This album was inspired by the peace and joy of the Christmas season. Once the tinsel and stark commercialism are stripped away, what is left is a celebration of birth - a celebration of light. Throughout time immemorial, people of numerous cultures and backgrounds have gathered together in the darkest time of year to stave off the darkness and welcome the light. When thinking of Christmas, I often recall our North American tradition with its snow-covered fields and forests and the sounds of church bells ringing out over the frozen land. Above the twilight-blue snow, high in the evening sky, stars glisten like ice. Inside candlelit churches, choirs rejoice. May this music reflect the reverence, peace and mystery of this season. - LP