On the seventh day of Christmas, John Schlitt gave to his fans"¦a rare, autographed cordless mic used by the legendary vocalist in concert. The Grammy and Dove Award winner continues to sweeten the proverbial pot for his Kickstarter campaign aimed at raising funds for Schlitt's next musical project, an as-yet-untitled Christmas album.

To commemorate the final 12 days of raising funds for his first Christmas album through Kickstarter, a popular "crowd-funding" platform for creative projects, Schlitt is offering a dozen new reward choices, including photos from Schlitt's personal photo album of the singer's first tour with Petra, a dinner with Schlitt along with friend and fellow musician John Elefante of Kansas fame, and a copy of the May 1986 issue of CCM Magazine featuring an article announcing that Schlitt, the former lead singer of popular mainstream rock band Head East, had joined Petra.

"A friend of mine called and suggested I honor the song 'The 12 Days of Christmas' during the final 12 days of my Kickstarter campaign by putting up one new reward per day for a limited time," Schlitt says. "I thought it was a great idea! I am so grateful to my many friends who have partnered with me for my first Christmas album."

Schlitt, who has never recorded any Christmas music, neither during his 20-year stint as the lead singer with Petra nor as a solo artist, says he has been feeling "a very strong tug" to make this seasonal record.

The majority of the CD, according to Schlitt, will consist of traditional Christmas songs done "John Schlitt style." He also plans to include several praise and worship songs. "My desire is that it will be a double-whammy type of Christmas album that will be very different"”and very special," he says.

More than 300 partners have already pledged more than 90 percent toward Schlitt's $35,000 goal. The deadline for pledges is June 8.

Pledges are taken on Schlitt's personal Kickstarter site (kickstarter.com/projects/johnwschlitt/john-schlitt-the-christmas-project) and powered by Amazon, enabling backers' credit cards to be charged via a secure website"”but only after the goal is met. If the goal is not met by the Kickstarter deadline, no money is collected from supporters and the project is not funded. Supporters can choose from a variety of incentives, depending on the pledge level, including a cookbook filled with the Schlitt family's favorite holiday recipes, advance downloads of the CD, vintage Petra tour T-shirts, autographed wooden Christmas ornaments hand crafted by Schlitt, and the chance to join Schlitt in a Nashville studio for a recording session.