Sandra Mccracken Releases First Christmas Album
Newly signed to Integrity Music, Sandra McCracken announces the release of her first-ever holiday album titled Christmas. Available now, the singer, songwriter, and modern-day hymn writer has been writing and recording music for more than two decades, and Christmas is McCracken's debut with the label.
Drawing from folk, gospel, and hymn traditions, McCracken is well-known for crafting songs that weave together storytelling and scripture all while translating God’s comfort and love. Her new Christmas album is no exception. “I hope for my music to help stir people to ask the important questions, to bring comfort and hope, and to help people sing together. A Christmas album is all the more reason to do just that.”
As a lifetime fan of Christmas music, McCracken has had the desire to record her own holiday compilation for years. It was on a trip to Israel two years ago when she visited the birthplace of Jesus and the shepherd’s field near Bethany that pushed her to make Christmas. She shares, "I finally decided I didn’t need to overthink it. I wanted to enjoy the process, to sing these songs about the sacred story of the birth of Jesus. We still need the light of Jesus to break into our darkness. Sometimes we need familiar melodies to remind us that we have a place where we belong."
With eleven songs including both originals and Christmas classics, such as "Go Tell It On The Mountain," the album opener "Joy To The World," and closer "Silent Night," the project is surely going to be a staple for seasons to come.
One of the album’s standout originals is “The Space Between (feat. Josh Garrels),” co-written by McCracken and friends Cindy Morgan and Gabe Dixon. The song paints a unique perspective about the days after Christmas and before the New Year begins. "The holidays can be really hard for people because they intensify our feelings of loneliness," McCracken states. "There’s such a high expectation on the time with family and friends that often we feel disappointed after Christmas Day. But January is one of my favorite times of year because it feels like an opportunity to rethink things. 'The Space Between' is a reflective, joyful reminder to accept the discomfort of life transitions with grace. It is a call to see what’s next." A lyric video for "The Space Between (feat. Josh Garrels)" is above.
Another highlight is the cozy nostalgic offering "Ring The Bells" written by McCracken and Cindy Morgan. "I wanted this song to give us a picture of a present-day holiday scene, the family gathering together, the candlelight service, the call for peace and comfort from one to another. I remember the Johnny Cash Christmas album that we listened to a lot when I was a kid...the stories were almost like Charles Dickens set to music.
"Christmas is a reminder," she concludes. "It stays with us. It pulls us back to the center, to remember what matters and where we belong. In the broken places, in the waiting, in the hoping, God has come to dwell with us. We are not alone. I pray this album brings light and hope to that reminder as people hear this good news again."
McCracken will be performing these holiday tunes and more during the month of December in various cities around the U.S.
