From the first moment that my three daughters watched the film The Polar Express, the Grammy-award winning song "Believe," originally sung by Josh Groban, captured their awe and anticipation surrounding the Christmas season. The song is about dreaming big dreams and having a childlike faith in the unseen. 

Peter Hollens is best known for YouTube videos featuring his amazing acapella vocals and creative interpretations of well-known songs, collaborating with his wife Evynne Hollens as well as fellow YouTubers Lindsey Stirling, Hank Green, Tyler Ward, The Piano Guys and others. Start watching his videos like "I See Fire" from The Hobbit, and you'll be hooked and want to immediately subscribe to his YouTube channel as I've done. A special aspect of Peter's videos is that they are a family-friendly experience. My daughters and I have all bonded and enjoyed his beautifully sung songs and fun videos. 

A Hollens Family Christmas is an incredible full-length Christmas album featuring Christmas hymns of the faith "Little Drummer Boy," "What Child is This," "Carol of the Bells," "Mary, Did You Know" and "Amazing Grace." I had the chance to speak with Peter about "Believe."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

Funny enough, the first movie we've ever shown my little boy who is 2 ½ years old is The Polar Express. We watched it this week. Something that hit home to me with this song "Believe" in particular is during the part in the film where this song plays, my wife and I were watching our son while he was watching the movie, and she was full-on crying and I was very teary-eyed during that part. There is something special about the innocence that children have, and it is so easily captured at Christmas time and in the songs about Christmas. 

Specifically for me, this is one of those songs that I always wanted to sing. Musically, I love to sing any song Josh Groban has sung, as they fit my voice so nicely. This song has spoken to me and pulled on my heart strings. I couldn't have released a Christmas album without including this song. We made a music video for the song with the children's choir in Utah, and it was such a special experience to be surrounded by so many young children singing this song, when I first saw this film at their age.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

John 20:29 (NKJV): Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 

John 16:33 (NIV): "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Matthew 17:20 (NKJV): So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Matthew 19:26 (NIV): Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT): "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV): "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

1 John 3:18 (VOICE): "My little children, don't just talk about love as an idea or a theory. Make it your true way of life, and live in the pattern of gracious love."

What is the takeaway message?

The songs that I chose for this album are songs that really move me. They represent what Christmas has meant to me, and music has been an integral part of the Christmas season for me and my family while I was growing up. As we do grow up and we find out things we were taught about growing up aren't as magical as we thought, one of the most powerful things I've witnessed that has changed me drastically these past 3 years as a father is witnessing my son's understanding and re-seeing the world through his eyes. There's no greater evidence of the unseen being possible than to experience the world through the eyes of your children. That's something about this song to takeaway. 

My greatest desire and what I always try to do is to create and promote positive, family-friendly content, as there just isn't enough of that in the world today. We can all agree that no matter where you lie on the political spectrum or your religious beliefs, there's far too little family-friendly entertainment. This album and my thesis statement in my original "December Song" is that we as humans in western civilization, whether you are Jewish or Christian or trying to figure it out, we treat each other with more love and compassion and give one another more time, which is most important, during this short month that we are in right now from Thanksgiving to New Year's. I want to capture that and put on a pedestal the idea that we should treat each other this way year-round. If we did that, it would create the most love and compassion for one another, these ideals that this Christmas music is all about.

Lyrics:
Children sleeping, snow is softly falling
Dreams are calling like bells in the distance
We were dreamers not so long ago
But one by one we all had to grow up
When it seems the magic's slipped away
We find it all again on Christmas day

Believe in what your heart is saying
Hear the melody that's playing
There's no time to waste
There's so much to celebrate
Believe in what you feel inside 
And give your dreams the wings to fly
You have everything you need
If you just believe

Trains move quickly to their journey's end
Destinations are where we begin again
Ships go sailing far across the sea
Trusting starlight to get where they need to be
When it seems that we have lost our way
We find ourselves again on Christmas day

Believe in what your heart is saying
Hear the melody that's playing
There's no time to waste
There's so much to celebrate
Believe in what you feel inside 
And give your dreams the wings to fly
You have everything you need
If you just believe 
Just believe 

My favorite aspect of Christmas music is hearing how someone else's words, their thoughts and prayers, translate into a sing-able melody that draws me closer to God. That ties in with my testimony of being led to Christ and how God wrote His story on my heart to share the biblical messages behind the songs, to draw people closer to His heart.

As you sing along with this great song, ask yourself if you're losing sight of God's purpose for you. Jesus commands believers to love others as He loved us, and to show His love by helping people who can't help themselves. There is so much injustice in the world on so many levels. That's His heart, to care for the oppressed, the victimized and the "least of these." As Peter shared, let's treat each other with the same level of love, care and compassion and give our time generously all year-round, not just at Christmas-time.

This song is about having a childlike faith and trusting in God. Often when we grow up, we get hard-hearted. Sometimes we enter adulthood and we don't think we need God. As sung in the first verse, "We were dreamers not so long ago, but one by one we all had to grow up." The second verse captures the beauty of the Christmas season and how we get our priorities straight again, "When it seems that we have lost our way, we find ourselves again on Christmas day."

This inspirational song challenges listeners to "believe in what your heart is saying, hear the melody that's playing," and reminds us that "there's no time to waste, there's so much to celebrate." When you are tempted to give up and withdraw from people, the message of this song encourages us to "believe in what you feel inside, and give your dreams the wings to fly." No matter your circumstances or your doubts, keep dreaming big dreams, have faith and sing along with Peter: "You have everything you need, if you just believe, just believe." Amen to that!

Watch the official music video below.