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Christmas Chapel

I love the Christmas Eve services and the traditions that go along with them. In our church, it means lighting candles and passing them symbolically from one person to another. As I envisioned this tradition on canvas, I began to imagine that in an ideal world the Christmas Eve service would happen in a country chapel along a snowy wooded lane. The crisp night air is filled with silent snowflakes as a classic one-horse sleigh jingles through the frosty scene. Footsteps in the snow lead to the chapel door, suggesting that the church is filled with merry worshippers. The chapel is brightly lit against the darkening forest and a blazing cross atop the log steeple reminds us of the spiritual significance of the season.

I envision this painting as the first in a series of three Christmas Chapels, each taking their inspiration from a classic Christmas carol. My prayer is that this series will give each of us a chance to rekindle the simple joys of the Christmas season.

  • Thomas Kinkade has placed a total of twenty-five N’s in Christmas Chapel I, O Come All Ye Faithful both as a tribute to his wife Nanette and in celebration for his twenty-five years as a published artist.
  • Christmas Chapel I, O Come All Ye Faithful is the first in Thom’s new Christmas Chapel Collection, which is planned for three images.
  • Did you know that the top five selling chapel images of all time are: 1) The Mountain Chapel, 2) The Forest Chapel, 3) Streams of Living Water,  4) Sunday Evening Sleigh Ride and 5) Dogwood Chapel?
  • Did you know that the top five selling Christmas scenes of all time are: 1) A Holiday Gathering, 2) Village Christmas, 3) Blessings of  Christmas, 4) Sunday Evening Sleigh Ride and 5) Lights of Liberty?
  • In this work, Thom features a new technique called “the radiant palette” where he intensifies the mid range. This makes the glow more intense and radiant than ever, while the shadows grow darker.
  • Christmas Chapel I, O Come All Ye Faithful features a country church – with an old-fashioned celebration of Christmas in the country – an intimate gathering of family and friends on Christmas Eve.
  • This is a classic timeless image of Christmas. Thom’s favorite part is the ragged cross on the steeple. He wanted to portray the light of hope that we can have during Christmas. The cross is a symbol of hope.
  • Christmas Chapel I, O Come All Ye Faithful is a celebration of details, with a Christmas Eve service in progress — the log building  glowing with light pouring out. We can tell that people are inside celebrating, with a fire to keep them warm, maybe even singing the hymn  “O Come All Ye Faithful.”
Title Christmas Chapel I, O Come All Ye Faithful
Published October 2009
Collection Christmas Chapel Collection

Image Sizes

12" x 18"
18" x 27"
24" x 36"

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