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Dan + Shay Christmas: A Favorite Gift, And A Favorite Song

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

Dan + Shay has released a number of Christmas songs over the years. In 2014, they released their version of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” The duo later released Christmas songs in 2020 (“Take Me Home for Christmas” and “Christmas Isn’t Christmas”), 2021 (“Officially Christmas”) and 2022 (“Pick Out a Christmas Tree” and “Holiday Party”).

Shay Mooney recalled for us one of the most memorable Christmas gifts that he has ever received. He said, “The one thing I remember wanting as a kid for Christmas was a Nintendo 64. That was the ultimate gaming experience, and I remember on Christmas morning, all the gifts had been opened, and it was the only thing I asked for and I was so bummed because I didn’t see it.”

He continues, “Then my mom was like, ‘Oh, wait, I got one more.’ She was like, ‘You can go grab it; it’s just a little something.’ So, I walked into the bedroom and there it was in all its glory: the Nintendo 64. It was the best moment of my life up to that point.”

RELATED: Dan + Shay Celebrate Meeting 11 Years Ago

Dan Smyers told us recently what his favorite Christmas song is. He revealed, “My favorite Christmas song, I might scare a couple of people away because it’s not a traditional Christmas song, but it’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey. That song is awesome; every time you put it on at a party and all your friends are drinking eggnog, every guy does their best to get up and hit those high falsetto notes, and that song is just the jam.”

He added, “Every time, even if you play it in July, if you play it in September, that’s the best Christmas song I can remember, and it gets people fired up and in the spirit every single time you hear it.”

The duo recently announced their 2024 “The Heartbreak On The Map Tour.” The tour is set to kick off on February 29, 2024, in Greenville, SC, making stops in Austin, Grand Rapids, Chicago, and more before wrapping up in Boston at TD Garden on April 14, 2024.

Supporting Dan + Shay on this tour will be singer-songwriters Ben Rector and Hailey Whitters.

The 19-city tour aptly receives its title from “Heartbreak On The Map,” the third song released from their fifth studio album, Bigger Houses.

Top Five Country Christmas Songs Of All Time

  • 5. Carrie Underwood - "Little Drummer Boy"

    With a cameo by her young son Isaiah singing adorably on this classic remake, it is no wonder this has quickly become a holiday favorite and makes his famous mom proud.

    Underwood is playing shows and has added Christmas song to her Las Vegas residency which she wraps up next week (12/16).

    Carrie told us recently about decorating early for Christmas this year (2023), “There’s nothing sadder than a Christmas tree up with no presents underneath it, so I don’t really think that you want to get your Christmas tree up too early, but this year, I was a little earlier than normal because we had Thanksgiving and then head out to Vegas for my Reflection shows, and I had to get everything up before I left.”

  • 4. Gwen Stefani (Featuring Blake Shelton) - "You Make It Feel Like Christmas"

    A wonderful song that puts you right into the holiday spirit. Gwen and Blake do this song beautifully together and seem to have fun with every word they sing.

    On the footnote version of the title song’s music video, Stefani said, “The idea of getting to be a part of people’s holidays through music is one of the greatest gifts. Christmas music lives forever.”

    She also noted in the video footnotes that the video idea was inspired by the 1960s TV show Bewitched, a show both of them loved as kids. Gwen and Blake co-wrote the song “You Make It Feel Like Christmas.”

  • 3. Brad Paisley - "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy"

    This is an excellent take on the 1960s original Christmas song by country music icon Buck Owens. Brad does this to perfection honoring his late friend. Garth Brooks also covered this song on his first Christmas album, Beyond The Season.

  • 2. Dolly Parton - "Hard Candy Christmas"

    Not initially known as or written as a Christmas song, this song comes from the soundtrack of Dolly Parton’s 1982 movie Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. The song has become a classic and has been covered by many after Dolly, including her friend Reba.

  • 1. Brenda Lee - "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"

    Possibly one of the best holiday songs in any genre; not a year goes by that we don’t spin this record on repeat. In 2023, sixty-five years after its first release to radio, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time ever.

    By hitting the No.1 spot, Brenda Lee breaks several records. Many of those records were held by Mariah Carey and “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which Lee beat out for the top spot.

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.

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Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group
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