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Key Points 'John Denver and The Muppets, A Christmas Together' remains beloved 46 years after its 1979 release. Denver’s partnership with the Muppets produced holiday classics and celebrated TV specials. Denver valued Christmas for “the family of humankind and peace on earth that we all aspire to.” When John Denver’s Christmas With the Muppets album landed in stores in October 1979, no one expected it to become an instant holiday classic. However, the record captured the magic of the season, long before Christmas had even arrived. With its festive duets and timeless songs, the album delivers on holiday magic over four decades after its release. The LP features collaborations between Denver and Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Fozzie Bear, and also features Rowlf the Dog, Gonzo, Scooter, Animal, and several other beloved Muppet characters. The unlikely pairing between man and Muppets came about after Denver guest-starred on The Muppet Show television series, which ran from 1976 through 1981. According to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, Denver’s friendship with Muppet creator Jim Henson led to two television successful specials and albums, John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together (1979) and Rocky Mountain Holiday (1983). Parade Daily🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 For A Christmas Together, The beloved singer/songwriter and the voices behind the iconic characters collaborated on the now-classic versions of “Twelve Days of Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “The Peace Carol,” “Christmas is Coming,” “A Baby Just Like You,” Deck the Halls,” “When The River Meets the Sea,” “Little Saint Nick,” “Noel: Christmas Eve 1913,” “Alfie, the Christmas Tree/Carol for a Christmas Tree/It’s in Every One of Us,” “Silent Night,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” According to Billboard, the LP “reached No. 13 on the Top Country Albums chart and No. 26 on the Billboard 200 (both in 1980), and then No. 9 on Americana/Folk Albums in 2018.” The holiday collaboration has since become a holiday favorite. John Denver’s Christmas memories In 1991, John Denver was interviewed by Mark McKuen, where he shared his Christmas memories and traditions. He said that despite the holiday’s commercialism, he always tried to focus on the season’s importance. “More and more, Christmas seems to have become more and more materialistic in a sense. Also, up where I live in Aspen, Colorado, as much as I love the town and skiing, it turns into a zoo,” he admitted. “There’s so much partying and social things going on,” he continued. “I stay home and keep coming back to what Christmas is about, which has to do with the family of humankind and peace on earth that we all aspire to.”
