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.
Videos by American Songwriter
“If We Make It Through December” (Merle Haggard)
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.
(Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
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