"Christmas Memories" is the second Christmas album and twenty-ninth studio release by Barbra Streisand, released on October 30, 2001, by Columbia. Streisand recorded the album during July, August, and September 2001 in various studios across California and North Vancouver. The album was executive-produced by Streisand and Jay Landers, with additional production by William Ross and David Foster. It features several cover versions of holiday songs. To promote the album, Columbia released an advance sampler titled A Voice for All Seasons.
The album's mood is described as melancholic, which critics found particularly resonant given its release shortly after the September 11 attacks. Other reviewers praised it as beautifully rendered and excellent. Christmas Memories received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2003. It entered the charts in Canada and the UK and peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 in the US, achieving platinum certification for shipments of 1,000,000 copies. Streisand's cover of "It Must Have Been the Mistletoe" reached number 28 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
This album is a follow-up to Streisand's 1967 album, A Christmas Album. Recording sessions began on July 19, 2001, when she recorded "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "I Remember." The album is dedicated to the late artist Stephan Weiss, a close friend of Streisand who passed away in June 2001.
Christmas Memories features several notable tracks. It opens with a cover of "I'll Be Home for Christmas," which reflects Streisand's mature perspective on loss. The second track, "A Christmas Love Song," conveys an embrace of the holidays filled with sentiment. A jazzy rendition of "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" follows, along with a reworked cover of Stephen Sondheim's "I Remember." The album includes "Snowbound," which features a moderate tempo and piano, and "It Must Have Been the Mistletoe," focusing on love.
"Christmas Lullaby" is written by Ann Hampton Callaway, a previous collaborator with Streisand. The Bergmans reworked Don Costa's "Christmas Mem'ries" for the album. "Grown-Up Christmas List," produced by Foster and co-written by Linda Thompson, features a live orchestra arranged by Ross. Streisand's rendition of "Ave Maria" is noted as a companion to her previous version included on her 1967 album. "Closer," dedicated to her late friend Stephan Weiss, reflects on loss. The album concludes with "One God," written by Ervin Drake and Jimmy Shirl. The Target and iTunes editions include a bonus track cover of "God Bless America."
