In addition to Ballerini, Dan + Shay, Thomas Rhett, Florida Georgia Line, Little Big Town, Lady A, Gabby Barrett, Tim McGraw , and Darius Rucker with violinist and singer-songwriter, Lindsey Stirling also performed during the television special this year.

Paul Miller directed this year's special, while Robert Deaton served as the executive producer and writer.

"The idea for this year's show was to do a throwback of the great Christmas specials of the 1960s and 1970s," Deaton said in a previous statement. "Andy Williams, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra all had classic Christmas specials where the viewer was invited into the homes of the host to celebrate the holiday like a best friend coming to visit. That was what we wanted to create for this year's show. Instead of a big flashy production, we took a page from those iconic specials to say, 'Come relax, and let's celebrate the holidays together.'"

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Theresa Lucas

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