Okay, who is your favorite musical artist? Now, the tougher question, who is your favorite Christmas musical artist? Hmmmm… I wonder who I should pick?

Mr. Gorgeous and I have been married for 28 1/2 years, making this our 29th Christmas together. As newlyweds, we decided to buy one Christmas CD every year, we started with Mannheim Steamroller. (Thank you, Jerry Dannels, for introducing us to their amazing music!) For years, we would always buy the newest Mannheim Christmas CD. Yes, we have them all.

Of course, we couldn’t stop with synthesized, contemporary versions of Christmas carols, could we? Enter Amy Grant… and Alabama… and The Carpenters… and Big Bands… and the Rat Pack… and Michael W. Smith… and Jim Brickman… and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Shhh! Don’t tell Phillip!)… and a Spanish Guitar Christmas… and a Steel Drum Christmas… and A Cow Christmas (yes, it’s a real CD and I love, “The 12 Days of a Cow’s Christmas!”)… and Third Day… and Selah… and… and… and… and the list goes on and on and on.

To be honest, there simply aren’t enough days to listen to all of the amazing Christmas music on my I-pod, let alone in the basket that holds the Christmas CDs. Piffle!

I do believe that we could start listening to Christmas music in June and still not repeat a CD in December. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration… but only a slight one. Seriously, we’ve spent a ton of money on Christmas CDs and I don’t regret it a bit. Granted, there have been a few CDs that have been disappointing, but truthfully, very few.

I think it’s the content and the message and the reason for the music that makes it special.

After all, the carols and hymns and ballads follow the pattern set for us by the angels as they sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those upon whom His favor rests.”

Christmas music: synthesized, sung, played, classical, country, Christian. Whatever form it takes, it brings us to a reminder of this season. No, not every song talks about the Christ child. Some of them talk about snowmen and Santa Claus and reindeer. Even so, can’t we allow God to redeem the secular things of this world and to use them as reminders that it is a special season?

When I hear a Christmas song — any Christmas song — I remember WHY it is Christmas. That’s why we collect Christmas music. It reminds us that in Bethlehem a baby was born and He came to be the Savior of the world. But even more, He came to be MY Savior. I pray He is your Savior too.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!