''The Spirit of Christmas'' were a twenty-five year running series of

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s of both traditional and modern

Christmas Carol A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...

s performed by Australian artists and musicians which was released every

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

between 1993 until its discontinuation in 2018 with proceeds going to

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

as part of their "Red Shield Appeal" which supports at-risk children and youth throughout Australia. The albums were sponsored by

Myer Myer (stylised MYER, sometimes known as Myers) is an Australia, Australian mid-range to upscale department store chain. It trades in all Australian states and one of Australia's two self-governing territories. Myer retails a broad range of ...

and produced by Emerald City records, a division of

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

and later produced by

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

. There was a brief intermission because of the

Death of Diana, Princess of Wales In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died from injuries sustained earlier that day in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France. Dodi Fayed, Diana's partner, and Henri Paul, their chauffeur, were found d ...

in 1997, and a tribute album featuring British and other international artists, was dedicated to her memory instead, titled " Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute album".

Founding

This initiative started when

wished to continue their philanthropic support in the community "whilst at the same time providing something special for everyone to enjoy." Since the release of the first edition of ''The Spirit of Christmas'' CD in 1993, over $5.5 million have been raised for the Salvation Army while funds raised from the 1996 and 1998 editions went to the

Starlight Children's Foundation Starlight Children's Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1982. Starlight's programs include providing hospital wear, games, and deliveries to hospitalized children. The programs are provided directly to children through Starlight's ne ...

. Session and touring musician, Lindsay Field was the executive producer and compiler. Each year Field contacted various fellow Australian musicians – including those he had worked with personally – to donate a track for the compilation, most commonly a new rendition of a standard Christmas carol. In 1995 he reflected, "People get to hear top Aussie artists singing previously unrecorded tracks, and through buying a copy they can support the valuable work of The Salvation Army." In that year they raised over $240,000 for homeless youth programs. The albums were produced in collaboration with former musician and later talent manager

Glenn Wheatley Glenn Dawson Wheatley (23 January 1948 – 1 February 2022) was an Australian musician, talent manager and tour promoter. Career Wheatley began his career as a musician in Brisbane in the mid-1960s. In the late 1960s he became known national ...

(ex-

the Masters Apprentices The Masters Apprentices (or The Masters to fans) were an Australian rock band fronted by Jim Keays on lead vocals, which originally formed as The Mustangs in 1964 in Adelaide, South Australia, relocated to Melbourne, Victoria in February 1967 a ...

Little River Band Little River Band (LRB) are a rock band originally formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studio albums rea ...

John Farnham John Peter Farnham Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 1 July 1949) is a British born Australian singer. Farnham was a Teen idol, teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed then as Johnny Farnham, but has since forged a career as an Adu ...

Discography

*''

The Spirit of Christmas 1993 ''The Spirit of Christmas'' (later referred to as ''The Spirit of Christmas 1993'') is the first compilation album of Christmas-associated tracks in the annual Spirit of Christmas series. It was released in Australia in November 1993 with proc ...

'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 1994 ''The Spirit of Christmas '94'' (later referred to as ''The Spirit of Christmas 1994'') is the second compilation album of Christmas-associated tracks in the annual Spirit of Christmas series. It was released in Australia in November 1994 with ...

'' *'' The Spirit of Christmas 1995'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 1996 ''The Spirit of Christmas 1996'' is the fourth compilation album of Christmas-associated tracks in the annual Spirit of Christmas series. It was released in Australia in November 1996 with proceeds going to the Starlight Foundation. The compila ...

'' *'' The Spirit of Christmas 1998'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 1999 ''The Spirit of Christmas 1999'' is the sixth compilation album of Christmas-associated tracks in the annual Spirit of Christmas series. It was released in Australia in November 1999 with proceeds going to The Salvation Army's Red Shield Appea ...

'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 2000 ''The Spirit of Christmas 2000'' is the seventh compilation album of Christmas-associated tracks in the annual Spirit of Christmas series. It was released in Australia in November 2000 with proceeds going to The Salvation Army's Red Shield App ...

'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 2001 ''The Spirit of Christmas 2001'' is the eighth compilation album of Christmas-associated tracks in the annual The Spirit of Christmas (compilation album), Spirit of Christmas series. It was released in Australia in November 2001 with proceeds g ...

'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 2002 ''The Spirit of Christmas 2002'' is the eighth compilation album of Christmas-associated tracks in the annual The Spirit of Christmas (compilation album), Spirit of Christmas series. It was released in Australia in November 2002 with proceeds g ...

'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 2003 ''The Spirit of Christmas 2003'' is the tenth compilation album of Christmas-associated tracks in the annual Spirit of Christmas series. It was released in Australia in mid-November 2003 with proceeds going to The Salvation Army's Red Shield ...

'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 2004 ''The Spirit of Christmas 2004'' is the 11th compilation album of Christmas-associated tracks in the annual Spirit of Christmas series. It was released in Australia on 13 November 2004 with proceeds going to The Salvation Army's Red Shield Appe ...

'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 2005 ''The Spirit of Christmas 2005'' is the 12th compilation album of Christmas-associated tracks in the annual Spirit of Christmas series. It was released in Australia on 17 November 2005 with proceeds going to The Salvation Army's Red Shield App ...

'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 2006 ''The Spirit of Christmas 2006'' is the 13th compilation album of Christmas-associated tracks in the annual Spirit of Christmas series. It was released in Australia on 10 November 2006 with proceeds going to The Salvation Army's Red Shield Appe ...

'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 2007 ''The Spirit of Christmas 2007'' is part of the Spirit of Christmas album series. Track listing #"Silent Night" - Jimmy Barnes with Choir of Hard Knocks #"Island Christmas" - Christine Anu #"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" - Borne #" The Coventry ...

'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 2008 ''The Spirit of Christmas 2008'' is part of the Spirit of Christmas album series. Track listing Myer Grace Bros (Australian department store chain) #Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Ricki Lee #Santa Baby - Kate Ceberano #Nothing But ...

'' *''

The Spirit of Christmas 2009 ''The Spirit of Christmas 2009'' is part of the The Spirit of Christmas (compilation album), Spirit of Christmas album series. Track listing #"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" - Jessica Mauboy #"We Want To Share Christmas With You" - Troy ...

'' *''The Spirit of Christmas 2010'' *''The Spirit of Christmas 2011'' *''The Spirit of Christmas 2012'' *''The Spirit of Christmas 2013 (20th Anniversary)'' *''The Spirit of Christmas 2014'' *''The Spirit of Christmas 2015 (Best of)'' *''The Spirit of Christmas 2016'' *''The Spirit of Christmas 2017 (Best of)'' *''The Spirit of Christmas 2018 (Celebrating 25 Joyous Years)''

References

The Salvation Army Christmas albums by Australian artists Compilation album series Charity albums {{christian-album-stub