On Thursday night, Carly Pearce hosts the CMA Country Christmas special featuring performances by Dan+ Shay, Scotty McCreery, Maren Morris, Old Dominion and The War and Treaty.
The 13th Annual Holiday Special will air live on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu and Disney Plus. Artists perform in intimate at-home settings reminiscent of holiday specials of old.
Carly Pearce
CMA Country Christmas TV Special, now in its 13th edition, once again brought country music superstars together for an entertaining celebration of Christmas season. Airing live on ABC on December 8th before making available on Hulu and Disney+ the next day.
Carly Pearce returned for her second consecutive year as host of this festive event, sharing hosting duties with Gabby Barrett as 2022 ACM Female Artist of the Year. Additionally, Pearce performed two holiday songs while wearing an eye-catching red embroidered mini dress and red lipstick for added festivity and matching heels.
Reminiscent of old-school TV specials, the stage was outfitted with artificial trees and other holiday decor from Balsam Hill. This year’s lineup featured both legendary country artists like Carrie Underwood as well as up-and-coming acts; veteran country star Carrie Underwood made her mark with her seductive rendition of “White Christmas,” while singer/songwriter BRELAND delivered an R&B reading of timeless classic “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.”
Other standout performances were those by Steven Curtis Chapman’s rendition of “Christmas in America” and Dan + Shay’s mix of traditional and contemporary favorites from their 2020 holiday album My Gift. Lady A and Old Dominion showcased selections from their albums while Grammy newcomer Molly Tuttle performed her bluegrass interpretations of classic holiday standards “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas,” “Let It Snow,” God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Winter Wonderland.”
Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman grew up in Paducah, Kentucky where he frequented his father’s music store to learn guitar and piano from him. Later he decided to pursue country music professionally, recording hits including GMA Dove Award-nominated “His Eyes” from 1988’s Real Life Conversations album; eventually going on to release 43 albums and earn 50 Dove Awards since.
Dan + Shay are spreading holiday cheer to their fans with an exclusive special hosted by Carly Pearce that includes Dan + Shay, Scotty McCreery, Maren Morris and Old Dominion! Don’t miss this unforgettable special on December 8 on ABC or watch it the following day via Hulu or Disney+ streaming services.
Musical performances aside, this special also highlights uplifting foster care family stories. This year’s special will shine a spotlight on Show Hope and their mission of caring for children in need; specifically their most recent project Maria’s Big House of Hope in China that provides holistic care to orphans with special needs.
Dan + Shay
CMA Country Christmas, produced by the Country Music Association and featuring performances by Scotty McCreery and Old Dominion among many other country stars, will air this Thursday November 29th.
At this event, they performed their latest holiday track “Christmas Isn’t Christmas”, an emotional tune which pays a heartfelt tribute to their wives and was released earlier this year as their inaugural Christmas release since their 2018 No. 1 record ‘Take Me Home For Christmas”.
Mooney hails from Natural Dam, Arkansas while Smyers hails from Wexford, Pennsylvania and started their musical careers at an early age – both performing live as well as writing new material.
Taste of Country reported that Mooney and Smyers met at a party in December 2012. Mooney was initially playing in an emo band called Transition before later forming Bonaventure rock group alongside Smyers to form Dan + Shay.
Scotty McCreery
Scotty McCreery of Triple Tigers recording artist is ready to celebrate the holidays with new singles on country radio and the second RIAA certification of 2024 with “Cab in a Solo.” The singer will take part in the 13th Annual CMA Country Christmas airing Thursday Dec 8 on ABC and streaming next day on Hulu and Disney+.
The show is known for featuring a glittery lineup of country stars performing classic holiday songs in what the Country Music Association describes as cozy at-home settings, recalling TV specials of decades past. Alongside traditional favorites, this year’s edition will also include original tracks by Dan + Shay and gospel vocalist Steven Curtis Chapman.
McCreery is no stranger to the CMA Country Christmas stage, having graced it before and recently appearing as a guest star alongside Gabi Dugal McCreery as part of its 2021 episode. Recently he released his single “It Matters to Her,” telling the tale of their journey into parenthood as it features photos from baby Merrick Avery McCreery.
Their joy can be seen when sharing family life on social media with fans, never shying away from publicly extolling each other’s virtues. From celebrating their daughter’s first birthday or showing videos from hospital where they played their album to newborn baby, fans love seeing these two together!
Maren Morris
Country music star Maren Morris took to Radio City Music Hall on Friday night, singing to an audience clad in floral dresses and wide-brimmed cowboy hats – quite different from her previous gig at Gramercy Theater with only 650 people attending her first performance four years earlier.
Singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe, known for infusing pop and Americana genres with her signature brand of breezy yet melodic country twang, delighted the crowd with an inspiring performance that bridged classic and contemporary elements.
Since 2010, CMA Country Christmas has welcomed in each holiday season with an extravagant showcase of country stars. Filmed at a soundstage in Nashville and airing Thursday (Dec 8) on ABC and then Hulu/Disney+ the next day, Carly Pearce hosted and performed at this year’s special – as did Steven Curtis Chapman (“Precious Promise”), Dan + Shay (“Officially Christmas” and “Holiday Party”), Scotty McCreery (“Holly Jolly Christmas”) Old Dominion (“Merry Christmas Baby”) Molly Tuttle/The War And Treaty (check out photos from this year’s special in our gallery).
Old Dominion
Old Dominion is a country band from Nashville, Tennessee founded in 2010 by lead vocalist Matthew Ramsey, guitarist Trevor Rosen, bassist Geoff Sprung and drummer Brad Tursi. They chose their name as a tribute to Virginia (Old Dominion being its nickname) which inspired their name selection.
This year’s CMA Country Christmas special featured performances by Steven Curtis Chapman (“Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Man With the Bag”), Dan + Shay (“Officially Christmas” and “Holiday Party”), Scotty McCreery (“Holly Jolly Christmas”), Maren Morris (“Merry Christmas Baby”) and Old Dominion (“What Christmas Means to Me”). War And Treaty also performed, performing their signature bluegrass medley featuring classic songs including: It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas,” Let It Snow,” God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, Winter Wonderland”, and Christmas Time A-Comin”.
The special was produced and directed by Milton Sneed for ABC on Thursday December 8th and will be streaming the day after on Hulu and Disney+. Set decorations provided by Balsam Hill can also be purchased on CMA website – this event marks its 13th annual CMA Country Christmas!
Molly Tuttle
CMA Country Christmas, hosted by 2022 CMA Musical Event of the Year winner Carly Pearce, featured unique musical performances from Dan + Shay (‘Officially Christmas’), Scotty McCreery (‘Holly Jolly Christmas’) and Old Dominion (‘Man With the Bag’), as well as Grammy-nominated bluegrass artist Molly Tuttle who performed classic holiday tunes accompanied by bluegrass melodies.
Northern California native Nina Crooked Tree is renowned multi-instrumentalist and singer, known for her passionate commitment to bluegrass music which she learned from both of her parents. In 2019, her album Crooked Tree showcases this legacy with both its forward thinking innovations as well as respect for tradition.
The album’s title track provides an insightful commentary on capitalism’s effects, while “San Francisco Blues” pays a haunting ode to that city’s longstanding arts scene. Tuttle’s expert guitar playing and emotive singing showcase her considerable talent; her live band Golden Highway-Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on fiddle, Dominick Leslie on mandolin, and Kyle Tuttle on banjo–also join her for this unique performance.