O/T: Christmas In Dixie - Alabama

I accidentally discovered tonight that the common version of "Christmas In Dixie" by Alabama is apparently edited from a slightly longer version. I can't figure out where the longer version originated.

The version you're likely familiar with ends with singing, no spoke elements, going straight from, "from Fort Payne, Alabama..." to "...Merry Christmas tonight!!!" while the "long" version has spoken segments from each of the members after "from Fort Payne, Alabama..."

* "God bless y'all"
* "We love you"
* "Happy New Year"
* "G'nite"
* (together, shouted) "MERRY CHRISTMAS"

...and then picks up with the acapella "Merry Christmas tonight..."

The "regular" version runs about 3:35 while the "long" version runs about 3:42.

The song first appeared on the 1982 RCA Victor compilation, "A Country Christmas," alongside Christmas tracks form Charlie Pride, Louis Mandrell, Steve Wariner, and Willie Nelson. Wikipedia would tell you this was where the long version originated, but the timing listed in Discogs suggests otherwise. I don't have an LP myself to compare, though. It was released as a single the same year, where it went to #35 on the country charts. This version also appears to be the edit. It was released once with the Mandrell/Bannon duet from "A Country Christmas," and again with another Alabama song, "Never Be One." A 1983 promo was re-released with "White Christmas" by Earl Thomas Conley on the B side. It was re-REreleased in 1987 with Amy Grant's "Tennessee Christmas" on the B-side this time. 1995 sees yet another 7" re-re-rerelease with the B-side this time being Alabama's "Thistlehair the Christmas Bear."

In 1985, Alabama released their first Christmas album, cleverly titled "Christmas," and it also appears to have the edit length.

RCA Special Products / BMG Direct Marketing / Audio Treasures released a curious compilation in 1991 titled "Christmas Memories From Elvis & Alabama." This appears to be the edit, too. In 1994, we get "Christmas With The Judds And Alabama" which also appears to have the edit.

SO, where do you find the "long" version, you ask? Two places that I know of:

Livin' Lovin' Rockin' Rollin' - The 25th Anniversary Collection (3x CD compilation)
--and--
The Time Life Treasury of Christmas... despite Discogs' protest to the contrary. My disc is buried at the moment, but the rip I have on my hard drive is too clearly labeled to have come from anywhere else, and the Time/Life version is significantly more dynamic/less peak limiting than the version of the 25th Anniversary Collection.

Does anybody know if the first place this "long" version was released really was the Treasury of Christmas, or did "A Country Christmas" actually have the full version and Discogs is labeled wrong? Is the long version available anywhere else?


Edited by NightAire - 30 November 2025 at 9:58pm

For the 40+ years this song has been around, I guess I never paid attention to the details at the end. Thank you Gene for noticing this. The longer version is available on Qobuz for anyone looking for it.

Looks as though the shorter version was the hit?

Gene:

To reply to your original question, just two versions of Christmas In Dixie were released by Alabama.

1) Original longer version first issued in 1982 with spoken greetings from each band member @ 3:05 – TIME: 3:37

2) Shorter version first issued in 1983 WITHOUT spoken greetings TIME: 3:33

Shorter version not just an edit, it is a remix. The spoken greetings talked over the edge of the instrumental fade @ 3:05 so it had to be mixed out. Some of the levels were changed most notably the “Jingle Bells” electric guitar “ riff @3:23 of the 3:37 version is a bit louder.

Printed timings are incorrect on many releases. A 3:21 version is listed on multiple albums but does not exist.

Here are the LP & CD releases in my library that I play-checked for the actual timing

RCA 45 single releases

PB 13358 [1982] red vinyl - B side by Louise Mandrell & RC Bannon 3:37

PB 13664 [1983] B side Alabama - Never Be One 3:33 [printed time 3:37]

JB 13664/JB 13668 [1983] flip side by Earl Thomas Conley 3:33 [printed time 3:37]

5051-7-R [1986] – B side Alabama - Tennessee Christmas [3:33]


RCA Alabama album releases

ASL1-7014 (LP) & PCD1-7074 (CD) [1985] Alabama “Christmas” album 3:33

RCA Various Artist compilations

A Country Christmas CPL1 4396 (LP) [1982] 4812-2-R (CD) [1987] 3:37
LP printed time: 3:21/CD printed time 3:28

A Country Christmas Vol. 2 AYL1-4809 (LP) [1983] 4809-2-R (CD) [1987] 3:33
LP & CD printed times 3:21

A Country Christmas Vol. 3 CPL1-5178 (LP) [1984] 5178-2-R (CD) [1987] 3:33
LP & CD printed times 3:21

Best Of Christmas CPL1-7013 (LP) [1985] 3:37
[Note: I don’t have the 1990 CD release of this LP to check time] LP printed time 3:21

Nipper’s Greatest Christmas Hits 9859-2-R [1989] 3:33

Christmas Classics Volume 1 66301-2 [1993] 3:33
Printed time 3:32

Country Christmas Classics 67698-2 [1998] 3:33

Time/Life Compilations

Time/Life Treasury Of Christmas TCD-107B Disc B [1987] 3:37

Country Christmas TCD-109B Disc B [1988] 3:37

The version first released in 1982 on both the RCA 45 & the first Country Christmas compilation LP was the 3:37 track that included the spoken greetings. Many country stations including mine continued to program that version even after the shorter version became available the following year. That was the dawn of the CD era and the shorter version was first to debut on CD on the Alabama Christmas album in 1985. So some stations may have switched to that one. As I recall the longer version did not make it's CD debut until 1987 when all four volumes of the Country Christmas albums were re-issued on compact disc by RCA.

I do remember getting calls from some listeners asking why the version that we were playing had the spoken greetings but their copy - on the Alabama Christmas album - did not.