williams she was seeking for her Christmas album was also scoring the movie! "I couldn’t believe it," she says, "I was very fortunate to be able to work with him on both projects." The Patrick Williams’ recording sessions took place at the historic Sony Sound Stage in Hollywood (check city), the very place where the soundtracks for such giants as The Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind came to life. It was in that "cavernous" hall, with the power of a lush symphony behind and the walls of history surrounding her that Amy Grant made her own musical Christmas dream come true—recording her vocals live. "Musically, my preference has always been to give listeners that symphony experience," she says of the recording. A highlight of that musical adventure is the Michael W. Smith penned worship song "Agnus Dei." "I’ve never done a full-on worship song before that wasn’t about hitting that big pinnacle. I’ve included some pretty dramatic moments, but to me a real worship song shouldn’t be manipulative." The song closes the album, along with Amy’s hope that it "provides a worship experience, even for people who have never been in a church. Because," she reflects, "worship should be the natural response to considering the gift of Christ." Bringing listeners to that consideration has long been Amy Grant’s strong suit. Her affable style, considerable talents and disarming charm have won the admiration of fans around the world. Add to that mix the magic of the holidays and you have a winning Christmas experience. "When you release a regular album and go on tour," she explains, "you’re saying ‘here are my thoughts and dreams, let’s celebrate my musical experience.’ When you do a Christmas album and tour, it’s really about celebrating everybody’s life experiences. That’s when I become a facilitator more than a performer." This year Amy will be taking her Tennessee Christmas to 22 cities across America. Joining in the festivities will be Christmas show regular Michael W. Smith ("I can’t imagine doing it without him!") and newcomers to the fold, Word recording artist, Point of Grace. Of course, the Nashville Symphony returns as well as last year’s special guests, the Katinas. But for Amy Grant, it’s not just making music that gives her Christmas that special allure. "What I’ve learned this year" she says candidly, "is that some things are always true, and regardless of what your personal experience is, it doesn’t change the truth." That sentiment became the second verse of the album’s title cut, "A Christmas to Remember." Although you could say Amy Grant is close to becoming as synonymous with Christmas as Nat King Cole or Bing Crosby, she’d be the first to tell you that all this "Christmas" stuff happened rather accidentally. She always knew she’d do a trilogy of seasonal albums, but the live shows were an added career surprise. "At least we’ve gotten here honestly," she laughs. Her own love of the season just made the ride all that much more rewarding. "I think it’s interesting to draw from so many years of rich Christmas memories. It makes me ready to start making some more memories," says Amy. "Christmas is a special time for me, but truthfully, I kind of live in the moment." And at this moment in her time, Amy Grant continues to extend her gift to music fans everywhere, truly giving us all A Christmas to Remember.