Merry Christmas to our listeners in every corner of the world, from Vancouver to Vanuatu, Kokomo to Kiev - and welcome to our annual presentation of ancient scripture and brand new versions of favourite carols. The scripture is read by Mark, and the music is performed by various members of the Steyn Show musical family drawn from the worlds of folk, jazz, rock, opera plus a bevy of Top Five pop stars from across the last half-century.

If you're in the mood for a very distinctive telling of events in Bethlehem two millennia ago, do please click above.

Listeners have come to appreciate this annual tradition at SteynOnline. After last year's edition, John, a bona fide Kiwi cleric, wrote from Christchurch:

After a whole month of Christmas services and Masses for others, I sink into Mark Steyn's Christmas like a warm blanket. Thank you. It's Christmas now.

Thank you, vicar. Thomas Shepstone, a Pennsylvania Steyn Clubber, said:

Absolutely beautiful, Mark! Thank you very much! Merry Christmas!

And to you, Thomas. (But don't worry: For our militantly atheist listeners discombobulated by God-bothering, the great secular trinity of Santa, Frosty and Rudolph can be found here.).

As you'll know if you've attended Christmas Eve service in the same village church for decades, some things stay the same but others evolve a little. Aside from a reading and a poem at opening and closing, the words don't change, because they have been unchanged for centuries. But we tweak the music a little each year, adding some different carols and re-arranging ones we've heard before. Some - "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "We Three Kings" - are the oldest of old favourites; others may be less familiar.

We save the credits with respect to who sings what until the end of the proceedings, but we think you'll enjoy this year's offerings from Steyn's fellow Torontonian Rebecca Enkin, his fellow Montrealer Patsy Gallant, and his fellow Irishpersons Rhoda Barfoot and Anthony Kearns. There are also carols from Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits; Canadian rock royalty Tal and Randy Bachman; and Elisabeth von Trapp from the famous Sound of Music family. Emma Kershaw (seen with Tim Rice on our show of Christmas past) is back with our opening number and a reworked version of our traditional closer. Collectively, they're guests from California, Vermont, British Columbia, Quebec, England, Ireland, Wales and Switzerland - plus a special appearance by the Honourable Member for Elgin-St Thomas-London South in the Canadian House of Commons.

Simply click above to listen - and we wish all the blessings of Christmas to you and yours!

The Mark Steyn Show Band
arranged and conducted by Kevin Amos:
Michel Berthiaume, Kevin Campbell, Geoff Eales, Jon Geary, Mathieu McConnell-Enright, Bill Mahar, Andy Massey, Nick Moss, Matt Ridley, Mike Smith, Sandy Suchodolski and Jean-Pierre Zanella.

Miss Barfoot's pianist and bassist: Jeff Taylor, Byron House;

Ms Enkin's pianist and bassist: Rob Thaller, Pat Collins;

Mr Kearns's pianist: David George;

Mr Noone's hermits: Vance Brescia, Dave Ferrara, Rich Spina, Billy Sullivan.