CTIBrowjan: Welcome all! We're excited to be sharing this Christmas chat tonight with special guest, Kathy Troccoli. I hope you brought along some warm Christmas memories to share so let's sit back and get started. Let me introduce you to tonight's guest, Kathy, trained at Berkeley School of Music. Her Christmas album A Sentimental Christmas showcases Kathy singing in a style that she has listened to and performed for years. Its classical styling and jazz big band sounds made the project a lot of fun … and a natural choice! Tonight we want to sit down with Kathy here by the CT fireplace and talk about some warm Christmas memories. So will you join me in welcoming Dove Award winner, really great gal and one day hope to be Touched by an Angel, Kathy Troccoli … Welcome Kathy!!!

KathyTroccoli: LOL thank you.

CTIBrowjan: Do you have any opening comments for us tonight?

KathyTroccoli: Hi everyone! Merry Christmas! I just got off the road last night.

CTIBrowjan: Where were you Kathy?

KathyTroccoli: I was just in Restin VA. I sang for Prison Fellowships Christmas Party. I also did 10 dates on my own Christmas tour.

CTIBrowjan: Wow that's super! 10 dates all at once I hope they were handsome …

KathyTroccoli: LOL

CTIBrowjan: Are you ready to take some questions from our audience?

KathyTroccoli: Yes!

CTIHOSTJOY says: What is your favorite Christmas Carol?

KathyTroccoli: Hmmm, let's see … I think "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". It's got a very sweet melody.

CTIBrowjan: Yes, a very pretty one.

TammyGirl says: Kathy, do you plan to record another Christmas album in the future?

KathyTroccoli: Yes, I think I want to, but not for a while because this one's pretty new. I would like to do just the pop one because I've done the big band one.

CTIBrowjan: Yes, what are some of your favorite Christmas memories?

KathyTroccoli: One was when I and a couple of friends dressed up as clowns in real clown makeup and visited a hospital for kids with cancer. Before I went, I found out what each of the 15 kids in one ward wanted and I was able to get them each specific gift.

CTIBrowjan: That's awesome!

KathyTroccoli: I lost all my clown makeup crying!

CTIBrowjan: Yes I would, too.

KathyTroccoli: But it really made me appreciate my health and my family.

CTIBrowjan: Yet that's your warmest memory because it made someone else's Christmas special! Yes Amen to that! OK we have a lot of questions so we'll just keep firing them at you!

TammyGirl says: Kathy, how many books are you currently working on?

KathyTroccoli: I just saw the finished product of Falling In Love With Jesus that I wrote with Dee Brestin. It comes out in January. I am very proud of this book, I worked real hard on it. I also just got a new publishing deal with Word, to write a 90,000-word book due in June called Am I Not Still, God?

CTIBrowjan:Wow that's going to take a lot of *still* time to write! Can you tell us a bit about what it means to fall in love with Jesus?

KathyTroccoli: I think it's understanding more about who He is, and what he desires from us as far as intimacy. Although he is such an Awesome, Holy God, he longs to converse with us, and console us, and spend time with us. And year after year in understanding that, I believe I have fallen more deeply in love with him.

CTIBrowjan: Praise God! I look forward to the book!

KathyTroccoli: The book is very vulnerable and real in its writing. Dee Brestin is married with children and I'm a single woman so we covered a real universal base as far as a whole topic of relationship with God goes. We used titles of songs and movies almost as parables to explain intimacy and relationship with God.

CTIBrowjan: Great … we'll look forward to the book when it comes out … Dee's a great gal. Another question:

Colby says: Hello Kathy … I was wondering what advice you give to singles during the holidays … the times when many feel the most lonely.

KathyTroccoli: I've had my share of loneliness, too. I understand that. What I try to do in that loneliness is try to make some of that loneliness into solitude time with God and in the natural sense in relationships with "wanting to belong" I truly make sure that I see my family and create special times with friends so that I'll have wonderful Christmas memories. For example, this Friday night, I'm going to New York City, with friends and we'll see the tree and go to Little Italy. I try to really seek it out and create an environment for myself where my soul gets filled.

Eric asks: Kathy, when and how did you get your break into music?

KathyTroccoli: I was discovered by the group Glad in 1979 at my church in Long Island and they knew Dan Harrell and Mike Blanton who managed Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith.

Judy asks: Hi Kathy, thanks so much for coming. What's YOUR favorite Christmas memory?

KathyTroccoli: I can give you another one to the one I mentioned earlier. You missed the first one, Judy. :)
One year I stood on 5th Ave in NYC to watch the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center. It was cold and yet we were around all the stores that were decorated and had the windows decorated and just to see the tree across the way—the whole 5th Ave—at that point—with the tree lighting in a second it was brilliant.

CTIBrowjan: Wow that sounds wonderful! This is a little off the Christmas topic but one of our guests asks:

CathyBears says: what inspired you to write the Babys Prayer.

KathyTroccoli: Wow, that's intense. It's funny you should mention that song. I just got a fax today, that absolutely blew me away, so I'll tell you about that first. A girl named Leah wrote me and said she was brought up Christian her whole life, and took a little rebellious stage for about 3 years and got pregnant. She didn't want to tell her parents and went to get an abortion by herself one day. She said the people treated her wonderful but one lady that was there said, "Could I turn on this Christian station?" And the Baby's Prayer came on. She said she got up, got dressed, left, and never looked back. She now has a little daughter that's two years old. So the reason why I wrote the song was to encourage men and women who have suffered shame and guilt from an abortion choice but also to allow people to make a choice for life, and I have heard many stories of babies being born. I've even held some of them.

CTIBrowjan: Wow, its hard to comment any more on that then to say that God has used it both to heal and to help. Let's ask some more from our audience:

jammin99slowjam says: Many people think religion is just big business … how do you respond to that?

KathyTroccoli: Some of it is. I've seen it firsthand. I am in a section of the Christian music industry that thrives on making lots of money. I think it comes down to the individual person and how sincere they are about their relationship with Christ.

CTIBrowjan: Keeping your eyes on Jesus … amen. Here's another:

Moose asks: Kathy, what brings you the greatest joy at Christmas time?

KathyTroccoli: GOOD FOOD. Just kidding :)
I think whether it is Christmas or any time of the year, I think it's that supernatural peace that only God can give. When I have that, I have the greatest joy.

CTIBrowjan: Is there a way that our guests can have that kind of peace? What brings you mainly to that moment of peace?

KathyTroccoli: I think it's available to all of us, because Jesus says, "Peace I leave you." Part of that is trusting that He will give it and being abandoned enough to receive it.

Eric says: Kathy, do you get more or less busy around the holidays? Do you get to see family and friends?

KathyTroccoli: Usually I try to take December off, but because I have a Christmas tour now, it's a little harder. I just got back last night, so tomorrow and Thursday I'm going to try to go shopping. It kind of crams everything in, but I do have two weeks at home, and that's good.

Tammy asks: Kathy, are you still working on the book Goodbye for Now?

KathyTroccoli: I had completed it but we need to make some changes so there's going to be a delay in that book.

Snubbery asks: I am an aspriring songwriter - any advice you can give?

KathyTroccoli: I would try to co-write a lot, because when you get with people that are even better than you are you tend to write better. That's what I've done and it's helped me in my songwriting.

CTIBrowjan: Great advice … never heard that one!

Colby says: What is your opinion of alternative sounds of Christian music such as rap and the harder rock? Many don't agree with it … I love it … but wanted your opinion.

KathyTroccoli: I think that God reaches people in many different ways. Rap and heavy metal are not necessarily to my liking, but what I like musically might not touch someone else.

CTIBrowjan: Speaking of being touched …

clemam says: Kathy, when are we going to see you on Touched by an Angel? Maybe Chuck Colson can put in a good word for you with Martha Williamson?

KathyTroccoli: LOL yeah, I heard that Touched by an Angel on Sunday was really good. Chuck told me at the Christmas Party that it was really good. I would love to be on Touched by an Angel.

CTIBrowjan: Yes we keep trying and trying! We all need to send those letters!

KathyTroccoli: I might be able to play the Italian Pizza Maker who needs help from an angel. :)

clemam says: Will you ever do another concert video?

KathyTroccoli: I've been starting to do evenings for women and we're thinking about doing a live album with a video next year.

CTIBrowjan: Great.

KathyTroccoli: So the guys—they can maybe put some wigs on and join us. :)

CTIBrowjan: LOL I'd enjoy seeing that! When you put on Christmas music at home, who do you listen to?

KathyTroccoli: Well, believe it or not, I have about 50 Christmas CD's and I pretty much rotate 4 every year. And these are what they are:

Number 1—Carpenter's Christmas Record
Number 2—Kenny G's first Christmas Record
Number 3—Nat King Cole's Christmas Album
Number 4—Donna Summers' Christmas record

Now doesn't everyone think I'm pretty cool?

CTIBrowjan: Alright! Yeah you are way cool Kathy!

beebasue says: Are all your memories of Christmas happy?

KathyTroccoli: Oh yeah, I've been happy all my life since I was born!!! I've been happy since I came out of the womb.

CTIBrowjan: LOL - wow, you are a Saint! You heard it here first friends!

KathyTroccoli: If anyone has been happy their whole life I think they need to be put away. Something is wrong. :)

Judy says: What type of ministry do you most like to be involved in?

KathyTroccoli: Judy, I would say these women's conference have absolutely changed my life in the sense of seeing women healed and encouraged and ignited for God. The conferences are listed on my web page www.troccoli.com. They're even international now.

CTIBrowjan: Great—its a nice site! I think we can fit in a few more questions but I do encourage you all to visit Kathy's site after the interview …

KathyTroccoli: Give me your e-mail address when you visit the web page so you can be in the Candle Club.

CTIBrowjan: What is the Candle Club? (starting to sing that candle song now … ) "carry your candle … "(sing with me Kathy)

KathyTroccoli: The Candle Club is for people who are interested in what is going on in my career, and also I want to be an encouragement so I send out e-mails pretty consistently to encourage everyone in their faith so they can be that light to the world. That's why I called it the candle club.

CTIBrowjan: Great! Ok two more!

jinja says: Kathy, do you still sing "Stubborn Love"?

KathyTroccoli: Sometimes, when it's requested. I'm thinking about putting a medley together this year because I can't fit in all the songs that people request.

TammyGirl says: Have you or will you ever recorded "O Holy Night' one day! I hope you will!

KathyTroccoli: Absolutely! It's going on my next Christmas record. It was a pick for the Sentimental Christmas album but it didn't fit the style of music on that album.

CTIBrowjan: Hard to fit yes … we'll look forward to that!

KathyTroccoli: I also want to do the Charlie Brown Christmas song

CTIBrowjan: =] (does that have words?)

KathyTroccoli: Yes it does. I found them on someone's record recently.

CTIBrowjan: LOL never knew that!

KathyTroccoli: I couldn't quote them to you, but it's just a precious little song. :) I also want to write some more original Christmas music.

CTIBrowjan: How can someone contact you to sing or speak? or do you do that?

KathyTroccoli: There's so many that I don't do that any more and being a songwriter, it's very hard to receive music because people complain that I've stolen a melody or a lyric if something is similar.

CTIBrowjan: OK yes we understand. Well, we want to wish you a happy holiday and may you be refreshed and refueled and thank you for joining us tonight.

KathyTroccoli: I don't know if Clemamore is on but I want to wish him a very merry Christmas! Thank all of you for your support of me! I never take it for granted.

CTIBrowjan: Let's all take time now to pray for Kathy. Would you join me now?

CTIBrowjan: Father, we thank you for Kathy and we thank you for the way you have used her music and talent for your glory. We thank you for the hurting hearts that have been encouraged but we also want to lift up Kathy and ask that you refresh and refuel her and may this season be restful to her. May she be full of that joy and peace she describes and may you continue to give her direction in the months ahead in all the tasks you have called her to do. Thank you Father for loving us and sending your Son. In His Name we pray, Amen.

KathyTroccoli: Amen

CTIBrowjan: Thanks all for joining us, Kathy will be back in two months! So look for her and be sure to join us. God bless you and Merry Christmas!

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