CMA Country Christmas is here! The star-studded show airs tonight, December 3, featuring performances from some of country music’s favorite artists. Keep reading to find out everything to know about the holiday special.
How to Watch:
CMA Country Christmas airs on Tuesday, December 3, at 8:00 PM ET on ABC. The show will also be available beginning on Decmeber 4 on both Hulu and Disney+.
Who is Hosting:
Trisha Yearwood and Amy Grant are returning to co-host the show for the second year in a row. Last year marked the pair’s inaugural year, although the two singers were already fans of each other.
“We’ve known each other,” Yearwood previously said. “We’ve seen each other at events and we hang out a little bit. But to get to really spend some time together has been really nice, and to sing together, I’m just so excited.”
Who is Performing:
Yearwood and Grant will perform, along with Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, Ashley McBryde, For KING & COUNTRY, Carin León, Brittney Spencer and CeCe Winans. The co-hosts revealed the list of performers in a humorous video shared on social media.
‘Tis the season! 🎄 Join us as @TrishaYearwood & @AmyGrant return to host #CMAchristmas! Catch magical performances by @4KingAndCountry, @AmyGrant, @CodyJohnson, @CarinLeonOfi, @AshleyMcBryde, @JonPardi, @BrittNicx, @CeceWinans and @TrishaYearwood!
Grab a cup of hot chocolate… pic.twitter.com/KcxbprZSzK
— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) November 21, 2024
What Songs Will be Performed:
Trisha Yearwood and Amy Grant: “Sing Your Praise To The Lord” and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”
Amy Grant: “Tennessee Christmas”
Trisha Yearwood: Christmas medley
Cody Johnson: “White Christmas”
Jon Pardi: “Horsepower Sleigh”
Ashley McBryde and Brittney Spencer: “Man With The Bag”
For KING & COUNTRY and Carin León: “O Come O Come Emmanuel”
CeCe Winans: “Joy To The World”
How Long CMA Country Christmas Has Been on TV:
CMA Country Christmas has aired annually since 2010. McBryde and Pardi are returning again this year. They also performed as part of the 2023 special, along with Lainey Wilson, Jordan Davis, Lady A, The War And Treaty, Lindsay Stirling and Zach Williams.
What Some of the Performers Are Saying About Christmas:
McBryde loves everything about the holiday season, which is why she was happy to return to be part of CMA Country Christmas again this year.
“I think the special thing about the holiday season is that we’re all just a tiny bit nicer to each other and to ourselves,” McBryde says. “And we could use a dose of that year-round but the holiday season you can just kind of tell the air feels a little bit lighter.”
Johnson celebrates more than just Christmas in December. He will also celebrate his 16th anniversary to his wife, Brandi, whom he wed in 2008.
“My wife and I got married in early December, and by the time I blinked my eyes, Christmas was there, and there we were, newlyweds with hardly any money, living in a one bedroom apartment,” Johnson recalls. “We were just so happy back then. We didn’t have anything and some how we had it all. I remember that very first Christmas of us being married and we were broke as a joke and somehow we were jus like that old Alan Jackson song just ‘Livin’ On Love.’ There was something pure and happy about that.”
Grant, known for her holiday music and performances, is thrilled to help usher in the season with CMA Country Christmas.
“Christmas music is a portal to wonder and awe, to nostalgia and ‘remember when,’ to hope and how-we-wish-it-could-be,” says Grant. “And because we return to the same playlists year after year, those songs have become the backdrop for our collective memories of gathering, of family, of gift giving, of celebration and solitude.”
Find more information at CMAChristmas.com.