After more than five million in career sales along with several RIAA certifications (5 Gold, 2 Platinum and 1 Double Platinum) an American Music Award nod, 17 No.1 radio hits and numerous film credits and BMI honors, it comes as no surprise that Multi-Platinum and three time GRAMMY Award winning band Jars of Clay are now giving fans what they have been wanting for years, a Christmas record.

Jars of Clay launched onto the music scene in 1995 with their universal hit “Flood.” In June of this year, the band also blazed new trail with the creation of their own label imprint, “Gray Matters”, under the Nettwerk Music Group umbrella. Excited about the new venture, Jars of Clay lead singer Dan Haseltine comments, "As we pursue the goal of making more music, and being creative in a spectrum of ways, 'Gray Matters' will be able to facilitate any of the ideas we want to bring to life.”

Christmas Songs is the first holiday release from the band in their 12-year career, and will be the first release on their new label. The band brings new light to memorable Christmas songs such as “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” but also beaks new ground with their own original holiday songs such as “In the Bleak Midwinter,” “ Winter Skin” and “Evergreen.”

Fully embracing the Christmas spirit, Jars of Clay members decided to share their favorite Christmas song and childhood Christmas memory with you, as well as their favorite song from their new record Christmas Songs.

Dan Haseltine:

My Favorite Christmas Song:
Most likely because I grew up listening to this record at Christmas, and it has over the years just become tradition, I love the song “Aspen Glow” from John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas.

Favorite Christmas Memory:
I was 4 years old, and had seen a television ad for a game called, "JAWS." It was your basic "try to pull stuff out of the mouth before the spring loaded shark jaws chomp down” kind of game. I wanted it badly. When Christmas time finally arrived, I could not take it any longer. I knew my parents were in their bedroom wrapping presents, so I crept up the stairs, and tip toed to the door, and with the stealth and grace of a ninja, I cracked the door. There, unwrapped, with a bright light shining down, and I could swear that I actually heard angels, was the JAWS game! The sound of wrapping, and taping stopped suddenly. I tried to creep away without being noticed, but there was no wrapping ambience to cover the sound of creaking floors, and with every step, the floors were louder and louder. But alas, no one came to the door. I had managed to escape unnoticed. Mission accomplished...or so I thought. The next morning was Christmas Day. There was a letter to me from Santa. Although my parents had no idea that I had seen the present unwrapped, Santa knew. And he had told my parents that big jolly snitch! In the letter, he told me I could have the JAWS game, but I was never allowed to sneak a peek at my presents again. I never did. And to this day, I have no idea how he found out.

Story about a song on the record:
“Winter Skin” and “Evergreen.” There has not been a Christmas season that I can remember, where I did not, at some point, at a party, or a gathering where everyone was loud and joyful, step out into the crisp, cold and silent winter night. In contrast to the noise of Christmas music, and the sound of people laughing and celebrating, the gift of silence on a snowy night is one of the great gifts God has given to me nearly every Christmas. I wanted to have some songs on this record that reminded me of those silent moments.... something like a walk in the snow, or a lullaby.... these two songs represent a musical expression of the act of escaping the noise and walking into the clear night.

Charlie Lowell:

Favorite Christmas Song:
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

Favorite Christmas Memory:
As a 4 year old, pulling the Christmas tree over on myself. I don't actually remember it, but you should hear my mom tell the story! Shock and horror... followed by my silence, implying a worst-case scenario. She thought I had either inhaled pine needles or stuck a finger in a colored light bulb. I was fine, probably just scared and a little surprised.

Story about a song on the record:
“In The Bleak Mid-Winter” has become a special song over the past few years. A poetic song that describes the lonely state of earth in winter, and God's breaking through that stillness with a baby. And the insight that the only thing we can really bring Him is our heart. We used two verses, and Dan wrote a beautiful 3rd verse that ends with a proclamation that this fragile birth becomes "peace for child and man.”

Steve Mason:

Favorite Christmas Song:
“Wonderful Christmastime” Paul McCartney, “Twelve Days of Christmas” Ray Conniff Singers

Favorite Christmas Memory:
I remember as a boy, our family driving through Kansas City in the family van, looking at the Plaza lights. They seemed brighter and more beautiful than Christmas lights had ever been.

Story about a song on the record:
In making this album, we wanted to capture what was meaningful about the music we listened to growing up at Christmas, and add some of those textures to our palette. We worked hard on how to approach the more commonly known songs to give them a new angle. “O, Little Town of Bethlehem” is a good example of that reconstructive creative process. We had a standard, acoustic version of it, but it wasn't interesting enough. We weren't sure exactly what we were doing when we started, but it came to a beautiful, emotional end for me.

Matt Odmark:

Your favorite Christmas Song:
Anything off of the Muppets and John Denver Christmas Album

Your favorite Christmas Memory:
The first year that my dog "Mojo" saw Christmas trees. He of course did what seemed only obvious to him, much to our dismay and watered the tree.

Story about a song on the record:
I loved doing the two instrumentals on the record. No music feels distinctly like Christmas to me until it taps both the joy and ache of the season. These two tracks feel like the ghosts of Christmas past and present, leaping across time to bring us news of both former joy and fair warning. (read less)

After more than five million in career sales along with several RIAA certifications (5 Gold, 2 Platinum and 1 Double Platinum) an American Music Award nod, 17 No.1 radio hits and numerous film credits and BMI honors, it comes as no surprise that Multi-Platinum and three time GRAMMY Award winning band Jars of Clay are now giving fans what they have been wanting for years, a Christmas record.

Jars of Clay launched onto the music scene in 1995 with their universal hit “Flood.” In June of this... (read more)