"A Christmas Cornucopia" is the fifth solo studio album and the first Christmas album by Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox, released in November 2010. It marked Lennox's first album after signing with the Universal Music Group (Island Records in the UK, Decca in the US and Canada), following her departure from Sony BMG, where she had been signed for nearly three decades.
The album is a collection of Lennox's favorite Christmas songs, but it also includes one original composition, "Universal Child," which was released as a digital single on October 12, 2010. Additionally, Lennox's interpretation of the classic Christmas carol "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" premiered in a music video on November 4, 2010, and was released as the second digital single from the album.
In 2020, a tenth-anniversary special edition of A Christmas Cornucopia was released, featuring a new recording of "Dido's Lament." This version, a choral rendition performed with London City Voices, was donated to Greenpeace. The official video for this recording opens with a quote from Lennox reflecting on climate change:
“When it comes to climate catastrophe, we are on the edge of the abyss. I really believe we don't have much time left to make an effective change. We are looking at a civilization on the downward side. This is the truth of this matter. It's staring us in the face and we are not paying any significant attention—continuing on as if it doesn't exist. I see Dido's Lament as a lament for our dying planet.”
The album, combining both traditional holiday classics and Lennox's poignant new work, offers both festive cheer and a sobering message about the state of the world.
