“WAITING WELL (ft. Fr Mike Schmitz)”
COMING THIS CHRISTMAS
Nov. 14, 2025
Aly Aleigha is releasing two versions of this song:
Nov 7 - Releasing the Gold version (YouTube video above)
Nov 14 - Releasing the version featuring the voice of Fr. Mike Schmitz
WAITING WELL (ft. Fr Mike Schmitz)
Artist: Aly Aleigha feat. Fr. Mike Schmitz
Genre: Holiday, Christmas, Folk, Modern Folk, Folk-Pop, Christian
Themes: Advent; Christmas; John 1:5 (Light / Darkness); peace in midst of anxiety / chaos; Jesus is the Greatest Gift worth waiting for
Sounds like: Stephen Sanchez, Alex Warren, Old Sea Brigade, Noah Kahan
Lyrics
Verse 1:
If I wake tomorrow morning without a fresh fall of snow
No lights, no decorations, no Yuletide blaze aglow
If everything were lost and all that I had left was you…
I’d have everything I ever wanted for Christmas
Chorus:
You’re worth the wait
You’re the sweetest gift that I anticipate
Mmmm
Every time I look your way
The clouds break open with a thousand choirs of angels
And I’m learning what it means to be…
Waiting well
Verse 2:
Always in a hurry, but I have nowhere to go
Overwhelm and worry steal my peace
But when I think of the gift that I hope for the most
It’s only to be close to you this Christmas
Chorus:
You’re worth the wait
You’re the sweetest gift that I anticipate
Mmmm
Every time I look your way
The clouds break open with a thousand choirs of angels
And I’m learning what it means to be…
Waiting well
Bridge 1:
Guided by your starlight
The light shines in the dark
And every shadow is cast away
In my heart and in my soul
You’re the treasure that I hold
With you in this moment I’ll stay
Bridge 2:
And I’ll wait
For whatever the future brings
I know we’ll be okay
Because you’re here with me
Chorus:
You’re worth the wait
You’re the sweetest gift that I anticipate
Mmmm
Every time I look your way
The clouds break open with a thousand choirs of angels
Chorus:
You’re worth the wait
You’re the sweetest gift that I anticipate
Mmmm
Every time I look your way
The clouds break open with a thousand choirs of angels
And I’m learning what it means to be…
Waiting well
About the Song
If you woke up on Christmas morning and there was nothing special to set that day apart—no lights, no decorations, no presents—and all you had left was Jesus, would that be enough?
“Waiting Well” by Aly Aleigha is a reflection on what matters most in life: gratitude to the Lord for the immense gift of Himself, gratitude for those we love and the blessings of being together for Christmas, and not letting the anxieties and overwhelm of life deter us from our internal peace.
The song came about as a commission for an Advent series by Fr. Mike Schmitz & Ascension Press. You may recognize Fr. Mike Schmitz from the world-renowned Bible In A Year Podcast. Fr. Mike and Aly Aleigha have been working together for years, Aly often providing music for retreats and events for Fr. Mike’s events in the Diocese of Duluth and at the UMD Newman Center. At the summer camp in 2024, Fr. Mike approached Aly asking if she would consider writing a song to go along with the Advent series he would be doing with Ascension. Aly said she’d give it a shot; Fr. Mike told her about the series and sent example recordings, and Aly began praying with it until the song “Face To Face” was born. The following year, Fr. Mike asked Aly to compose another song for Ascension’s 2025 Advent series. This time, the result is Aly’s first original Christmas song, “Waiting Well.” Aly is releasing two versions of the song as lead singles to her future Christmas album: one featuring Fr. Mike Schmitz’ voice, and one without.
“Waiting Well” by Aly Aleigha was a commission project for Fr. Mike Schmitz’ Advent Series with Ascension 2025. Aly created two versions of the song—one that can be received as a Christmas Love Song, and another featuring the voice of Fr. Mike Schmitz, sound bytes taken from his teachings in Ascension’s 2025 Advent Series.
The timeline for the songwriting and production was very fast, but Aly & her team poured their hearts and souls into the creation process to bring this song to life. It was truly remarkable how it all came together so seamlessly.
Cellist Julia Jurkiewicz had connected with Aly offering her services in a future recording so when Aly reached out with a rush project, she was ready to jump in. While working together, Julia mentioned her sister Alicia Mentzer is a very proficient violinist. Aly invited Alicia to track violin on this project as well, and Alicia was able to book a studio session and learn the parts within a couple of days. Both Julia & Alicia contributed their gorgeous strings to the song.
Meanwhile, Aly had big ambitions about a choral arrangement to the song, inspired by modern pop artist Alex Warren and others. Given the rushed timeline, she was not convinced this would be a possibility; however, Aly Aleigha’s manager (and mother) Laura swiftly sent out invitations to local singers in the community, asking them to sing in the choir for this song. Aly then traveled to her hometown to record the choir. The violinist Alicia was
One especially noteworthy person deserving of special appreciation is Aly Aleigha’s producer Brett Winters. Aly and Brett had been working together since January 2025 to create a full album of Aly Aleigha’s Re-Imagined Christmas favorites, music which will first be performed live during the Aly Aleigha Band’s mini Christmas tour this year and released on all streaming platforms Christmas 2026. When Aly received the commission to record “Waiting Well,” Brett worked countless hours (including a few all-nighters) to meet the project deadline. Brett not only worked with Aly to achieve her vision for the song, but he also tracked many instruments himself, arranged a voice lead for each choir part (creating the choir lines with midi and then putting together a lead sheet so the choir could learn their parts), talked Aly through remotely recording the choir, and pulled all-nighters getting the mix just right.
In the end, “Waiting Well” was truly a song worth waiting for. Stream it everywhere Nov. 7, 2025 (or join Aly Aleigha’s Patreon community for pre-releases of this song and more).
The song will also be available to stream alongside Ascension’s 2025 Advent Series, on their App & anywhere you listen to podcasts.
About the Artist
ALY ALEIGHA:
Transcendental Indie-Folk Music for the Adventurous Soul.
Indie-Folk Artist & Worship Leader
GENRE: Indie-Folk, Indie-Alternative, Singer/Songwriter
INSPIRATIONS: Gregory Alan Isakov, Bon Iver, Hayden Calnin, Novo Amor, Mumford & Sons
SOUNDS LIKE: If Lauren Daigle is Chocolate and Bon Iver is Peanut Butter, Aly Aleigha is a Reese’s Cup.