From Mariah Carey and Mannheim Steamroller to Tower of Power and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, there’s no shortage of musicians going out on Christmas tours to remind us what season this is. But when it comes to putting the holiday’s spiritual origins front and center, few can hold a candle to Michael W. Smith’s 2024 Every Christmas Tour.

Smith’s next tour stop with special guest Riley Clemmons is Thursday at Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs.

Combining traditional Christmas classics with his devotional pop songs, holiday tours for Smith have been a tradition that dates to the mid-1990s. Speaking in a late-October interview, Smith said his passion for those songs goes back as far as he can remember.

“Growing up with my mom and dad, I pulled out the Christmas records every Sept. 1, and I still do,” said Smith, who speaks with the same enthusiasm about the fans who turn out for the tour year after year.

“They’re all dressed up. They’ve gone out to dinner. It’s like, this is what they do every year. These people probably love Christmas music as much as I do.”

Smith’s career, which includes five platinum albums, three Grammy Awards and no less than 45 Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association, began when he moved to Nashville, Tenn., to pursue a songwriting career. Smith got his first break when he was hired in 1982 as keyboardist in Amy Grant’s band. Soon, he was following in the Christian crossover star’s footsteps with his solo career.

Smith’s next big break came when he signed with Geffen and in 1992 released “Change Your World,” an album that drew favorable comparisons to the music of Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads and U2.

“I’ve always written these kind of infectious pop melodies,” he said, “and they all sort of collided on that album, which is one of my favorite projects.”

“I really never tried to cross over or write something for radio,” said Smith, who did both with “I Will Be Here for You.” A co-write with legendary pop songwriter Dianne Warren, it went No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart and brought him face to face with the temptations that record industry success brings. But Smith was prepared.

“As the song was going up the charts, I found myself in these interesting places, doing radio station parties, and girls were throwing themselves at me,” Smith recalled. “It was kind of like culture shock, but I knew what was coming.”

Instead, Smith kept his focus on God, music and the long game, while releasing about three dozen albums and maintaining a successful career.

For Smith, it’s a continuation of the mindset he embraced decades ago.

“I just kept telling myself, ‘I’ve got to stay the course and I can survive success,’” he said. “It was like, ‘I can do this.’ And I have, and I’m grateful.”