Lauren Alaina was among an elite group of country stars who took the stage for the first-ever Christmas At The Opry television special.
Filmed in October at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House, Christmas At The Opry brought together some of the genre’s biggest stars to celebrate the holiday season. The television special was hosted by Wynonna Judd and featured performances from Kelly Clarkson, Trace Adkins, Chris Janson, Brenda Lee and more.
One of the highlights of the night was the performance from American Idol alum, Lauren Alaina. The 29-year-old took the stage to sing the Christmas standard, “Jingle Bell Rock” and later returned for “Santa Baby.”
View this post on Instagram
“Jingle Bell Rock” was first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. The song has since been recorded by numerous artists, but Helms’ rendition remains the most recognizable and successful.
Following the taping of her Christmas At The Opry appearance, Lauren opened up about getting to spend time with one of her heroes, Brenda Lee, during taping. She recalled the days when she wore a poodle skirt and sang Brenda Lee songs as an opening act for an Elvis impersonator.
“She was so sweet,” Alaina said of Lee. “She’s so great. I love her. And she was so young when she started her career, and I was really young when I started my career, so I just really look up to her. And I love Christmas, so any time I can celebrate where I came from and Christmas, all of the things wrapped into one, it’s pretty awesome.”
Lauren Alaina’s appearance on Christmas At The Opry wasn’t her first holiday performance. In 2021, Lauren sang “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” for the Opry Live: USO Holiday Special. And in 2011 she appeared on CMA Country Christmas to sing “Grown-up Christmas List.”
Watch Lauren Alaina sing “Santa Baby” during Christmas At The Opry in the video below.