A Very Smitty Christmas

When it comes to Christmas music, few names light up a stage or a living room stereo quite like Michael W. Smith. His Christmas tours have become an annual pilgrimage for fans who grew up on his music, and this year he’s doubling down with not one, but two unique holiday experiences: “Christmas Together” and “Every Christmas.” Christmas Read More

When it comes to Christmas music, few names light up a stage or a living room stereo quite like Michael W. Smith. His Christmas tours have become an annual pilgrimage for fans who grew up on his music, and this year he’s doubling down with not one, but two unique holiday experiences: “Christmas Together” and “Every Christmas.”

Christmas Together: A Reunion of Icons

“So first off,” I told him, “there’s your Christmas Together, which is a cool experience for those of us who grew up in Christian music. I love it because it’s you, Amy Grant and CeCe Winans together.”

“I love it,” Michael said, smiling. “I mean, obviously I love it. It’s been a long time, though, since all three of us been onstage.” He paused, clearly energized by the idea of bringing that spark back. “I’ve got my creative hat on a little bit because I really want to do something spectacular, you know, with both of them. None of us leave, we were out there all night. Nobody’s walking on or off.”

Michael explained that this show won’t be a revolving door of artists. “Even with Amy, I never went anywhere. If I sang, she sat, she sang, I would go or sit or I’d play, you know? But we’re all out there for the whole night. And I think that’ll be that way with this. I think the challenge is how much can we all three do together. And that’s going to be the magic, I mean, obviously when Cece sings ‘All Is Well,’ it’s going to be over. She’ll kill it every night.”

It’s a short run—just nine dates—but it’s easy to imagine the chemistry between these three CCM legends making each night unforgettable.

Every Christmas: The Family Tradition

After that run, the season shifts gears for Every Christmas, his annual residency-style show at the Fisher Center in Nashville.

Michael grinned as soon as I mentioned it. “We’re going to finish the shows with Amy and CeCe and then right into the Every Christmas tour, which is the album that came out last year that has my grandkids on it and Tyler orchestrating. It’s a family affair on some level, which is awesome.”

I’ve been to that show, and it really does feel like Nashville’s own holiday homecoming. The theater is stunning, more Royal Albert Hall than honky-tonk, and the mix of reverence and razzle-dazzle is what makes it special.

“Well, my grandkids love it” Michael said, laughing. “Matter of fact, they weren’t on the stage last year for the first time in a while. So, I think that’s going to change because I’ve already been asked about that on ‘G. Daddy, are we going to be on stage this year?’ Yeah, so I think that they’ll be reemerging.” It’s a bit of joyful chaos.

The Spirit and the Sound

Writing new Christmas songs, Michael admitted, isn’t simple “I’m excited. I’m, you know, writing new Christmas songs is not easy,” he said. “But, gosh, what if nobody wrote new Christmas songs? Hopefully some of them will stick around for a while.”

What does stick around is his sound, that cinematic, nostalgic blend that recalls another era. “They feel nostalgic and even production-wise it makes me feel some of that makes me think of the Andy Williams Christmas record, which is my favorite Christmas record.”

That comparison couldn’t be more fitting. Watching Smith perform in front of glittering trees, grand orchestras, and kids pelting snowballs, you can almost hear the echo of Andy Williams himself.

“We bring the fun element into it, and I don’t have a problem with that.”