Tenth Avenue North – Christmas Time Machine

CCM: Who is Kenneth The Christmas Yeti, exactly, and why is he so gassy?
MD: [Laughs] It started with the K-Love Christmas Tour a couple of years ago. They challenged us by putting us in the last slot in that lineup. They said, “In years past, by the time your slot comes around people are leaving because they’re pretty bored.” That was the tour when we first explored this idea of Decade The Halls. Our show consisted of performing styles from the 40’s to the 80’s. We were literally scratching our heads on how we were going to change costumes between songs.

My thoughts were, “How can we make it feel like a kids’ Christmas pageant, meets a kids’ Christmas movie, meets a kids’ pop-up book?” It was inspired by our “Deck The Halls” music video, which is actually like a children’s pop-up book. I also drew inspiration from those old Sesame Street sketches where there would be famous people with the Muppets. At the time, I think I had just watched one with Adam Sandler and Elmo. It was so good. I asked the guys, “What if we just created some character?” I thought, “This could fit,” and Kenneth The Christmas Yeti was born!

CCM: What is one Christmas song you wish you had written?
MD: Okay, there’s two answers. The sacred answer is “O Holy Night.” There is no better Christmas song. There never will be. Whatever the Spirit was doing when that was written, everything is perfect. The words are perfect, the melody is perfect. It’s the “Star Spangled Banner” of Christmas, right?

CCM: That’s one way of putting it [laughs]…
MD: It’s got the big, high note at the end, and everybody is anticipating it. Very complicated. …and no one can sing it altogether, you know? It’s perfect. So obviously, “O Holy Night.” Then, of course, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Absolutely. I mean…whew!

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