Amy Grant and Vince Gill will embark on a 15-date Christmas tour beginning Dec. 4, in Manchester, NH, and culminating in a pair of shows at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium.

“The job of spreading Christmas cheer has simply gotten too big for Santa and Rudolph to do alone,” Gill explained in a recent press release. “So Amy and I are pitching in. Besides, these holiday tours have become our favorites.”

The two hour program will feature cherished standards and newer seasonal fare with the Grammy-winning husband-and-wife team being backed by a 12-piece band that features a horn section and two harmony singers, one of whom is Gill’s daughter, Jenny.

“Some of our earlier Christmas tours were with a symphony orchestra,” Gill notes. “This time, though, we wanted to create more of an intimate, living room feel.”

Plans are underway to work with local charities in order to give back to these communities.

Amy Grant is also slated to release “The Christmas Collection,” her first new Christmas album in nine years on Sept. 30. The project is made up of selections from her three earlier Christmas CDs plus four new tunes, including “Baby It’s Christmas,” a song Grant and Gill wrote together. Look for Grant on the upcoming NBC-TV special, “Holiday Celebration On Ice” with Michael W. Smith and a corps of world-famous skating champions which will air Nov. 30.

Christmas With Amy & Vince Tour Dates:

Dec. 4 Manchester, NH/Verizon Wireless Arena

Dec. 5 Augusta, ME/Augusta Civic Center

Dec. 6 West Point, NY/Eisenhower Hall Theatre

Dec. 7 Mashantucket, CT/MGM Grand Theatre at Foxwoods

Dec. 10 Baltimore, MD/Lyric Opera House

Dec. 11 Albany, NY/Times Union Center

Dec. 12 Worcester, MA/DCU Center

Dec. 13 Elmira, NY/First Arena

Dec. 15 Atlanta, GA/Fox Theatre

Dec. 16 Charlotte, NC/Ovens Auditorium

Dec. 18 Grand Rapids, MI/Van Andel Arena

Dec. 19 St. Louis, MO/Scottrade Center

Dec. 20 Bloomington, IL/US Cellular Colliseum

Dec. 22 & 23 Nashville, TN/Ryman Auditorium