A Very Special Acoustic Christmas (various artists)
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This came out in 2003. It's the sixth album in a series that benefits the Special Olympics. It's the first album in the series not to be released by A&M Records (Interscope); instead, it was released by Lost Highway Records. Also unlike other albums in the series, this one is mostly country and bluegrass artists. Not my favorite genre, but it's not bad. I bought and listened to the CD in 2025.

1. "Silent Night", by Reba McEntire: Well, I've always kind of liked Reba, and I think this is a good rendition of a familiar song.

2. "Frosty the Snowman", by Dan Tyminksi: Never heard of this guy, but he does the song well enough. Bluegrass suits Frosty, I think.

3. "Please Come Home for Christmas", by Willie Nelson: I've never particularly been a fan of Willie's, but I've also never had anything against his work. And I think this is a pleasant rendition of the song.

4. "Just Put a Ribbon in Your Hair", by Alan Jackson: He's got a number of songs I like, so I'm not unfamiliar with him. I am unfamiliar with this song, though. I have no idea if it's an original, or not. It's not bad, but I can't manage to really care about it.

5. "Only You Can Bring Me Cheer (Gentleman's Lady)", by Alison Krauss: I don't know a lot of her work, but I've always been a fan of her voice. But this is another song I've never heard of, which could be new or not. I'm not sure how country this actually is, which is odd because I've always thought of Krauss as a country singer. It's nice, but I'm not likely to remember it.

6. "Even Santa Claus Gets the Blues", by Marty Stuart: I'm not familiar with his work. He sings this song from the perspective of Santa Claus, which is interesting. I don't know the song, but it sounds like a mix of country and the blues. I definitely like it.

7. "Jingle Bells", by Earl Scruggs: I'm not familiar with his work, but this sounds good. I'm a bit disappointed that it's purely instrumental, but I still like it.

8. "Christmas Is Near", by Ralph Stanley: Never heard of him, nor this song. It's got a very old-fashioned bluegrass sound, which is nice.

9. "O Come All Ye Faithful", by Patty Loveless: I know her name, but I'm not very familiar with her work. It's nice to get back to a familiar song, after some I've never heard before, and she sings it well.

10. "O Holy Night", by Wynona Judd: I'm somewhat familiar with The Judds, I guess. Anyway, this has always been one of my favorite Christmas songs, at least as far as religious ones go. And this is a pretty good rendition.

11. "Winter Wonderland", by Pat Green: Never heard of him. Of course the song is familiar, so it's hard to go wrong. This isn't among my favorite renditions, but it's not bad.

12. "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow", by Sam Bush: Never heard of him. It's another instrumental song, which again, is a bit disappointing. But it's interesting to hear the song played on a mandolin. I also wouldn't expect to hear that instrument playing bluegrass, let alone a Christmas song, so this sounds fairly unique.

13. "Away in a Manger", by Ricky Skaggs: I'm not familiar with his work, but I think country works for this song. It's never been one of my favorite Christmas songs, and that's not about to change, but it's decent.

14. "Christmas Time at Home", by Rhonda Vincent: I've never heard of her, nor this song. But it's nice enough.

15. "I'll Be Home for Christmas", by Tift Merritt: Never heard of her, but at least the song is familiar. Mostly. There are some unfamiliar verses mixed in. It doesn't sound entirely country, but it's a nice rendition.

16. "Peace", by Norah Jones: I've always liked her work, what little of it I know. But this is an unfamiliar song. Unlike most of the album, it's definitely not country, but I think it's nice to end the album with a bit of light jazz. It doesn't sound out of place, and it's a very pleasant song.

So... I guess there wasn't a single track I disliked. There aren't any that I loved, but they're all good. And I guess it's kind of a nice change of pace to have an album in the series that is mostly consistent in its genre. This is definitely a keeper.