''These Are Special Times'' is the seventeenth studio album and sixth English-language album by Canadian singer

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

, and also her first English-language Christmas album. It was first released in Europe on 30 October 1998, by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. In the United States, it was released on 3 November 1998 through

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

. The album features

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of popular Christmas songs and original material, including " I'm Your Angel" and " The Prayer". Dion worked with

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...

and

Ric Wake Ric Wake is an Anglo-American record producer who has won two Grammy Awards. During his tenure as staff producer with Sony Music Entertainment, he has worked with vocalists such as Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Lucero, CoCo Lee, Taylor D ...

, who produced most of the album. ''These Are Special Times'' was released after two of Dion's most successful third and fourth English albums, ''

Falling into You ''Falling into You'' is the fourteenth studio album and fourth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 11 March 1996 by Sony Music. The follow-up to her blockbuster album '' The Colour of My Love'' (1993) and French-l ...

'' (1996) and ''

Let's Talk About Love ''Let's Talk About Love'' is the fifteenth studio album and fifth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released on 14 November 1997 by Sony Music. The follow-up to the commercially successful '' Falling into You'' (1996), ''Le ...

'' (1997). Upon its release, ''These Are Special Times'' received generally positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

. Many praised Dion's commitment to the project, as well as the production of the songs. The album has been certified six-times Platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for shipment of six million copies in the United States. In Canada, the album has sold one million copies and been certified

Diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...

by the

Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 in Toronto to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It also offers benefits to some of Canada's leadin ...

(CRIA). ''These Are Special Times'' has sold over 12 million copies worldwide and is one of the best-selling Christmas albums of all time. The album spawned two singles. "I'm Your Angel" was released as the lead single on 16 November 1998 and peaked at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "The Prayer", a duet with

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera". Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...

, was released as a

promotional single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...

on 1 March 1999 and won the

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

for Best Original Song at the 56th Golden Globe Awards. In addition, "I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer" were nominated for the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 41st and

42nd Annual Grammy Awards The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 23, 2000, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1999. Nominations were announced on January 4, 2000. Santana was the main ...

, respectively. In 2021, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' named ''These Are Special Times'' the 8th Greatest Holiday Album of All Time.

Background

Celine Dion released two French-language Christmas albums in her early career: '' Céline Dion chante Noël'' (1981) and '' Chants et contes de Noël'' (1983). Later, in 1993, she recorded "

The Christmas Song "The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells (songwriter), Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat K ...

" which appears on

's ''The Christmas Album''. The next year, Dion was featured on

Alvin and the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks and billed for their first two decades as the Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for Novelty records in ...

' " Petit Papa Noël" which is on their album '' A Very Merry Chipmunk''. In 1996, she recorded " Brahms' Lullaby" for the compilation ''For Our Children Too'' to benefit the

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing pediatric HIV infection and eliminating pediatric AIDS through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs. Founded in 198 ...

. "The Christmas Song" and "Brahms' Lullaby" were included on ''These Are Special Times'' in 1998.

Content

Dion worked on ''These Are Special Times'' with her longtime partners

and

, who produced most of the songs. The album contains seven original compositions: "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day" (co-written by Celine Dion; covered by Avalon in 2000 and

Clay Aiken Clayton Holmes Aiken (''né'' Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor and political activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of ''American Idol'' in 2003, and his debut album, '' Me ...

in 2004), "Another Year Has Gone By" (written and produced by

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...

), a solo version of "The Magic of Christmas Day" (recorded in 1999 as a duet with

Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American talk show host, comedian, and actress. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television ...

and included on a charity album, ''A Rosie Christmas''), " The Prayer" (duet with

; each artist sang it solo on the 1998 soundtrack to '' Quest for Camelot''), "Christmas Eve", "These Are the Special Times" (written by

Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...

; covered by

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

in 2000) and " I'm Your Angel" (duet with R. Kelly, written and produced by Kelly). Other tracks include inspired arrangements of standards like "

O Holy Night "O Holy Night" (original title: ) is a sacred song about the night of the birth of Jesus Christ, described in the first verse as "the dear Saviour", and frequently performed as a Christmas carol. Based on the French-language poem ''Minuit, ch ...

", " Blue Christmas" (

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard (magazi ...

on acoustic piano), " Adeste Fideles", "

Ave Maria The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical pa ...

" and new versions of the modern classics " Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and " Feliz Navidad". On the latter track and "Les cloches du hameau", Dion is joined by her family. In October 2007, the album was re-released as a Collector's Edition that includes a

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

of Dion's CBS television special for ''These Are Special Times''. In November 2022, the album was re-released as a 2-LP limited edition opaque gold vinyl. In the wake of R. Kelly's legal issues, "I'm Your Angel" is omitted from this version's tracklist. Instead, "I Met an Angel (On Christmas Day)"—which was originally released as a B-side to Dion's 1999 single " That's the Way It Is"—is included, as the album's closing track. Digital versions of the album have also been updated to reflect this altered tracklist.

Critical reception

''These Are Special Times'' garnered generally positive reviews from music critics. Paul Verna from ''

'' gave it a very positive review, praising Dion's maturity and the album's production. He wrote, "sounding at complete ease and wielding a wildly creative wand, an ever-maturing Dion conjures up surprise on what should be regarded as her next "big" album". Verna noted that this "grade-A effort" is "no ordinary holiday project". He praised "grandiose versions of standards" ("

", " Adeste Fideles"), "modern classics" (" Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", " Feliz Navidad") and "thoughtfully produced original compositions" ("Another Year Has Gone By", "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day"). According to him, other highlights include " The Prayer", a "gorgeous duet" with

, the "

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

-esque" "Christmas Eve", and a "sparkling reading" of "

". Chuck Taylor from ''Billboard'' also praised " I'm Your Angel", a duet with R. Kelly. He wrote that "this wonderfully restrained ballad delights with the most graceful vocal performances either of these artists has ever offered to radio". Taylor commented, "what raises the roof is the tune's elegant, epic instrumental base, which includes sweeping strings, a soulful choir, and gentle but determined percussive drive". He continued, that "I'm Your Angel" "sells big at the bridge, where the instrumentation drops and Kelly and Dion harmonize in a gorgeous minor key – it truly makes the song". Chuck Taylor also reviewed "The Prayer", calling it "a breathtaking, ultra-lush song, and the tour de force combination of Dion and Bocelli

hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...

will send a half-dozen chills up your spine". Although he felt that the song is "an unorthodox track for the radio", Taylor called it "affecting", "heartwarming", "absolutely exquisite" and "one of Dion's most radiant performances ever".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

stated that "any fan of Dion, or of '90s adult contemporary pop in general, should find this lbumvery enjoyable". Although according to him, "at times, the production is too slick" and "at other times Dion's vocals are a little mannered," overall, ''These Are Special Times'' "is very effective, because the songs are good and she's committed to the material". Erlewine wrote that ''These Are Special Times'' is "an especially successful holiday album since Dion wisely balances" popular carols (" Blue Christmas," "

," "Feliz Navidad") with new songs ("I'm Your Angel," "Don't Save It All for Christmas"), hymns ("Adeste Fideles," "Ave Maria"), and Christmas songs with a distinct religious theme ("The Prayer," "O Holy Night").

Commercial performance

By the end of 1998, ''These are Special Times'' sold 6 million copies worldwide, including 738,000 from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, becoming the best-selling holiday album of 1998 in the US & globally. To date, the album has sold 12 million copies worldwide and became the second best-selling holiday album by a female artist in history. Chuck Taylor (2007). ''These Are Special Times'' Collector's Edition liner notes. p. 4.: "In all, the album has so far sold (...) 12 million worldwide".

United States

''These Are Special Times'' debuted at number four on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 126,000 copies. The next week, it became a greatest gainer, jumping to number three and selling 163,000 units. In its third week, despite selling 210,000 copies, ''These Are Special Times'' fell to number five. In its fourth week, thanks to Dion's CBS television special, the album rose to number three, with a 94% sales increase (409,000 copies), becoming a greatest gainer again. The next week, it moved to its peak position on the ''Billboard'' 200, number two, with sales of 366,000 units. ''These Are Special Times'' tied

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She began her music career in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the mid-1980s. Grant has been referred to as "Honorific ...

's 1992 '' Home for Christmas'' as the highest-charting holiday album ever by a female artist. It stayed at number two for a second week, selling 413,000 copies. In its seventh week, ''These Are Special Times'' reached its highest weekly sales of 462,000 copies, despite falling to number three. In its last week inside the top ten, the album fell to number five, selling another 461,000 copies. The album topped the Top Holiday Albums subchart, however, for nine consecutive weeks. ''These Are Special Times'' became the best-selling holiday album of 1998 in the US with a total of 2,684,000 copies sold. Dion's album also sold more copies in its first year of release than any other holiday album by a female artist. On 16 November 2008, it also became the first holiday album by a female artist to top the five million mark in

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellige ...

history. ''These Are Special Times'' is also the highest selling Christmas album by an artist born outside the US. It is the fourth best-selling Christmas album of the entire Nielsen SoundScan era with US sales of 5.6 million copies as of November 2019. On 3 November 2022, the album was certified six-times Platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for shipment of six million copies in the US.

Rest of the world

In Canada and in Quebec, ''These Are Special Times'' peaked at number one. The album shipped one million copies and was certified

by the CRIA. In Japan, the album reached number four and exceeded sales of more than 500,000 copies. ''These Are Special Times'' was also successful in Australasia and Europe, hitting the top ten in most countries and peaking at number one in Switzerland and Norway.

Promotion

Dion promoted the album in the United States with a television special which aired on CBS on 25 November 1998. It included two musical guests:

on " The Prayer" and

on "

Do You Hear What I Hear? "Do You Hear What I Hear?" is a song written in October 1962, with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne. The pair, married at the time, wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Regney had been invited by a record ...

". Dion also performed album tracks ("

", "These Are the Special Times"), her number-one hits (" The Power of Love", "

Because You Loved Me "Because You Loved Me" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion on her fourth English-language studio album, '' Falling into You'' (1996). It was released on 19 February 1996 as the first single in North America, and as the second sin ...

", "

My Heart Will Go On "My Heart Will Go On" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, used as the theme for the 1997 film '' Titanic''. It was composed by James Horner, with lyrics by Will Jennings, and produced by Horner, Walter Afanasieff and Simon F ...

"), as well as favorites ("Let's Talk About Love", "

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who later became his third wife. At that time, MacColl was still married to his second wife, Jean Newlove. ...

"). ''These Are Special Times'' was a television ratings champion, ranking number-one for the night and drawing an audience of more than sixteen million viewers. The show was nominated for two

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

s. Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli also performed "The Prayer" at the 41st Grammy Awards on 24 February 1999 and at the

71st Academy Awards The 71st Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best of 1998 in film and took place on March 21, 1999, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p. ...

on 21 March 1999.

Singles

" I'm Your Angel" was released as the first single from the album. It became Dion's fourth number-one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, topping the chart for six consecutive weeks. On 9 December 1998, it was certified

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

by the

for shipments of one million copies in the United States. The song was also successful in Europe, peaking at number three in the United Kingdom. In March 1999, " The Prayer" (duet with

) was sent to

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

radio stations in the United States and peaked at number twenty-two on

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...

. In February 2008, Dion recorded a live version of this song in a duet with

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...

. Thanks to the digital sales, the track entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number seventy.

Accolades

''These Are Special Times'' received the 1999 Japan Gold Disc Award for International Pop Album of the Year. At the 56th Golden Globe Awards, " The Prayer" won the award for Best Original Song. " I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer" were nominated for the

Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers ...

at the 41st and 42nd Grammy Awards, respectively. "The Prayer" was also nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

at the

. In 2017, 24/7 Wall St. Named ''These Are Special Times'' as the 8th best Holiday Album of all time.

Impact and legacy

In recording her own version of the song for her 2020 holiday album '' My Gift'', Carrie Underwood said that she was inspired by Dion's version of "O Holy Night", calling it "so beautiful and big and classic".

recorded a rendition of "These Are The Special Times", and

Patti Labelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

performed a rendition of "Don't Save It All For Christmas Day". ''

'' listed Dion's rendition of " Feliz Navidad" as one of the best covers of the song.

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

listed Happy Xmas (War Is Over) among "The 65 Best Christmas Songs of All Time".

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

also listed the song "These Are The Special Times" at #44, among the 150 Best Christmas Songs of all Time.

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

praised ''These Are Special Times'' calling it "one of the Greatest Christmas albums to ever exist". ''Billboard'' ranked her rendition of the classic hit "

" at number 68 on their "100 Best Christmas Songs of All Time" list, calling it a "bombastically earnest performance". Its the only rendition of the song present on the list.

Rankings

Track listing

Notes * signifies Italian translation * signifies a co-producer * signifies an additional producer * "I Met an Angel (On Christmas Day)" was originally released on the " That's the Way It Is" single in 1999. It replaced "I'm Your Angel" on the 2020 edition of the album following the 2019 documentary '' Surviving R. Kelly''.

Credits and personnel

Adapted from

. *

– arranger, bass, composer, guitar, producer, string arrangements *Tawatha Agee – background vocals *Steve Amerson – background vocals *Morgan Ames – background vocals *Randy Andos – trombone *Jane Barnett – background vocals *David Barratt – production coordination *Tony Black – programming *Juan Bohorquez – assistant engineer, mixing assistant *Dick Bolks – background vocals *Alfred Bosco – assistant engineer *

Jeff Bova Jeff Bova (born Jeffrey Bova in 1953) is an American musician. He has been active in the music industry since the mid-1970s, contributing to recordings by significant mainstream artists like Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Blondie, Eric Clapton, ...

– programming *Robert Bowker – background vocals *Jimmy Bralower – drum programming *Troy Bright – background vocals * Martin Briley – background vocals *Chris Brooke – assistant engineer *Alexandra Brown – choir, chorus *Bridgette Bryant – choir, chorus * Sharon Bryant – background vocals *Bob Buckley – conductor, string arrangements * Amick Byram – background vocals *Bob Cadway – engineer * Richie Cannata – tenor saxophone *Johnnie Carl – arranger *Elin Carlson – background vocals *Patrick Carroll – drum programming, bass guitar, percussion *Carmen Carter – choir, chorus *Lafayette Carthon Jr. – conductor, keyboards, background vocals * Sue Ann Carwell – background vocals *John Chiodini – guitar, electric guitar * Maria Christensen – composer, background vocals *Dennis Collins – background vocals *Crystal Cathedral Choir – choir *Barry Danielian – trumpet *Donna Davidson – background vocals *Nathan Dean – mixing assistant * Russ DeSalvo – guitar *John Doelp – executive producer * Chuck Domanico – bass *Terence Dover – engineer *Felipe Elgueta – engineer, programming *Gary Falcone – choir, chorus *

– arranger, composer, keyboards, piano, producer *

Bob Franceschini Bob Franceschini (born 1961) is an American jazz saxophonist and instrumentalist, songwriter, and arranger. He has appeared on more than eighty albums including those of Mike Stern, Paul Simon, and Willie Colón. Franceschini grew up in Man ...

– alto saxophone *Simon Franglen – synclavier *Roger Freeland – background vocals * Yvonne Gage – background vocals *

Humberto Gatica Humberto Gatica is a Chilean and American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer, best known for his work with Celine Dion, Chicago, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Cher and Michael Bublé. Gatic ...

– engineer, mixing *Ayuana George – background vocals * Stephen George – programming *Diva Gray – background vocals *Nikki Gregoroff – background vocals *Don Hachey – mixing assistant *Andy Haller – assistant engineer * Jeff Hamilton – drums *Brian Harding – assistant engineer, mixing assistant *Linda Harmon – background vocals *Bill Harris – alto saxophone *Don Harris – trumpet *Dan Hetzel – engineer * Loris Holland – conductor, keyboards, Hammond organ, vocal arrangement, background vocals *Jimmy Hoyson – assistant engineer *Ronn Huff – arranger *Nancey Jackson – background vocals *Bashiri Johnson – background vocals *Tony Kadleck – trumpet * Shane Keister – arranger, handbell arrangement, piano, synclavier *Khris Kellow – background vocals * R. Kelly – arranger, composer, performer, producer *Rick Kerr – engineer *Curtis King – background vocals * Darlene Koldenhoven – background vocals *

– piano *John Kurlander – engineer *Rick Logan – background vocals *Susie Stevens Logan – background vocals * Lisa Lougheed – background vocals *Jeremy Lubbock – arranger, string arrangements *Vito Luprano – executive producer *

Johnny Mandel John Alfred Mandel (November 23, 1925June 29, 2020) was an American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. The musicians he worked with include Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Benn ...

– orchestral arrangements *Ethan Mates – mixing assistant * Rob Mathes – conductor, orchestral arrangements *Paulette McWilliams – background vocals *Ozzie Melendez – trombone * Chieli Minucci – guitar *Cindy Mizelle – background vocals *Robert Moe – background vocals *Jeffrey Morrow – background vocals *Rob Murphy – assistant engineer, mixing assistant *Jake Ninan – assistant engineer *Rafael Padilla – percussion *Bobbi Page – choir, chorus * Shawn Pelton – drums *Randy Phillips – choir, chorus *

Louis Price Louis Bernhardt Price (born March 29, 1953) is an American R&B and soul singer, and actor notable for being the lead singer of the first post- Dennis Edwards led version of The Temptations from 1977 to 1979. Price lived in Chicago as a child and ...

– choir, chorus *Tom Rainer – synthesizer *Jeffrey Ramsey – choir, chorus *Anthony Ransick – background vocals *Dave Reitzas – engineer * Cathy Richardson – background vocals * John "J.R." Robinson – drums *Robin Robinson – background vocals *Stevie Robinson – background vocals *

Olle Romo Olle Romö is a Swedish music producer, songwriter, and drummer. Romo rehearsed with Swedish progressive rock group Kaipa in early 1982; however, he left the group after a few weeks to join Eurythmics, and he was a drummer for them from the mid ...

– programming * William Ross – arranger, orchestral arrangements * Kamil Rustam – acoustic guitar *Johnny Rutledge – background vocals *Larry Salzman – guitar *John Scarpulla – baritone saxophone * Al Schmitt – engineer *David Shackney – engineer *Don Shelton – background vocals *Marc Shulman – guitar *Ira Siegel – guitar *Steve Skinner – arranger, drum programming, keyboard programming * Ramón Stagnaro – acoustic guitar * Randy Staub – engineer *Aya Takemura – mixing assistant *Chris Taylor – guitar * David Taylor – bass trombone * Vaneese Thomas – background vocals * Michael Thompson – electric guitar *

Fonzi Thornton Alfonso "Fonzi" Thornton is an American vocalist, songwriter, producer and vocal contractor. In a career spanning 40 years, Thornton has sung backing vocals for top artists across many genres of music. His vocal credits can be found on the re ...

– background vocals *UB Tirado – mixing assistant * Terry Trotter – piano *Rob Trow – background vocals * Eric Troyer – background vocals *Carmen Twillie – choir, chorus, background vocals *Vancouver Orchestra – strings *Gary Van Pelt – engineer *Jeff Vereb – mixing assistant *Frank Vilardi – drums *

– arranger, composer, producer *Joan Walton – background vocals *Spencer Washington – background vocals *John West – background vocals *

Phil Western Phillip Charles Western (August 12, 1971 – February 4, 2019) was a Canadian musician, based in Vancouver and a founding member of the bands Download, PlatEAU, Frozen Rabbit, and Off and Gone. Biography Having started his career as a drumm ...

– engineer, keyboards, programming, string arrangements *Brenda White-King – background vocals * George Whitty – engineer, keyboard arrangements, synthesizer arrangements * Cheryl Wilson – background vocals * Elisabeth Withers – background vocals * Steven Wolf – drums *Thomas R. Yezzi – engineer * Peter Zizzo – arranger, bass programming, composer, drum programming, guitar, keyboard programming

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1998 Christmas albums 550 Music albums Albums produced by David Foster Albums produced by Humberto Gatica Albums produced by R. Kelly Albums produced by Ric Wake Celine Dion albums Christmas albums by Canadian artists Pop Christmas albums