A Christmas Together

Overview:
John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together (commonly shortened to A Christmas Together) is a 1979 holiday album pairing John Denver with Jim Henson’s Muppet characters. Released in the autumn of 1979 to accompany an ABC TV special, it became one of Denver’s enduring seasonal records—mixing traditional carols, original songs and Muppet comedy. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Denver_and_the_Muppets%3A_A_Christmas_Together?utm_source=openai))

Recording History:
The album was produced by Milt (Milton) Okun and features orchestral arrangements by Lee Holdridge; session players credited include Hal Blaine, James Burton, Emory Gordy Jr., Glen D. Hardin and Jim Horn alongside many of the Muppet performers. According to session information and liner-note summaries, recording began in Britain in mid-1979 (sessions often cited as starting June 29, 1979) and the TV special was taped later in the U.S. (aired December 5, 1979). Several engineers and tracking arrangers are listed in the original credits. ([muppet.fandom.com](https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/A_Christmas_Together_%28album%29?utm_source=openai))

Chart Performance & Recognition:
The album reached the U.S. pop album charts in early 1980 (commonly reported as peaking around No. 26 on the Billboard Top LPs/200 and No. 13 on the Top Country Albums chart). It has been widely reported as a major seller in its era and is frequently cited as having earned at least Gold/Platinum-level sales in North America; sources vary (some list RIAA Platinum in the U.S. and Gold in Canada, while Denver’s official materials list the title among his Gold albums). Contemporary reviews were favorable, noting the record’s warm production and cross-generational appeal. ([parade.com](https://parade.com/news/john-denver-christmas-with-the-muppets-album-straight-back-to-1979?utm_source=openai))

Cultural Impact & Legacy:
A Christmas Together helped cement the Denver–Henson friendship in popular culture and remains a seasonal staple—reissued many times on CD and vinyl (including Record Store Day and colored-vinyl pressings). Tracks such as Paul Williams’s “When the River Meets the Sea” (performed with Robin the Frog) and the medley “Alfie the Christmas Tree/…It’s in Every One of Us” are often singled out by fans; the album’s blend of sincere holiday music with Muppet humor is credited with influencing later family-oriented holiday collaborations. The TV special itself remains rare on home video, which has added to collectors’ interest in the soundtrack. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_River_Meets_the_Sea?utm_source=openai))

If you’d like, I can pull the original liner-note credits and a full track list (with who sings which part) from a reliable archive and attach images of the original LP labels for collector reference.