If this is Sufjan Stevens’s idea of the worst Christmas ever, I want to see what his Christmases are usually like.

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TOP 5

5. Holly Jolly Christmas

This is such a fun take on “Holly Jolly Christmas.” There are some simple but impactful harmonies, and the instrumental is more intense and complicated than you would expect from this Christmas carol. I love a new take on a classic, especially on a Christmas album, so I really enjoyed Sufjan Stevens’s “Holly Jolly Christmas” for that reason. The reimagining of a classic perfectly encapsulates the general tone of Worst Christmas Ever!.

4. Silent Night

“Silent Night” has some major nostalgia for me specifically, so this may be bias, but I loved “Silent Night.” It’s not a groundbreaking cover of the Christmas classic, but it’s beautiful, with relaxing folk guitars and a slow build that opens the album perfectly. So many voices are heard by the end of the track that it feels either like angels or people singing around a campfire. I think that it’s supposed to combine those. It’s also evocative of old Christmas recordings where the singer would stop singing for a while and let a choir of women sing a chorus and/or a verse. There’s something beautifully nostalgic about Sufjan’s rendition of the Christmas classic.

3. Put The Lights On The Tree

“Put The Lights On The Tree” immediately follows “Silent Night,” meaning that it’s the second track on the album and the first track that was originally by Sufjan. It’s really cute. It’s about the things you should do to be festive at Christmas—decorate the tree, decorate your house, and call your grandma. He reminds the listener that Jesus Christ is here. While Sufjan isn’t a Christian artist in terms of genre, he is a Christian, and that is present in a lot of his work. It makes sense that this would be a theme on a Christmas album, given the holiday’s origin.

2. Sister Winter

“Sister Winter” is an absolute standout. It does fit the energy of this being the worst Christmas ever. It’s about seasonal depression. He could be having fun with his friends in the Christmas season, but instead, he’s stuck in seasonal depression, his heart having “returned to Sister Winter.” Most of the song is a piano ballad, but it suddenly gets into almost marching band territory towards the end. Trumpets, strong percussion, and a forward-moving pace define the end of the track until it all fades out. He eventually returns to wish his friends a happy Christmas, giving the sad song a triumphant conclusion.

1. Joy To The World

“Joy To The World” follows “Sister Winter” on the tracklist. There’s something fitting there—now that Sufjan is out of his seasonal depression, there is joy in the world. The vocal arrangements are the highlight of this track for me. The constant harmonies and slight alterations of the melody are beautiful, and then lots of backing vocals are occasionally present. This is a solid example of original composition.

SONG BY SONG RATING

Silent Night (4/5)

Put The Lights On The Tree (4/5)

Holly Jolly Christmas (4/5)

Christmas In The Room (4/5)

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Christmas Infinity Voyage Version) (4/5)

Sister Winter (4.5/5)

Joy To The World (4.5/5)

On This Christmas (It Only Gets Better) (4/5)

Angels We Have Heard On High (Christmas Infinity Voyage Version) (4/5)

Only at Christmas Time (4/5)

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Christmas Unicorn Version) (4/5)

That Was the Worst Christmas Ever! (4/5)

Sleigh Ride (4/5)

Justice Delivers Its Gift (4/5)

Auld Lang Syne (4/5)

Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages) (4/5)

RGM RATING

(B)

Worst Christmas Ever! is a solid example of Sufjan Stevens’s Christmas music. He’s able to take existing pieces and give them interesting, dynamic spins while still keeping the charm, nostalgia, and message of the original works. His own original songs are also very good, especially “Sister Winter.” I like the structure that is rarely deviated from: Christmas classic, Sufjan original, etc.

While I don’t think that Christmas music needs to be albums, and EPs are just fine (thank you, Hilary Duff, for Holiday Things), I think that this is an example of an album being a solid choice. It has more of a direction than some Christmas albums, such as David Archuleta’s Warm Me Up from a few weeks ago. I think it could have been shorter with little that would have changed, but Sufjan’s Christmas catalog is so massive that this length isn’t surprising.

Overall, this is a solid album. I won’t be going back to it every Christmas, but some songs will join my Christmas song roster.

Emma Platt