When Christmas Comes Around...
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When Christmas Comes Around... is the second Christmas album and ninth studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released through Atlantic Records on October 15, 2021. Produced by Jesse Shatkin, Jason Halbert, Joseph Trapanese and Aben Eubanks, it is her second Christmas album after Wrapped in Red (2013) and a follow-up to her eighth album Meaning of Life (2017). Conceived after the emotional turmoil of her public divorce, When Christmas Comes Around... is a breakup holiday album that features cover versions of Christmas songs, as well as original co-penned tracks and duets with Chris Stapleton, Ariana Grande, and Brett Eldredge.
Critics broadly praised When Christmas Comes Around... for Clarkson’s powerful, versatile vocals and mix of fresh originals with standout classics, though some noted uneven production and felt the new songs failed to match her previous holiday work. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Promotion for the album included a Christmas special of the same title, which premiered on NBC on December 1, 2021. The Christmas special premiered with a 0.6 rating and 4.3 million total viewers. Its release was preceded by the singles "Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)" and "Santa, Can't You Hear Me". It also includes previously released singles "Christmas Eve", "All I Want for Christmas Is You", and "Under the Mistletoe" as bonus tracks. A deluxe reissue of the album featuring two new tracks was released on November 1, 2024, including the single "You for Christmas".
Background and recording
"My purpose for choosing this lyric as the title of this project was to bring forth a sense of reality to the fact that we are probably in very different places emotionally When Christmas Comes Around... Some of us are consumed with a new love, some of us reminded of loss, some filled with optimism for the coming new year, others elated for some much deserved time away from the chaos our work lives can sometimes bring us. Wherever you are, and whatever you may be experiencing, I wanted everyone to be able to connect to a message on this album. Each year you may even have a new favorite depending on where you are in your life, but while change can be unpredictable there is no better time of year, in my opinion, to breathe hope into one’s life and let possibility wander."
Following the release of her first Christmas album Wrapped in Red in 2013 on RCA Records, Clarkson transferred to Atlantic Records and has issued the Christmas tracks "Christmas Eve" (2017), "Under the Mistletoe" (with Brett Eldredge), and a cover of Vince Vance & the Valiants' "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (2020). In an interview on the television program Entertainment Tonight, she revealed that she was not originally intending to record another Christmas studio album due to her fondness for her first, but later decided to following the emotional stress induced by the highly publicized divorce the previous year. In recording the album, Clarkson recorded cover versions of various Christmas classics and wrote new material featuring duets with American recording artists Chris Stapleton and Ariana Grande.
Themes and inspirations
Atlantic Records has promoted When Christmas Comes Around... as an exploration of "a wide range of holiday emotions and experiences anchored by Clarkson's incomparable vocal prowess". Clarkson has elaborated that the album will explore various themes of love, loss, hope, and optimism — emotions that people tend to experience during the holiday season.
Drawing inspiration from her experiences during the past two years, she remarked of the album's title, her first to not have a titular track since My December (2007), as "when Christmas comes around, we are all in different places." Further adding that its selection of tracks will both evoke a somber and posit a jolly atmosphere. Characterizing it as "a different Christmas album", she portrayed When Christmas Comes Around... as feeling more like a normal studio album, but "there's Christmas sprinkled on it."
Release
When Christmas Comes Around... was released by Atlantic Records on October 15, 2021. A special edition shipped exclusively to Target retail stores would also feature a Christmas card signed by Clarkson. Its lead single "Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)", was released on September 23, 2021. "Glow" with Stapleton and "Santa, Can't You Hear Me" with Grande were released as promotional singles alongside the album's release. The deluxe reissue of the album entitled When Christmas Comes Around… Again was released on November 1, 2024.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Slant Magazine |
In a roundup of new holiday albums, The New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica praised Clarkson's "nimble" vocals and wrote that the original tracks, some of them strikingly "uncelebratory," make the album stand out. In the year-end episode of his Times podcast Popcast, Caramanica again praised the album, calling it "very, very good [...] solid [and] impressive," though "not quite Mariah-level." Mike DeWald of Riff Magazine praised how Clarkson's original songs are "something fresh and listenable." Alan Sculley, writing for The Wichita Eagle, called When Christmas Comes Around... another "stellar holiday album". He found that it was "anything but the typical holiday album" and concluded: "Whatever the songs, they often come with full orchestration and plenty of studio polish, yet don't sound overproduced. Now with two stellar holiday albums to her credit, fans will be ready whenever another Clarkson Christmas album comes around again.
Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine, who gave the album three-and-a-half out of five stars, criticized some production choices but praised Clarkson's "impressive" vocals and "melodic variations" on the classics as the "chief selling point." Marcy Donelson of AllMusic gave the album three out of five stars, called it "a vibrant, fully orchestral, high-volume set on average", and singled out "Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)" and "Santa, Can't You Hear Me" as highlights among the newest tracks." Helmi Yusof from The Business Times noted that "Clarkson keeps it classy with her second Christmas album." He felt that "the best songs are the familiar ones, such as George Michael's "Last Christma"s sung as a slinky jazz number and "Jingle Bell Rocks" getting some lift from her powerful lungs." Vulture's Justin Curto called Clarkson "the queen of the holidays", calling the album a gift for Christmas. Curto especially appreciated the collaboration with Ariana Grande, as it sounds "as majestic as you would expect from the two singers." Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine found that while the original songs on When Christmas Comes Around... "don't quite live up to the lofty bar she previously set" on Wrapped in Red, the album "juxtaposes the yuletide blues with jubilant holiday standards," further noting that "Clarkson's vocals, then, are the album’s chief selling point."
Commercial performance
By December 2021, the album had sold 93,000 album-equivalent units.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Merry Christmas Baby" | Kelly ClarksonAben Eubanks | Jesse Shatkin | 3:45 |
| 2. | "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" | Meredith Willson | Shatkin | 1:54 |
| 3. | "Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)" | ClarksonJason HalbertJessi Collins | HalbertJoseph Trapanese | 3:51 |
| 4. | "Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)" | ClarksonEubanksHalbert | HalbertTrapanese | 4:10 |
| 5. | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" | Johnny Marks | Shatkin | 1:52 |
| 6. | "Glow" (with Chris Stapleton) | ClarksonHalbertFloyd Nathaniel HillsHayley WarnerJesse Thomas | Halbert | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Santa Baby" | Joan JavitsPhilip Springer | Halbert | 2:50 |
| 8. | "Santa, Can't You Hear Me" (with Ariana Grande) | ClarksonEubanks | Halbert | 4:02 |
| 9. | "Last Christmas" | George Michael | Halbert | 3:09 |
| 10. | "Jingle Bell Rock" | Joseph BealJames Ross Boothe | Shatkin | 1:56 |
| 11. | "Blessed" | Lindy RobbinsToby GadNicole Cohen | Halbert | 3:34 |
| 12. | "Christmas Come Early" | Bobby StrandBrock BakerMolly Kate KestnerDave Lubben | Halbert | 2:59 |
| 13. | "Under the Mistletoe" (with Brett Eldredge; Bonus track) | ClarksonEubanks | EubanksShatkin | 3:45 |
| 14. | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (Bonus track) | Andy StoneTroy Powers | Shatkin | 3:46 |
| 15. | "Christmas Eve" (Bonus track) | ClarksonHalbert | Halbert | 3:00 |
| Total length: | 47:51 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You for Christmas" | ClarksonMark RonsonAndrew Wyatt | Ronson | 2:54 |
| 2. | "Sleigh Ride" | Leroy AndersonMitchell Parish | Ronson | 2:10 |
| 3. | "Merry Christmas Baby" | ClarksonEubanks | Shatkin | 3:45 |
| 4. | "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" | Willson | Shatkin | 1:54 |
| 5. | "Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)" | ClarksonHalbertCollins | HalbertTrapanese | 3:51 |
| 6. | "Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)" | ClarksonEubanksHalbert | HalbertTrapanese | 4:10 |
| 7. | "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" | Marks | Shatkin | 1:52 |
| 8. | "Glow" (with Chris Stapleton) | ClarksonHalbertHillsWarnerThomas | Halbert | 3:18 |
| 9. | "Santa Baby" | Joan JavitsPhilip Springer | Halbert | 2:50 |
| 10. | "Santa, Can't You Hear Me" (with Ariana Grande) | ClarksonEubanks | Halbert | 4:02 |
| 11. | "Last Christmas" | Michael | Halbert | 3:09 |
| 12. | "Jingle Bell Rock" | BealBoothe | Shatkin | 1:56 |
| 13. | "Blessed" | RobbinsGadCohen | Halbert | 3:34 |
| 14. | "Christmas Come Early" | StrandBakerKestnerLubben | Halbert | 2:59 |
| 15. | "Under the Mistletoe" (with Brett Eldredge; Bonus track) | ClarksonEubanks | EubanksShatkin | 3:45 |
| 16. | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (Bonus track) | StonePowers | Shatkin | 3:46 |
| 17. | "Christmas Eve" (Bonus track) | ClarksonHalbert | Halbert | 3:00 |
| Total length: | 53:05 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes
Recorded and engineered at
- Brooklyn, New York (Brooklyn Bridge Music)
- Burbank, California (The Eastwood Stage at Warner Bros. Studio, The Listening Station, Glenwood Place Studios)
- Los Angeles, California (The Ribcage)
- Nashville, Tennessee (Ocean Way, Southern Ground)
- New York City (Manhattan Beach Recording)
- Pasadena, California (The Vibe Room)
- Studio City, California (Everland Studios)
- Universal City, California
Performance credits
- Kelly Clarkson – all vocals
- Jessi Collins – background vocals
- Luke Edgemon – background vocals
- Brett Eldredge – featured vocals
- Ariana Grande – featured vocals
- Nayanna Holley – background vocals
- Tiffany Palmer – background vocals
- Bridget Sarai – background vocals
- Chris Stapleton – featured vocals
- Brandon Winbush – background vocals
Musicians
| Isabel Bartles – violin Kevin Bate – cello Hari Bernstein – viola Idalynn Besser – viola Jenny Bifano – violin Charlie Bisharat – violin Laura Brenes – French horn Jimmy Bowland – saxophone Jaco Caraco – guitar Paul Cartwright – violin Bruce Christiansen – viola Leroy Clampitt – bass Stuart Clark – clarinet Ryan Cockman – violin Maria Conti – violin Mike Cordone – trumpet Phil Cornish – Hammond B3 organ Wade Culbreath – timpani Janet Darnall – violin Charles Dixon – viola Andrew Duckles – viol Timothy Eckert – bass Conni Ellisor – violin Alicia Enstrom – violin Lester Estelle – drums Aben Eubanks – bass, guitar, keyboards, percussion Leslie Fagan – flute Katelyn Faraudo – French horn Nicholas Gold – cello Ali Gooding – violin | Erik Gratton – flute Gerald Greer – violin Jim Grosjean – viola Jason Halbert – Hammond B3 organ, keyboards, piano, programming Erin Hall – violin Dylan Hart – French horn Neel Hammond – violin Keyon Harrold – trumpet Amy Helman – violin Mark Hill – bass Luanne Homzy – violin Jack Jezserio – bass Tommy King – organ, piano Pete Korpela – percussion Jennifer Kummer – French horn Marisa Kunney – violin Anthony LaMarchina – cello Jules Levy – bass Keith Loftis – tenor saxophone Tim Loo – cello Lucia Micarelli – violin Camille Miller – violin Jeffrey Miller – trombone Jesse McGinty – saxophone Ray Montiero – trumpet Craig Nelson– bass Jenni Olsen – flute Alyssa Park – violin Anthony Parnther – bassoon Greg Phillinganes – piano | Peter Povey – violin Linnea Powell – viola Aaron Redfield – drums, percussion Sari Reist – cello Danny Rivera – baritone saxophone Katty Rodriguez – baritone saxophone Rob Schaer – trumpet Erick Serna – guitar, ukulele Jesse Shatkin – drum programming, percussion, synthesizers Jung-Min Shin – violin Garrett Smith – trombone Vanessa Freebairn Smith – cello Ron Sorbo – timpani, percussion Anna Spina – French horn Marcus Strickland – tenor saxophone Luke Sullivant – guitar Amy Tatum – flute Charlie Tyler – cello Alan Umstead – violin Catherine Umstead – violin Mary Kathryn VanOsdale – violin Ina Veli – violin Diana Wade – violin Corey Wallace – trombone Bruce Wethey – violin Kyle Whalum – bass, upright bass Lara Wickes – oboe Karen Winklemann – violin Shu-Zheng – viola |
Production
| BTW Productions – music preparation Drew Atz – brass recording Greg Gigendad Burke – art direction and design Nick Cazares – music librarian John Chapman – orchestra recording Nathan Cimino – engineer Anthony Circo – scoring coordinator Kelly Clarkson – executive producer Jessi Collins – vocal arrangements Mike Cordone – brass arrangement Danja – co-producer (track 6) Spencer Dennis – assistant John DeNosky – additional engineer, additional programming Sam Dent – engineer Jeff Fitzpatrick – pro tools operator Gloria Elias-Foeillet – makeup | Chris Gehringer – mastering Serban Ghenea – mixing Jason Halbert – arrangement, producer Jennifer Hammond – additional orchestrations John Hanes – engineer Tom Hardisty – Eastwood Stage crew Keyon Harrold – brass arrangement Luanne Hornzy – concertmaster Jason Lazarus – additional arrangement Mark Lubetski – backline technician Craig Kallman – executive producer Whitney Martin – orchestra contractor Candace Lambert McAndrews – styling Jamie Olvera – Eastwood Stage crew Rachel Orscher – additional programming Tom Peltier – 2nd engineer | Greg Phillinganes – arrangement Robert Ramos – hair Clark Rhea – additional arrangement Mark Ronson – producer Jesse Shatkin – engineer, producer Carter Smith – photography Nick Spezia – orchestra recording engineer Andy Taub – engineer Joseph Trapanese – orchestra arrangement, conductor, production Robert Venable – engineer Alan Umstead – orchestra contractor Sam Wahl – engineer Richard Wheeler, Jr. – Eastwood Stage crew Booker White – music preparation Shane Wilson – engineer Derek Zeoli – technical coordinato Ginna Zimmitti – orchestra contractor |
Charts
| Chart (2021–2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 61 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 147 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) | 31 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 26 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 42 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) | 23 |
| Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) | 58 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) | 19 |
| Norwegian Albums (IFPI Norge) | 55 |
| Polish Streaming Albums (ZPAV) | 67 |
| Portuguese Streaming Albums (AFP) | 160 |
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts) | 80 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 41 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts) | 94 |
| US Billboard 200 | 22 |
| US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard) | 1 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Edition(s) | Format | Label | Catalog number | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | October 15, 2021 | Standard | CDdigital downloadstreaming | Atlantic | 864083-4 | |
| Christmas card CD | 864006-3 | |||||
| November 1, 2024 | When Christmas Comes Around... Again reissue | CDdigital downloadstreaming | 860289-4 |