By Andrew Greer

We no longer address our wish lists to the North Pole, and sugarplums are not the only fruity things running amok in our brains, but once Thanksgiving’s turkey settles, our affinity for Christmas still enchants us for the year’s final lap.

As Santa’s specially appointed helper here at CCM’s Nashville headquarters, I have compiled the Who’s Who of Christmas tours in an effort to discriminately fill your holiday calendar with music. So whether it’s symphonies and choirs or a beating bass and screaming horns that appeal to your musical palette, Christmas 2008 is bound to satisfy every whim and whimper of your child-like heart.

 In no particular order . . .

Christmas with Amy & Vince Tour  - Amy Grant & Vince Gill

Launching December 4 in Manchester, N.H., the Queen of Christmas will drive her sleigh up and down the East Coast before arriving safely home for a two-night, tender Tennessee Christmas home performance at downtown Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium on December 22 and 23.

With her Country Music Hall of Famer hubby Vince Gill in tow, the tour will feature a 12-piece band in an intimate “living room feel,” a departure from the couple’s previous symphonic ventures. Highlighting songs from their best-selling holiday albums (three each!) and material from Grant’s new release, The Christmas Collection (Sparrow, the night is sure to satisfy.

“Christmas audiences are special,” Grant explains. “They tend to involve the whole family, and their emotions are a wonderful mix of anticipation and reverence.” Besides, “the job of spreading Christmas cheer has simply gotten too big for Santa and Rudolph to do alone,” Gill says. “So Amy and I are pitching in.”

Visit amygrant.com or vincegill.com for dates and info.

Casting Crowns Christmas Celebration – Casting Crowns, Natalie Grant, Denver & The Mile High Orchestra, Avalon, Michael English and pureNRG

Gospel music’s reigning “Group of the Year” will be bringing a stage full of gospel music goodies to cities across America for their first Christmas outing. With three-time “Female Vocalist of the Year” Natalie Grant, “The Next Great American Band” finalist Denver & The Mile High Orchestra, vocal supergroup Avalon, Michael English, pureNRG and a full orchestra and choir, Mark Hall (Casting Crowns’ front man) hopes to help audiences “rediscover the worship that Christmas songs have in them.”