The Grand Ole Opry_® kicked off the third season of Nashville’s favorite holiday tradition, Opry Country Christmas, last night with the first in a series of nine shows.

Hosted by Grammy_®-winning Opry member Larry Gatlin, each Opry Country Christmas show will also feature Opry members The Gatlin Brothers, Riders In The Sky, Mandy Barnett and Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie McCoy.

In his first activity as an Opry member was last night’s Spotlight Artist Jon Pardi. His performance kicked off the celebration of the Multi-Platinum-selling singer/songwriter/producer’s first Christmas album release, Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi, which was produced by the award-winning producing team—Pardi, Bart Butler and Ryan Gore. The 12-track project is available  here. His performance included tracks “400 Horsepower,” “Please Come Home For Christmas,” “Beer for Santa” and “Merry Christmas From The Keys.” Also joining in the kickoff was special guest The War And Treaty who performed “Oh Holy Night,” “Silver Bells,” and “Safe.”

Jon is making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “Cowboys And Plowboys,” with Luke Bryan.

All Opry Country Christmas shows air on WSM Radio as well as WSM and Opry digital platforms. For Opry Country Christmas tickets and more information on the full Opry schedule visit opry.com. Catch Maddie & Tae as special guests on December 10th. The pair just released the Extended Version of their We Need Christmas EP.