As a multi-generational country music icon, Happy’s Place star Reba McEntire has no shortage of must-hear hits, and many will agree that her holiday catalog is perfect for cozying up for the festive season.
As the weather becomes chillier and loved ones gather for the holidays, the music of the season is officially in full force, leading us to revisit McEntire’s iconic holiday hits. The Voice Coach boasts a vast collection of holiday recordings, which includes her 1987 rendition of “The Christmas Guest,” a spoken-word recording in which McEntire reads the poem soothingly, accompanied by the hypnotic strumming of an acoustic guitar.
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McEntire’s version of “The Christmas Guest” is a must-hear for fans of country holiday carols and gospel classics, boasting a rich history and a heartwarming morale at the core of the tale.
Reba McEntire recites a heartwarming story in “The Christmas Guest”
The recording tells the story of a cobbler named Conrad who dreams that he’ll be visited by God on Christmas Day. In anticipation of his guest of honor, Conrad prepares his home for the esteemed visit. But instead, Conrad receives three pop-ins from weary travelers in need of his help: a starving and freezing man, a fatigued elderly woman in dire need of a hot cup of tea, and a scared, lost child.
Conrad helps them all, meanwhile anxiously fretting over the Lord’s late arrival. Just as Conrad begins to lose hope in the Lord’s arrival, he gets a surprising visit from God, who tells him: “Three times I knocked, three times I came in / And each time I found the warmth of a friend / Of all the gifts love is the best / I was honored to be your Christmas guest.”
McEntire’s “The Christmas Guest” is a twist on “The Story of the Christmas Guest,” a poem by Helen Steiner Rice. But the story is a timeless, frequently-adapted tale that stems from much older texts, inspired by the Bible verse in Matthew Chapter 25: “For I hungered, and ye gave me to eat; I thirsted, and ye gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in.”
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Rice’s publication of “The Story of the Christmas Guest” enchanted audiences, inspiring some country and musicians of the time to adapt the poem into spoken-word recordings, a hallmark of the ’60s and ’70s country music scene. Country icon Grandpa Jones was the first to record the poem for a studio album, releasing the project as a shortened “The Christmas Guest.”
Other famous renditions of the gospel track include Johnny Cash’s 1980 version for his Classic Christmas album and McEntire’s 1987 rendition. The song also served as the titular inspiration behind Andy Griffith’s 2003 holiday album, The Christmas Guest: Stories and Songs of Christmas.
You can listen to McEntire’s rendition of “The Christmas Guest” here.
Reba McEntire says Christmas is the “season of giving”
McEntire loves gifting fans with Christmas music once the holiday season rolls around. McEntire’s 1987 recording of “The Christmas Guest” is a certified must-hear, and fortunately for fans, she is in high supply of cheer-inducing holiday anthems. “The Christmas Guest” was among the lineup of McEntire’s first-ever holiday release, Merry Christmas To You, which also featured cherished songs like “O Holy Night” and “White Christmas.”
McEntire’s 1999 studio album, The Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection, graced fans with McEntire’s spin on Christmas hits like “I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus” and “Mary, Did You Know?” as well as several original songs. Knowing she’d become a powerhouse of holiday music, McEntire made it easy to get in on all of the seasonal festivities with her 2022 album Ultimate Christmas Collection, a catch-all release for some of her most adored holiday hits. Fans can also stream to McEntire’s most recent holiday release — 2025’s “Run Run Rudolph” — for a high-energy listen.
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“Christmas is just a fun time of the year. I love twinkling lights, I love the sparkles in the snow, I like Christmas songs,” McEntire relished in a December 2017 episode of the Jesus Calling podcast, later echoing the message behind her spoken-word recording. “Everybody’s got a bigger heart at Christmastime, because it is the season of giving: Giving gifts, feeling charitable, helping out, more love.”