The Best Christmas Ever is the latest collection of Christmas songs from NewSong. The project features favorites from their previous releases, including a stirring live performance of "The Christmas Shoes" (15th anniversary edition), and several soon-to-be classic new songs, including "The Best Christmas Ever," a duet with Jodi from Love & the Outcome. Other new songs include "My Heart's with You," featuring Bethany Cruz, and "The King is Born," highlighted by NewSong's Matt Butler on cello.  

My daughters and I have enjoyed the upbeat and reverent recordings on this album, especially "The Best Christmas Ever," "White as Snow," "The Christmas Hope," "O Holy Night" and "Sing Noel." I had the chance to speak with Russ Lee about "The Best Christmas Ever."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

We were actually touring last year on Winter Jam with Matthew West, and we were talking about the idea of "the best Christmas ever" and all of the things that we celebrate. We were discussing the funny things, as Matthew has a great sense of humor. We talked about snowball fights, starting your diet after Christmas because of all the great food and all the things that make Christmas a special time of year--the traditions that we love, and at the same time the things that make us human. When the song gets to the bridge, we sing "all our friends and family singing joy to the world, love has come, let's light a candle, say a prayer, for peace on earth everywhere." That bridge to me really reflects Isaiah 60, verse 1, which says "arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen among men."

We are out on our Christmas tour with Matthew West and Jodi King from Love & the Outcome, and when we wrote the song originally, it wasn't going to be a duet. When we started to record the song, we realized that it was like a Hallmark Christmas story and screams relationship throughout the song as we're going all out and celebrating Christ's birthday. The things referenced in the song are ways for us to remember that. As we started recording the song, we invited Jodi to join in and sing along as a duet. She was the right voice and person. We have a relationship with her from their time on Winter Jam, and she's a lot of fun and had the right enthusiasm to join in with us, as she's a joyful person and this is a joyful song.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Isaiah 60:1 (NASB): "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you."

Luke 2:13-14 (VOICE): "At that moment, the first heavenly messenger was joined by thousands of other messengers--a vast heavenly choir. They praised God. To the highest heights of the universe, glory to God! And on earth, peace among all people who bring pleasure to God!"

Matthew 4:16 (NKJV): "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned."

John 8:12 (NKJV): "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'"

Matthew 5:14 (NKJV): "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."

What is the takeaway message?

The reason we can celebrate and have hope and sing and say "joy to the world, love has come," and the reason we can "say a prayer for peace on earth everywhere," is because of our faith in Jesus and the promise that was fulfilled at Christmas when He came to earth. That moment of Isaiah's prophecy of the coming of Christ and God sending His Son is what we celebrate. In Isaiah's heart, that was a reality 700 years before it happened, because of God's promise. All of the joy and celebration we have to make it the best Christmas ever is the result of God's fulfillment of that promise. 

If I was going to write a Christmas card about this album, and it said on the outside "The Best Christmas Ever," on the inside I would write, "May we never forget God's great gift." May we never forget the gift of Jesus.

Lyrics:
We finished second in the snowball fight
Hot chocolate makes it all alright
I can finally feel my fingers
It's gonna be the best Christmas ever

We're gonna need a few more lights than we've got
Cause we just bought the biggest tree in the lot
Yeah we're going all out 
It's gonna be the best Christmas ever

When the snow starts fallin'
Friends come callin'
You can feel the love in the air
We're singing carols by the fire
Presents piling higher
It's our favorite time of the year
Come one let's make this December 
One to remember
A feeling we can hold on to
It's gonna be the best Christmas ever 
With you

The smell of sugar cookies fill the house
Snuck in the kitchen, but they kicked me out
I can start my diet next year
It's gonna be the best Christmas ever
The kids are wide-awake when they should be in bed
They're hoping to catch a peek of the man in red
If they could only see him
That would be the best Christmas ever

When the snow starts fallin'
Friends come callin'
You can feel the love in the air
We're singing carols by the fire
Presents piling higher
It's our favorite time of the year
Come one let's make this December 
One to remember
A feeling we can hold on to
It's gonna be the best Christmas ever 
With you
With you and me

And all our friends and family
Singing joy to the world
Love has come
Let's light a candle
Say a prayer
For peace on earth everywhere
Come on, let's get together
For the best Christmas ever

The phrase "Let's light a candle, say a prayer for peace on earth everywhere," is something all believers can sing to God. That's one of those beautiful truths that we can all cling to and get through anything we might be dealing with on this side of eternity, knowing that we have a blessed hope waiting for us in Heaven. 

What's most amazing about our Savior Jesus is that of all the ways He could have chosen to save us, He chose to come down and be the least among us, a suffering servant. The main message of the song is to hold on to Christ, knowing something better is coming. The grace that God offers in the crux of the song, ultimately the bridge: "and all our friends and family, singing joy to the world, love has come." As our hearts rise up and sing "love has come," that is what really moves me and guides me in my Christian walk to live every day for Heaven. Celebrating the "best Christmas ever" is a mindset to have all year long.

This song is a great way to thank Jesus for our undeserved gift of grace. Grace is freely given, and it isn't something we can earn by our good works. It is a gift from God by faith in Christ Jesus. The gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ started at Christmas and continues until we see Him face to face. To celebrate the gift of grace this Christmas and all year, remember and sing along "come on, let's get together for the best Christmas ever." Amen to that!

Watch the lyric video below.