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This arrangement was written in 2012 by Michael Brown (see below).

“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 Natalie-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 David Foster's most widely sung songs.

The lyrics of the song suggest an adult writing a letter to Santa Claus, whose list of wishes for Christmas presents has changed radically since childhood. In the song, the singer wishes for “no more lives torn apart”, wars that never start, and time to heal all hearts. The list continues with friends for everyone, “that right would always win and love would never end.” The lyrics then acknowledge the innocence of youth, but declares “maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth.” Then the list is repeated again, concluding with three pronouncements that “this is my grown-up Christmas list”.

Born in 1949, composer David Foster is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans more than five decades, beginning in the early 1970s as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark, before focusing largely on composing and producing. A note of local interest: In 1963, at the age of 13, he enrolled in the University of Washington music program. He only stayed for two years before he left to lead the band in an Edmonton nightclub owned by jazz musician Tommy Banks.

Lyricist Linda Thompson-Jenner (b. 1950) is an American songwriter, former actress and beauty pageant winner. Thompson began her acting career as a “Hee Haw Honey” on the American television variety show Hee Haw. She was also a girlfriend of Elvis Presley, before marrying Olympic decathlon champion Caitlyn Jenner (then known as Bruce), and later music producer David Foster.

Thompson-Jenner began her career as a lyricist with the Kenny Rogers single “Our Perfect Song” from his album The Heart of the Matter (1985). Thompson collaborated with composer Richard Marx on Josh Groban's first hit record, “To Where You Are”, with composer Steve Dorff on the Celine Dion hit “Miracle”, with Andreas Carlsson for “Drowning” by the Backstreet Boys, and composer David Foster on several compositions, including “No Explanation” for the film Pretty Woman (1990), and “I Have Nothing” for the film The Bodyguard (1992), for which they were nominated both for the Academy Award for Best Song in 1993 and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television in 1994, and “Grown-Up Christmas List”.

Arranger Michael Brown is currently staff arranger for the United States Army Band in Washington, D.C., having served previously as staff arranger for the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, New York. His arrangements have been heard on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Opening Ceremonies of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, and with the National Symphony Orchestra and Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. He has over 200 arrangements published by Hal Leonard Corporation and the FJH Music Company. Prior to enlisting in the Army, he worked as a freelance arranger and trumpeter, having performed with Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, Robert Goulet, Lou Rawls, Sam & Dave, the Temptations, and others. He earned a Bachelor’s in Music degree from Furman University and a Master’s in Music degree from The University of Texas at Austin. Brown draws upon his former experience as a high school band director, church orchestra director, and freelance trumpeter in his writing.

The music for Grown-Up Christmas List was provided for the band

by Marian and Tom Jensen.

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Grown-Up Christmas List

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