the barefoot movement

The Baby of Bethlehem is the topic of this very personal episode of the Merry Little Podcast. We sing of Him in song and celebrate the Nativity as a part of every Christmas - but why? Based on this sincere question from a listener we discuss the tender mercies of Christmas and the effect it has on the living and the dead. How does one without faith makes sense of it all? Our listener celebrates the season year round, enjoys great traditions of family and joy, and yet cannot connect the merriment to the manger. He wants to understand without the preachy demands of church. So we explore why The Baby is Christmas in simple, fundamental terms of truth. We find that in these hard times The Baby is more relevant and important than ever. What fascinates the most is that they knew He was coming. His birth was anticipated like no other and that theme of anticipation has carried over to our modern celebrations of Christmas thousands of years later. But how can we celebrate Him in the shadow of Santa, Christmas trees, snowmen and stockings? We find that it is okay, that each of the elements of Christmas we cherish, even those of a secular nature, can add to the light of Christmas. This episode features more new music from The Barefoot Movement with a great song titled I Just Wish It Would Snow. Please visit their YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBuoyYzXlguK3jkYjdiA7cQ for more great music. Also featured is another great Christmas song from Angie Killian and Shawna Edwards. Their work - performed by children - teaches the beauty of the story of The Baby and we're grateful for it. This episode also features recent work by Santa's Sleigh, a merry little outreach effort of the Merry Forums of MyMerryChristmas.com to give back each Christmas. This true story illustrates how the simple principle of anonymous giving elevates the many who focus on the one or the few.

We are pleased to present our annual and traditional episode of new Christmas music. This is far and away our most popular episode every year and it has nothing to do with the host. These featured artists graciously offer up their music for review and allow us to include them in this special episode. Evidently you love it too. Last year’s episode has not only been listened to more than a quarter of a million times it is still going strong, drawing downloads in the thousands weekly. This episode is even better that one. With us approaching our 2nd pandemic Christmas these great Christmas creators are all conveying through their music exactly what it is that we feel, what we value in Christmas and how we want this Christmas to be. It is, at the end of the day, all about love. We did not plan for this theme (or any theme at all) for this episode it has just spontaneously happened. Please listen and enjoy, especially for those artists who took the time to talk with us to share some of the backstories of these great songs. We encourage you to visit these links below, to buy their songs and albums and to let them know through your own reviews how you feel about their music: How Christmas Was Meant to Be – Track Dogs featuring The Barefoot Movement Track Dogs Website: https://www.trackdogsmusic.com/ The Barefoot Movement Website: http://www.thebarefootmovementofficial.com/ Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/trackdogs/how-christmas-was-meant-to-be-the-barefoot-movement-track-dogs Bandcamp: https://trackdogs.bandcamp.com/track/how-christmas-was-meant-to-be Wonderful One – Monica Scott and Angie Killian Angie’s Website: http://angiekillian.com Monica’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/youtube.com/c/MonicaScottMusic Angie’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/youtube.com/angiekillianmusic Love is Christmas – Jesse Terry Website: https://www.jesseterrymusic.com That Old Red Sleigh – Rehya Stevens Website: https://rehyastevens.com Lonely Christmas – Wallis Wallis’ Website: https://iamwallis.com More Links: https://linktr.ee/I_am_Wallis Quarantine Christmas – Mike Mentz Website: https://mikementz.com Featured at: https://songwhip.com/various-artists/a-rock-by-the-sea-christmas-vol-12 Christmas Time – The Farleys Website: http://www.thefarleyssing.com/ Featured at: https://songwhip.com/various-artists/a-rock-by-the-sea-christmas-vol-12 The After Christmas Song – Bob Malone Website: https://www.bobmalone.com Featured at: https://songwhip.com/various-artists/a-rock-by-the-sea-christmas-vol-12 Official Bob Malone Store: https://bob-malone.myshopify.com/collections/releases/products/the-christmas-collection iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-christmas-collection/1441853252 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5Q47lvDWlJBEcvInkj68kn?si=Osp9qC4DTfugVblvvcpAqQ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Collection-Bob-Malone/dp/B07JZRC96X