Christmas Offerings (2006)

Christmas Offerings is the ninth studio and Christmas album by the Christian rock band Third Day, released on October 17, 2006 by Essential Records/

Provident Music. The band produced the album with arranger and musician Don McCollister.

Christmas Offerings is a companion album to their previous worship releases Offerings and Offerings II, but this release is centered on worship music on the birth of Jesus Christ. Third Day covers well-known Christmas hymns like "O Come All Ye Faithful," "O Holy Night" and "Angels We Have Heard On High," plus four original tracks including the lead single "Born in Bethlehem." There are live recordings of "Do You Hear What I Hear?," "Silent Night," "The First Noel" and "Away in a Manger" that capture an authentic worship atmosphere.

Christmas Offerings charted on peaked on the following Billboard album charts:

-#3 Top Christian Albums

-#2 Top Holiday Albums

-#78 Billboard 200

Christmas Offering was named Christmas Album of the Year at the 38th GMA Dove Awards in 2007. In 2012, it was Gold certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of half a million copies. In 2008, Third Day released their live concert video on DVD entitled Live in Concert - Christmas Offerings containing songs from their Christmas release and other favorites like "King of Glory" and "Your Love, Oh Lord." It was recorded at Fellowship Of The Woodlands in Houston, Texas. It was later sold as a CD and DVD combo pack in 2011.

Track listing

1. O Come All Ye Faithful (John Francis Wade) -3:52

2. Do You Hear What I Hear? (live) (Noël Regney, Gloria Shayne) -3:36

3. Born in Bethlehem (Mac Powell) -3:43

4. O Holy Night (Adolphe Adam, John Sullivan Dwight) -4:06

5. Angels We Have Heard on High (Edward S. Barnes) -3:48

6. Silent Night (live) (Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr) -4:08

7. Jesus, Light Of the World (Mark Lee) -3:56

8. Joy to the World (Isaac Watts) -3:37

9. What Child Is This (William Chatterton Dix) -3:31

10. The First Noel (live) (traditional; arranged by Third Day) -3:00

11. Christmas Like a Child (Tai Anderson) -4:03

12. Away in a Manger (live) (traditional; arranged by Third Day) -3:55

13. Merry Christmas (Brad Avery) -6:31

Personnel

Third Day:

Mac Powell -lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar

Mark Lee -guitars

Brad Avery -guitars

Tai Anderson -bass guitar

David Carr -drums

additional musicians:

Scotty Wilbanks -acoustic piano, keyboards, Hammond B-3 organ

Blaine Barcus -sleigh bells on track 5

Worldwide Groove Corporation -string arrangements (tracks 3, 4 and 13)

Brandon Brooks -cello (tracks 7, 8 and 10)

Pat Barrett -backing vocals

Don McCollister -backing vocals

RIAA certifications

Gold certified in 2012.

Accolades

Dove Award -Christmas Album of the Year (Christmas Offerings)

Radio singles

2006 -2007 "Born in Bethlehem" -#2 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#2 Billboard

Christian Airplay, -#1 Billboard Christian AC Airplay for 2 weeks, -#1 R&R Christian

AC

2006 -2007 "O Come All Ye Faithful" -#12 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#12

Billboard Christian Airplay, -#5 Billboard Christian AC Airplay, -#19 R&R Christian

AC

2006 -2007 "Angels We Have Heard On High" -#30 Billboard Hot Christian Songs,

-#30 Billboard Christian Airplay, -#15 Billboard Christian AC Airplay, -#28 R&R

Christian AC

2007 "Joy to the World" -#19 Billboard Christian AC Airplay

2007 "O Holy Night" -#26 Billboard Christian AC Airplay

2007 "What Child Is This?" -#30 Billboard Christian AC Airplay

Previous release: Wherever You Are (2005)

Next release: Chronology Volume 1 (2007) (compilation 2 disc CD/DVD)

Watch the concert video Live in Concert - Christmas Offerings here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rutDbYlR8w8