I’ve officially awakened from my tryptophan coma, which means it’s officially time for the Christmas season to begin! The passing of Thanksgiving means that many of us are probably getting the Christmas decorations down from the attic, and the children are working hard on their letters to Santa Claus. It also signals the time of year that Christmas music begins playing pretty much non-stop in our house.
One album that I expect to be REALLY high on our playlist this year is Francesca Battistelli Christmas.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Francesca recently about her new album. She’s won six Dove Awards, and has been nominated for a Grammy. She’s obviously a gifted musician, and I also discovered that she’s as down to earth as they come. Her heart shows through her music, as well as in our conversation. You can listen to that conversation in its entirety here:
[audio:https://bibledude.life/wp-content/uploads/francesca-battistelli-interview.mp3|titles=Francesca Battistelli Interview|artists=Dan King]There are a few things that stood out to me when I spoke with her…
Tradition
She doesn’t seem to take lightly the long line of music that’s been written about one of the most import events in the history of the world. The music is among the most recognizable music ever, and to add her voice to that mix was going to be a challenge. Her contribution honoring the birth of a Savior had to worthy of this rich tradition of music.
Hope
In addition to her own album, she’s contributed to a couple A Very Special Christmas projects this year. The projects benefit the Special Olympics and bring a great deal “hope and confidence to the athletes.” It’s important to her to give to a project that brings so much hope to so many. I think her contributions to these projects are a perfect example of how to use our skills and talents to help other people… something we should all be thinking about during the Christmas season (and the rest of the year too).
Family
One my favorite parts of the conversation was when she talked about her family traditions. It’s obvious that she’s grown up in an environment that’s intentional about honoring the birth of Jesus in a special way, and she looks to pass on some of those traditions to her own children.
The music, as you might expect from Francesca, is spectacular. She’s got a groove that I can sit and listen to all day long. And the heartbeat of this music is special. You’ll be blessed by these songs. I promise.
For now, I’ll leave you with this. It’s a wonderful mashup of her song You’re Here with some video footage from The Nativity Story and The Gospel of John. Be blessed, and Merry Christmas!
Dan, so many remarkable recordings this time of year…thanks for sharing about this one. I’ll have to put it on my list.