Goin' Home for Christmas

1982 studio album by Merle Haggard

Studio album by

Merle Haggard

Released

November 1982

Genre

Country, Christmas

Length

28:55

Label

Epic

Producer

Merle Haggard and Roy Nichols

Merle Haggard chronology

Going Where the Lonely Go
(1982)

Goin' Home for Christmas
(1982)

Pancho & Lefty
(1983)

Goin' Home for Christmas is the 36th studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers, released in 1982. A Christmas album, it reached Number 41 on the Billboard Country album chart.^[1] It was re-issued on Epic in 1984 with a completely different sleeve. Subsequent re-issues have reverted to variations of the original sleeve, but with a bonus track, "White Christmas" added. This extra track was recorded in 1986 and released in 1988 on the various artist collection "Nashville's Greatest Christmas Hits" (Columbia CK 44412). It was co-produced by Roy Nichols, lead guitarist of The Strangers.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[2]

The AllMusic review states: "Merle Haggard's contribution to the holiday season is a generally festive affair... Mostly though, Haggard is an unexpectedly sensitive interpreter of these seasonal favorites."^[2]

Track listing

All songs by Merle Haggard unless otherwise noted:

"Goin' Home for Christmas" – 2:28
"Grandma's Homemade Christmas Card" – 2:17
"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) – 2:14
"Santa Claus and Popcorn" – 2:32
"Daddy Won't Be Home Again for Christmas" – 3:23
"If We Make It Through December" – 2:39
"Bobby Wants a Puppy Dog for Christmas" – 2:09
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Johnny Marks) – 2:47
"Blue Christmas" (Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson) – 2:08
"Lonely Night" (M. L. Butler, Freddy Powers) – 2:53

Personnel

Merle Haggard– vocals, guitar
Leona Williams Haggard
Jimmy Capps
Hal Rugg
Henry Strzelcki
Steve Chapman
Clay Caire
Farrell Morris
Mark Casstevens
Ron Oates
Curtis Young
Donna Sheridon
Doug Clements
Louis Nunley

Chart performance

Chart (1982)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	41

References

^ Allmusic entry for Goin' Home for Christmas. Retrieved December 2009.
^ ^a ^b "Goin' Home for Christmas > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 20, 2015.

Merle Haggard

The Strangers

Norm Hamlet

Ralph Mooney

Tiny Moore

Roy Nichols

Gene Price

Eldon Shamblin

Gordon Terry

Biff Adam

Jimmy Belken

Eddie Burris

Gary Church

Wayne Durham

George French

Dennis Hromek

Don Markham

Johnny Meeks

Marcia Nichols

Ronnie Reno

Clint Strong

Jim Tittle

Jerry Ward

Bobby Wayne

Mark Yeary

Studio albums

Strangers
Swinging Doors ‡
I'm a Lonesome Fugitive ‡
Branded Man ‡
Sing Me Back Home ‡
The Legend of Bonnie & Clyde ‡
Mama Tried ‡
Pride in What I Am ‡
Same Train, a Different Time ‡
A Portrait of Merle Haggard ‡
A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World (or, My Salute to Bob Wills) ‡
Hag ‡
Someday We'll Look Back ‡
Let Me Tell You About a Song ‡
It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad) ‡
If We Make It Through December ‡
Merle Haggard Presents His 30th Album ‡
Keep Movin' On ‡
It's All in the Movies ‡
My Love Affair with Trains ‡
The Roots of My Raising ‡
Ramblin' Fever
A Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today ‡
My Farewell to Elvis
I'm Always on a Mountain When I Fall
Serving 190 Proof
The Way I Am
Back to the Barrooms
Big City
Going Where the Lonely Go
That's the Way Love Goes
It's All in the Game
Kern River
Out Among the Stars
A Friend in California
Chill Factor
5:01 Blues
Blue Jungle
1994
1996
If I Could Only Fly
Roots, Volume 1
The Peer Sessions
Haggard Like Never Before
Unforgettable
Chicago Wind
The Bluegrass Sessions
I Am What I Am
Working in Tennessee

Compilations

Songs I'll Always Sing
Merle Haggard's Greatest Hits
His Epic Hits: The First 11 (To Be Continued...)
Down Every Road 1962–1994
16 Biggest Hits
Hag: The Best of Merle Haggard

Live albums

Okie from Muskogee ‡
The Fightin' Side of Me ‡
I Love Dixie Blues ‡
Rainbow Stew Live at Anaheim Stadium
The Epic Collection (Recorded Live)
Amber Waves of Grain

Gospel albums

The Land of Many Churches ‡
Songs for the Mama That Tried
Cabin in the Hills
Two Old Friends (with Albert E. Brumley, Jr.)

Holiday albums

Singles

1960s	"Sing a Sad Song" "(My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers" "Swinging Doors" ‡ "The Bottle Let Me Down" ‡ "The Fugitive" ‡ "I Threw Away the Rose" ‡ "Branded Man" ‡ "Sing Me Back Home" ‡ "The Legend of Bonnie & Clyde" ‡ "Mama Tried" ‡ "I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am" ‡ "Hungry Eyes" ‡ "Workin' Man Blues" ‡ "Okie from Muskogee" ‡
1970s	"The Fightin' Side of Me" ‡ "Jesus, Take a Hold" ‡ "I Can't Be Myself" ‡ "Soldier's Last Letter" ‡ "Someday We'll Look Back" ‡ "Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)" ‡ "Carolyn" ‡ "Grandma Harp" ‡ "It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)" ‡ "I Wonder If They Ever Think of Me" ‡ "The Emptiest Arms in the World" ‡ "Everybody's Had the Blues" ‡ "If We Make It Through December ‡" "Things Aren't Funny Anymore" ‡ "Old Man from the Mountain" ‡ "Kentucky Gambler" ‡ "Always Wanting You" ‡ "Movin' On" ‡ "It's All in the Movies" ‡ "The Roots of My Raising" ‡ "Here Comes the Freedom Train" ‡ "Cherokee Maiden" ‡ "If We're Not Back in Love by Monday" "Ramblin' Fever" "A Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today" ‡ "From Graceland to the Promised Land" "Running Kind" ‡ "I'm Always on a Mountain When I Fall" "It's Been a Great Afternoon" "Red Bandana" "My Own Kind of Hat"
1980s	"The Way I Am" "Misery and Gin" "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" "Leonard" "Rainbow Stew" "My Favorite Memory" "Big City" "Are the Good Times Really Over (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver)" "Going Where the Lonely Go" "You Take Me for Granted" "What Am I Gonna Do (With the Rest of My Life)" "It's All in the Game" "That's the Way Love Goes" "Someday When Things Are Good" "Let's Chase Each Other Around the Room" "A Place to Fall Apart" "Kern River" "I Had a Beautiful Time" "A Friend in California" "Almost Persuaded" "Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star" "Chill Factor" "We Never Touch at All" "You Babe" "5:01 Blues" "A Better Love Next Time" "If You Want to Be My Woman"

Collaborations

Albums	Just Between the Two of Us (with Bonnie Owens and The Strangers) A Taste of Yesterday's Wine (with George Jones) Pancho & Lefty (with Willie Nelson) Heart to Heart (with Leona Williams) Walking the Line (with George Jones and Willie Nelson) Seashores of Old Mexico (with Willie Nelson) Kickin' Out the Footlights...Again (with George Jones) Last of the Breed (with Willie Nelson and Ray Price) Django & Jimmie (with Willie Nelson)
Singles	"Bar Room Buddies" (with Clint Eastwood) "Yesterday's Wine" (with George Jones) "C.C. Waterback" (with George Jones) "Reasons to Quit" (with Willie Nelson) "Pancho and Lefty" (with Willie Nelson) "Wreck on the Highway" (with Chester Smith)
As guest	"Street Singer" (by The Strangers) "Walking the Floor Over You" (by Ernest Tubb) "Politically Uncorrect" (by Gretchen Wilson)