Some artists have made a career from Christmas albums.  Annie Moses Band, for instance, has released more Christmas albums than any of their non-festive efforts.  Veteran artists like Johnny Mathis, Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith have also been regularly churning out Yuletide offerings with Mathis leading the pack with his 6-Christmas album deep career.  Point of Grace trails in the same direction too.  Taking "A Point of Grace Christmas" into account, this is already their fifth festive drop (including compilations). And throughout the years, they have had quite a fortuitous ride.  Their debut Christmas album "A Christmas Story" sold in excess of half a million copies and it came in at the pinnacle of Billboard's Christian album chart.  2010's "Home for the Holidays" even allow the ladies a chance to bring home a GMA Dove Award for Christmas Album of the Year.  It doesn't take a genius to figure out why Point of Grace is a runaway success when it comes to singing about Christ's birth.  Their tight siblings-like harmonies have a way of stirring our inert desire for family, warmth, God and belonging; exigencies so intricately tied to the message surrounding the season.  Thus, it doesn't take much of an effort for the ladies to be able to hit subliminal moments in our souls when they sing about Jesus Christ and all the sentiments that come with the occasion.

Joining an elite number of artists such as Clint Black, Mandy Barnett and Brad Paisley, "A Point of Grace Christmas" is only exclusively available at Cracker Barrel restaurants.  However, fans need not get too excited about "A Point of Grace Christmas" as it disappointedly does not contain any newly recorded or previously unreleased songs. The album is neatly divided into two halves.  The first half represented by the first six cuts is lifted right from their 2005 "Winter Wonderland."  With producer Brown Bannister (Amy Grant, Dave Barnes & Debby Boone) at the helm, the first half has a fuller orchestrated sound.  Starting off with the Macy-friendly "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," the lush and sweeping arrangements have a way of effervescing the holiday ambiance right out of the speakers as the ladies unmistakably reminds of the advent of holiday cheer.  Then the ringing of Christmas bells and a Bing Crosby-like of a jazzy backing bring us into a greater appreciation of the season with "Winter Wonderland."  But it's not just frolicking secular fun and nostalgia, the Celtic-flavored "For Unto Us" and their breathy take of Amy Grant's "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" bring us to some solemn worshipful reflection of Christ's birth.  

To ease us into the transition into the second half of the record is another Amy Grant cover.  Those with good memories will recall that Point of Grace first recorded "Tennessee Christmas" in 2008 for their "Tennessee Christmas: A Holiday Collection."  It is a fitting transitional piece as the rest of the album contains 5 more songs, all of which are taken from Point of Grace's more country leaning "Home for the Holidays" (2010).  This time with Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift, Shania Twain & the Band Perry) and his wife Stephanie in the producers' seats, fiddles, banjo and acoustic guitars come to the fore.  The down home fiddle sounds, the delightful warmth of the steel guitar, and those heavenly "woos" of the ladies' air-tight harmonies, certainly transport us back to the sweet rustic simpler life of "Candy Cane Lane."  While fans of Keith Urban would get a sonic candy treat with their contemporary countrified version of "Joy to the World."

Nevertheless, one is disappointed somehow by the choice of songs included here.  There seems to be a preference for the more traditional offerings over some of their stunning originals that were also found on "Home for the Holidays."  Why were songs such as "Not So Silent Night," "Labor of Love" and "The Giver and the Gift" excluded?  Message wise, these are songs that could make a bigger impact spiritually than songs about silver bells, snow and candy cane.  Despite such a quibble, if you are not familiar with Point of Grace's previous Christmas albums, this gets you the best of both worlds:  their more polished sound as well as their more country resurging makeover.  And this is not to forget their harmonies; they are so gorgeous that they are worth the price of another visit to Cracker Barrel.