2014 CMA Country Christmas Spreads Plenty of Christmas Cheer

The country music world ushered in the holiday season Monday night (Dec. 1) with the 2014 CMA Country Christmas TV special, complete with old classics, new tunes and plenty of Christmas cheer.

The evening's host, Jennifer Nettles, had a lot to do throughout the show: She opened it with 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,' closed it with her original song 'This Angel' and 'Jingle Bells' and offered up a stunning rendition of 'Let It Go,' from 'Frozen,' with Idina Menzel in between. Not to mention, she kept the festivities moving, introducing each new artist and performance.

The two-hour special -- which taped back in November, just after the 2014 CMA Awards -- featured performances by a diverse lineup of stars, including Little Big Town ('I Pray on Christmas,' as well as 'Silent Night' with Michael W. Smith), Hunter Hayes ('Merry Christmas Baby'), Alan Jackson ('Winter Wonderland' and 'Let It Be Christmas') and Brad Paisley with Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler ('Run Run Rudolph').

“After being the host of CMA Country Christmas for five years now, it is hard to pick one thing I love about it,” Nettles says. “There are so many fun moments. Whether it is the performances or duets, getting to perform Christmas songs with such great artists is really fun for me. It’s really a fun show all around.”

Among the other performances were 'Nashville' actress Clare Bowen, who offered up her own rendition of 'Santa Baby;' Lucy Hale; and Carrie Underwood, who made her CMA Country Christmas debut by singing 'All Is Well' with Smith.