Hilary Duff just brought Christmas early.

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TOP 3

3. I Guess it’s Christmas

The holiday season can be a time of grief for a lot of people. While it is meant to be festive at its core, it can also bring back memories of pain, make us miss lost loved ones, or even just get really stressed. Hilary Duff explores that idea on “I Guess it’s Christmas.” Hilary feels “sort of sad” during the holiday season, but her partner makes her feel better: less lonely, less jealous of others, and more festive. It’s a sweet midtempo pop ballad that works as a heartfelt closer to the Holiday Things EP.

2. Last Christmas (Mine)

I love the song “Last Christmas.” I grew up on Wham! and George Michael, so any good cover of a Wham! song will make me happy. “Last Christmas (Mine)” made me very happy. Hilary sounds great. She doesn’t change much about the track, but if it isn’t broken, there’s nothing to fix. I am always interested when covers of songs are very distinct from the original, but nothing will ever sound like the original, and Christmas covers aren’t usually that groundbreaking. I’m also always glad to hear good covers of this song because it makes me feel less “Last Christmas”-starved when I participate in Whamageddon every year.

1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

I have always loved “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Hilary’s version gives the track a pop spin with beautifully vintage-inspired instrumentation. There are a lot of production layers here. The vocals have some interesting doubling and there are always several things going on, but it never feels complicated or messy. It’s clever. Hilary and her collaborators on this track understand how to make a Christmas classic distinct and memorable. Hilary sounds beautiful singing in this style, and I would eat up a second Christmas EP that includes songs like “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” or “Blue Christmas.”

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SONG-BY-SONG RATING

All You Want for Christmas is Me (4/5)

Last Christmas (Mine) (4/5)

I Want (a few small things) (4/5)

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (4.5/5)

I Guess it’s Christmas (4/5)

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RGM RATING

(B)

Holiday Things is a solid Christmas EP. I do think it’s a bit early for Christmas music, but I’m not a record executive, so maybe late October is prime Christmas music season and nobody made me aware. I hope this does well come late November.

This EP isn’t anything groundbreaking, but it is definitely sweet. The classics Hilary covers are better than the three original recordings on the EP, but only marginally. I’m adding the three originals to my Christmas playlist. Neither of the covers will be there since the playlist is my favorite version of every Christmas song I can think of, but I do see myself coming back to the EP when I’m in more of a festive mood. I’m still gearing up for Halloween.

Overall, I’m here for the Hilary Duff renaissance of 2026 and can’t wait for whatever she chooses to do next.

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