25 beloved holiday albums to rediscover this winter

Wrapped in Red – Kelly Clarkson

But of course, the original American Idol loves Christmas! Kelly Clarkson graced us all with a holiday album of her own in 2013, Wrapped in Red. The album featured sixteen tracks, and five of which were originals co-written by Kelly along with Greg Kurstin. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because he co-wrote Sia’s holiday album Everyday is Christmas, too! He definitely has a knack for writing Christmas songs.

Besides the usual classics — “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, “Blue Christmas”, “Run Run Rudolph”, etc. — Kelly also had some star-studded collabs with artists like Reba and Trisha Yearwood (on “Silent Night”) and Ronnie Dunn on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. Kelly covered “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music and Imogen Heap’s “Just For Now”, with a more festive arrangement that samples “Carol of the Bells”. While producing the album, Kelly drew inspirations from A Charlie Brown Christmas and White Christmas, and from other great holiday albums from the likes of Mariah Carey and Reba.

Like so many who came before her, Kelly promoted her holiday album with a TV special on NBC, Kelly Clarkson’s Cautionary Christmas Music Tale in 2013. Her special featured stars like Heidi Klum, Whoopi Goldberg, Ken Jeong, Robin Williams, Jay Leno, and of course Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood. The show was a loosely based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, but in this musical version, Kelly is the one who learns the true meaning of the holiday.

Kelly’s album received rave reviews from critics, with many praising her fluid blend of several genres including jazz, country, and pop. It stayed in the top ten of the Billboard 200 for nine consecutive weeks, which is longer than any of her previous studio albums,and was certified platinum in December 2013. It’s a Christmas miracle!