Kingdom Heirs Announce A Kingdom Heirs Christmas EP

The Kingdom Heirs will release their new Christmas EP, A Kingdom Heirs Christmas, on 27 November 2026 through Sonlite Records. It is the quartet's first holiday project in 10 years, with five original songs and two familiar classics, and fans who pre-save it will recieve it the moment it drops on 27 November.

Ten years. That is how long fans have waited for a new Christmas collection from the group that has become the sound of the season at Dollywood.

The wait ends just in time. The EP lands the day after Thanksgiving, as the quartet begins its busiest stretch of the year: around 180 Christmas shows at Dollywood, running from the start of November until the season ends in January.

180 Christmas Shows at Dollywood

"From the beginning of November until the season ends in January, we do around 180 Christmas shows at Dollywood," lead vocalist Chris Bryant explains. "So when we realized that it had been 10 years since our last Christmas project, we knew it was time for a new collection of instant favorites!"

The Kingdom Heirs are a holiday essential at Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas, and they have been for decades. The group began singing at the theme park in 1982, when it was still Silver Dollar City, and became the park's resident gospel group in 1986, when it took the Dollywood name. In 2025, the group and the park celebrated more than 40 years together.

Six Christmas collections since 1999 have made the quartet a fixture of the season for families across the country and around the world. The new EP is the seventh, and the first in a decade.

Five Originals and Two Classics

The EP holds seven songs in all. Five are originals, and two are familiar classics given the Kingdom Heirs' signature quartet treatment: "Winter Wonderland" and "Christmas in Dixie".

The originals cover the full range of the season. There are upbeat toe tappers in "It All Started in Bethlehem", "That Manger Held a Miracle" and "Time Around the Tree", warm and familiar jazzy tunes in "Winter Wonderland", soft ballads in "He Makes Room" and "When I Hear a Christmas Song", and a nostalgic Southern favourite in "Christmas in Dixie".

"We really wanted to include a good mix of old and new material on this EP, and we feel like it all came together perfectly," Bryant says. "Some of our favorite songwriters sent us some great new songs for this album, and we even have one song written by our very own tenor vocalist John Young, so that is an extra special bonus for sure!"

Young wrote "Time Around the Tree", a nostalgic and cinematic song that begins tenderly before its energy builds and soars, painting a picture of every living room's Christmas centerpiece with gratitude, joy and Christ at the centre. Other songwriters on the project include Adina Bowman, Gene Ezell, Karen Gillespie and Dixie Phillips.

A Quartet That Loves Christmas

For Bryant, the project is personal. "We absolutely love Christmas and Christmas music!" he says. "I start listening to Christmas music before the fall decor has even been taken down. For me, it just brings back so many great memories and warms my heart."

His hope for the EP is simple. "I hope that this album brings those same feelings and memories to anyone who hears it while reminding us all of the reason for the season, the greatest gift of all, Jesus!"

The quartet has had a busy 2026. A series of brand new original singles has arrived through Sonlite Records, including "Jesus Never Met a Sinner (That He Couldn't Save)", "Always Get the Grace", "I Take It to the Lord" and the most recent release, "Until Faith", written by Matthew Lawson. The group is also looking ahead to a brand new album in early 2027.

Southern Gospel fans have had plenty to celebrate this season. John Shaver released his testimony album Change in My Life on 6 November, as reported in John Shaver Releases Change in My Life Album, and Ogocity ended a two-year silence with a live recording, as covered in Ogocity Ends Two-Year Silence With Thank You Jesus Live. Takie Ndou returned to the Spirit of Praise stage, as reported in Takie Ndou Returns to Spirit of Praise With We Worship You, and LO Worship released a new album, as covered in LO Worship Releases The Drought Is Over Album Today.

Franni Cash found grace after leaving a cult, as reported in Franni Cash Finds Jesus' Grace After Leaving Cult, and Lilian Nneji released her first official album after almost 30 years in gospel music, as covered in Lilian Nneji Releases Highly Favoured After 30 Years. Todd Dulaney returned to Scripture with his latest album, as reported in Todd Dulaney Returns to Scripture With Back to the Book II, and JJ Hairston united worship and prayer in his new album, as covered in JJ Hairston Unites Worship and Prayer in New Album.

Whether A Kingdom Heirs Christmas becomes an annual favourite is a question the next few Decembers will answer. The quartet has the stage, the songs and the season all lined up.

If even one family plays "Time Around the Tree" beside their own tree this Christmas, Bryant would call that the whole point. The next chapter of the Kingdom Heirs' Christmas story may be written by the people who hear it, not by the men who sang it.

But the most surprising part of this story is yet to come — keep reading.