Grown-Up Christmas List

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"Grown-Up Christmas List"
Single by Amy Grant
from the album Home for Christmas
Released1992 (U.S.)
Recorded1992
GenrePop, Christmas
Length
  • 3:44 (edit)
  • 5:00 (album)
LabelA&M, Word
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Brown Bannister
Amy Grant singles chronology
"Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)"
(1992)
"Grown-Up Christmas List"
(1992)
"Let the Season Take Wing"
(1992)
Music video
"Grown-Up Christmas List" on YouTube

"Grown-Up Christmas List" (sometimes titled "My Grown-Up Christmas List") is a Christmas song written by David Foster (music) and Linda Thompson-Jenner (lyrics). Originally written by Foster for the 1989 CBC Christmas program A David Foster Christmas Card, the song was recorded as a duet with David Foster and Natalie Cole. In 1990, a Cole-only version of the song appeared on David Foster's River of Love album. The song was planned to be released as a single, but only a very small number of copies were sold in a limited region. In 1992, Amy Grant recorded the first cover version of the song for her second Christmas album Home for Christmas. This was the beginning of a series of cover versions by many artists, and it has become a standard Christmas song in the 21st century. It is one of Foster's most widely sung songs.

Amy Grant version[edit]

Lyric Addition[edit]

Amy Grant wrote an additional verse she sings as the song's second:

As children we believe
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely wrapped beneath the tree
But Heaven only knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal a hurting human soul

In a 2023 SiriusXM radio special for the The Message channel, Grant stated she asked Foster for approval to add the lyric, and Foster was not only impressed, he offered to add Grant to the songwriting credits for the song, which she declined.

Since then, some artists have chosen to perform the song with Grant's additional lyric and some have not.

Personnel[edit]

  • Amy Grant – lead vocals
  • Robbie Buchanan – keyboards
  • Tom Hemby – guitar
  • Ronn Huff – conductor
  • Alan Moore – orchestration
  • The London Studio Orchestra – strings
  • Nat Peck – contractor

Single CD track listing[edit]

  1. "Grown Up Christmas List" (edit) - 3:44
  2. "Grown Up Christmas List" (LP version) - 5:00

Music video[edit]

A&M Records released a music video for Grant's recording of the song, featuring an appearance by Grant's son, Matthew Chapman. The song's edited version was used in the video.

Chart[edit]

The original version of Grant's single did not enter any of the Billboard charts until 2011. Since then, it has spent 30 weeks on the Christian Digital Songs chart, peaking at No. 11 in December 2017.[1] Kelly Clarkson's version entered the Adult Contemporary chart in 2003 where it spent five weeks.[2]

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart performance for Kelly Clarkson's version
Chart (2003) Peak
position
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[3] 17
Chart performance for Amy Grant's version
Chart (2011-2020) Peak
position
Christian Digital Song Sales 11
Chart performance for Luis Miguel's version
Chart (2006) Peak
position
US Latin Pop Airplay (Billboard)[4] 31

Other recordings[edit]

Year Artist Album
1994 David T. Clydesdale and Bobbi Page The Sound Of Christmas
Randy Brooks A Soap Opera Christmas
1995 Bryan Duncan Christmas Is Jesus
1996 Bill Medley Christmas Memories
Chuck Negron Joy To The World
Donna Cruz Merry Christmas Donna
1997 Donny Osmond Christmas At Home
B.J. Thomas Christmas Is Coming Home
Sam Levine Christmas Sax
Swing Sisters Swingin' X-Mas
1999 Natalie Cole with The London Symphony Orchestra The Magic Of Christmas
2000 Monica Platinum Christmas
David Pomeranz The Eyes Of Christmas
Helena Vondráčková Veselé Vánoce A Šťastný Nový Rok
Marianne Antonsen Soulful Christmas Songs
2001 Barbra Streisand Christmas Memories
2003 Michael Bublé Let It Snow!
Kelly Clarkson American Idol: Great Holiday Classics
2004 Paulini Amazing Grace (Songs For Christmas)
Lea Salonga The Christmas Album
2005 Rene Froger Pure Christmas
Jane Monheit The Season
2006 The Manhattan Transfer An Acapella Christmas
Christian Ingebrigtsen Paint Christmas White
David Friesen and Jeannie Hoffman Christmas At Woodstock
Stan Whitmire Christmas Around The Piano
Thierry Condor and Miriam Dee A Christmas Eve in L.A.
Luis Miguel Navidades
2007 Boney James Christmas Present
Silvie Paladino Christmas List
2008 Aretha Franklin This Christmas Aretha
Rissi Palmer single only
Darja Švajger Moji Obrazi
Lani Misalucha The Gift Of Christmas
Sanna, Shirley, Sonja Our Christmas
2009 Magnus Carlsson Christmas
Rodney Carrington Make It Christmas
Anthony Evans What Christmas Means
Eric Alexander Revival Of The Fittest
Mark Vincent My Dream, Mio Visione
2010 Joe Home Is The Essence Of Christmas
Charice Grown-Up Christmas List
The Isaacs Christmas
Trijntje Oosterhuis This Is The Season
Crystal Lewis Home For The Holidays
Evelyn Escalera A Traditional Freestyle Christmas, Vol. 1
2011 Kathy Troccoli Christmas Songs
Los Angeles, The Voices A Christmas Spectacular
Jeffrey Biegel A Steinway Christmas Album
Richard Poon Christmas With Richard Poon
2012 Ali Lohan Christmas With Ali Lohan
Halie Loren and Matt Treder Many Times, Many Ways
2013
Anthem Lights Simple Little Christmas
Lauren Alaina single only
Paul Carrack With The SWR Big Band Swinging Christmas - Live
Glennis Grace One Christmas Night Only
Nohelani Cypriano Blue Hawaiian Christmas
2014 Dave Koz & Friends The 25th Of December
Sandi Patty Christmas Blessings
2016 Jordan Smith 'Tis The Season
2017 Patti LaBelle Home For The Holidays
Fabrizio Bosso Quartet Merry Christmas Baby
The Veronicas The Spirit Of Christmas 2017
Lucie Bílá Bílé Vánoce Lucie Bílé II.
2018 Pentatonix Christmas Is Here!
Bonnie Anderson The Spirit Of Christmas 2018
Jess Moskaluke A Small Town Christmas
Taeyeon The Magic of Christmas Time (DVD)
Nils Jiptner Christmas Everyday
2019 John Barrowman A Fabulous Christmas
2020 Delta Goodrem Only Santa Knows
Mark Seibert The Christmas Album
Simone Kopmajer Christmas
2021 Cain Wonderful
2022 David Foster and Katharine McPhee Christmas Songs

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Amy Grant Grown Up Christmas List". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  2. ^ "Kelly Clarkson - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  3. ^ "Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  4. ^ "Luis Miguel Chart History (Latin Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 April 2017.