The Animal's Christmas by Art Garfunkel/Amy Grant

Pros: unique perspective on Christmas story, beautiful arrangements, Art Garfunkel
Cons: not easy to sing along to, choral parts hard to understand

Although Simon and Garfunkel included Silent Night on their album Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. to much acclaim, coupling their intricate vocals with an underlying broadcast of the seven o'clock news that revealed the world to be anything but ...

Pros: Fantastic production...
Cons: no one knows about this! It is a secret classic !!

A few years ago I was expanding my Christmas CD collection (now closing in on 50 CDs) I was taking a gamble and buying some recording I was not familiar with at all. Musically my preference has always been for singers and songwriters enjoying the ...

Pros: off the beaten track, yet freshly traditional while original
Cons: hard to come by

This is my favorite Christmas cantata. It is 12 songs long, comes in 5 parts, and centered around the Christmas story as taken from the Gospels. However, it encompasses the perspective of animals, not in a hokey way.
I envision leading a performance of it one day, but realize it would be a rather ambitious undertaking.

Pros: Lyrics, outstanding children's choir, storyline
Cons: Album is hard to find. well worth the effort.

This album has got to be one of the most poignant of all times. The lyrics, the progression of pieces, the storyline, all together make it a classic. The only thing I don't like about it is its availability, or lack thereof.

I would have hoped to hear others perform this work - as a composition, it's definitely a challenge for the most gifted performers and requires quite an ensemble to pull off.

I first heard this work on cassette back in the mid 80's - I used to listen to it on the bus on the way to school. A few years later I found a release on CD and thank heavens now have a digital copy that doesn't degrade. Even if I lost my CD, this is a composition I could sing from memory after all this time. I highly recommend it.