Country music has endless Christmas songs to choose from. The genre plays well in the Holidays, moving many artists in the genre to pen their own festive hits. Covers of the classics are always great, but there is something special about a Christmas song written about an artist’s experience. Below, revisit four country Christmas hits that read more like short stories than carols.
“If We Make It Through December” (Merle Haggard)
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The narrative in Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December” is a familiar one. The country icon sings about a working-class man struggling financially with all that the winter months require. It’s the coldest time of winter / And I shiver when I see the falling snow / If we make it through December / Got plans to be in a warmer town come summertime, he sings. Though this song isn’t expressly a Christmas track, the notion is there, making it one of the best vignettes of small-town life for the Holiday season.
“Hard Candy Christmas” (Dolly Parton)
Similarly, Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas” is about not letting money troubles get you down during the Holidays. As always, Parton is a source of light in dark times with this upbeat country Christmas track. It’s a forced frame of mind that many will relate to, mirroring the real-life struggles of many small-town inhabitants.
“Christmas in Dixie” (Alabama)
Alabama has always represented the band’s titular state. Even at Christmastime, they can’t help but give props to where they come from. Christmas in Dixie, it’s snowing in the pines / Merry Christmas from Dixie to everyone tonight, they sing in the chorus, after listing all the ways Christmas is celebrated around the U.S. Anyone growing up in Alabama will be able to relate to this regional country Christmas track.
“It Won’t Be the Same This Year” (Vince Gill)
Vince Gill gets candid on “It Won’t Be the Same This Year.” He tells the story of his older brother’s passing while reminiscing on Christmas. His favorite time was always Christmas / We’d reminisce about the days gone by / Oh, how I wish that he were still here with us / My memories of him will never die, Gill sings in this heartbreaking Holiday hit.
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Kyu Sakamoto. (1941-1985) Japanese singer, best known outside Japan for his international hit song "Ue o Muite Aruko" (known as "Sukiyaki" in English-speaking markets), which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies. It reached number one in the United States Billboard Hot 100 in June 1963, making Sakamoto the first Asian recording artist to have a number one song on the chart. (Photo by Sjöberg Bildbyrå/ullstein bild via Getty Images) -
Picture taken in 1974 in Stockholm shows the Swedish pop group Abba with its members (L-R) Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog and Bjorn Ulvaeus posing after winning the Swedish branch of the Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Waterloo". – Sweden's legendary disco group ABBA announced on April 27, 2018 that they have reunited to record two new songs, 35 years after their last single. The quartet split up in 1982 after dominating the disco scene for more than a decade with hits like "Waterloo", "Dancing Queen", "Mamma Mia" and "Super Trouper". (Photo by Olle LINDEBORG / TT News Agency / AFP) / Sweden OUT (Photo credit should read OLLE LINDEBORG/AFP via Getty Images) -
IN CONCERT – Airdate: March 1, 1974. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) LINDA RONSTADT -
HOLLYWOOD, CA – 1979: Teens dance to the music at the 1979 Hollywood High School prom held in Hollywood, California. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) -
British musician Christine McVie, of the group Fleetwood Mac, performs onstage at the Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, Wisconsin, July 19, 1978. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) -
Singer Patsy Cline poses for a portrait circa 1961. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
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