The Secret of Christmas (Julie Andrews album)

The Secret of Christmas is the second Christmas album released by English singer and actress Julie Andrews. The album consists of twelve holiday carols and was first released in England, where it received rave reviews for its exquisite arrangements and Julie Andrews' performance. The album was released in the United Kingdom in 1975 by the budget record label Embassy Records. Julie Andrews, who had previously worked with various record labels throughout her career without ever signing a long-term contract with any of them, released this album after an eight-year hiatus from solo records projects.

Embassy Records was known for producing affordable cover versions of popular songs, sold exclusively at Woolworths. Initially active from 1954 to 1965, it ceased operations when its parent company, Oriole, was acquired by CBS Records. The label was revived by CBS between 1973 and 1980 to release budget-friendly versions of albums by Columbia Records artists in the UK and Europe. Building on this partnership, CBS decided to release Julie Andrews' album in the United States seven years after its original UK launch. This new edition featured a fresh album cover and was titled Christmas with Julie Andrews. It also included two special additions: a cherished early 1960s recording of "Silent Night"—previously released on the compilation Firestone Presents Your Favorite Christmas Music Volume 4 (1965)—and the brand-new song "The Secret of Christmas", which, despite lending its name to the original album's title, was notably absent from its tracklist.

In 1984, Reader's Digest, a division of The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., publisher of Reader's Digest magazine, released a new edition of the album, now titled The Julie Andrews Christmas Album, with the songs in the track listing in a different order.