| The Christmas Sessions | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 27, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | December 2004–Summer 2005 | |||
| Studio | Maximedia (Dallas, Texas); Oxford Sound (Nashville, Tennessee); Abbey Road Studios (London, England, UK). | |||
| Genre | Christmas, rock, pop rock, adult contemporary | |||
| Length | 44:48 | |||
| Label | INO/Epic | |||
| Producer | ||||
| MercyMe chronology | ||||
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The Christmas Sessions is the first Christmas album by American Christian rock band MercyMe. The album, produced by Brown Bannister, was released on September 27, 2005. The band, who greatly enjoy Christmas, had previously recorded Christmas songs and enjoyed the process so much that they wanted to produce a full-length album. After releasing a studio album in early 2004, they decided to take time off; they realized they could record a Christmas album over that period and began work in December 2004. The band, aiming to produce a rock-oriented album, recruited Bannister, a noted rock producer, to produce it. In addition to one original song, "Joseph's Lullaby", the album consists of covers of both modern and traditional Christmas songs that the band members had listened to when growing up.
Upon its release, The Christmas Sessions received positive reviews from critics. Praise was offered for the album's production qualities, as well as the change in direction for MercyMe and the band's take on the traditional songs. Minor criticism was directed at lead vocalist Bart Millard's vocals, as well as at individual songs. The album reached a peak of number three on the Billboard Christian Albums chart, number ten on the Holiday Albums chart, and number sixty-four on the Billboard 200; it has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Multiple songs from the album appeared on record charts, including "Joseph's Lullaby", which peaked at number one on the Christian Songs chart; "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Little Drummer Boy" also appeared in the top ten on the chart, peaking at numbers nine and ten, respectively, and "Silent Night" reached a peak of number six on the Adult Contemporary chart.