New Christmas Albums 2025: Sufjan Stevens, Alanis Morissette and More

This year’s Christmas releases cover a wide range of familiar territory, from orchestral jazz and traditional pop to bluegrass, indie songwriting and synthwave. The most notable returns come from Sufjan Stevens, whose first new holiday song in 15 years leads a new compilation, and Alanis Morissette, who’s gathering earlier seasonal tracks alongside new recordings for her first Christmas album. Elsewhere, a cast of Broadway performers takes on holiday standards, while younger singers Ryan Peter Murphy and aron! make a case for old-fashioned crooning.

New material from familiar voices

Sufjan Stevens, Worst Chrismas Ever!

For listeners who’ve followed Sufjan Stevens’ many Christmas releases, Worst Chrismas Ever! offers a 16-track selection gathered onto one album. Its draw is a new song, “On This Christmas (It Only Gets Better).” Stevens hasn’t released a new holiday tune in 15 years, and this is his first new song of any kind since his recovery from Guillain-Barré syndrome. That makes the compilation more than a seasonal overview: it marks his return to recording. [Out 11/6 on Asthmatic Kitty.]

Alanis Morissette, Good Weather For Immaculate Conception

Morissette has made a habit of releasing holiday songs around this time of year. Her first Christmas album, Good Weather For Immaculate Conception, brings those tracks together with new recordings. Its guests include Brandi Carlile, Joy Oladokun, Amythyst Kiah, Trans Voices, and Steve Martin and Martin Short—two thirds of the Only Murders In The Building trio. The advance taste is a bluegrass take on the traditional song “Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem”, featuring Carlile and Martin on banjo. [Out 11/6 on Epiphany Music.]

Steven Page, Steven's Greetings

Steven Page’s last Christmas album came in 2004, when he was still with Barenaked Ladies. After leaving the band in 2009 and releasing solo work, he returns to seasonal music with Steven's Greetings, a mix of standards and originals. Some songs reprise material he sang on Barenaked For The Holidays, and the tracklist also includes Hanukkah songs. Page’s range runs from comedy to sincerity: the album opens with an impassioned promise to make “a cheese log with cream cheese and cheddar cheese” and closes with a straight-faced “Auld Lang Syne” featuring his three adult sons. [Out 11/13 via Fresh Baked Goods.]

Hilary Duff, Holiday Things EP

Hilary Duff’s five-song Holiday Things pairs three original tracks with two covers. It’s a compact pop release, and the opening song makes its intentions clear with the title “All You Want For Christmas Is Me”. The EP is out now. [Out now via Sugarmouse/Atlantic.]

Debbie Gibson, Winterlicious D’Luxe

Debbie Gibson expands her 2022 holiday album Winterlicious with a deluxe edition containing six new tracks. The release arrives ahead of her Christmas-themed Las Vegas residency in December. One new single, “Lit Up,” puts the former teen idol’s pop pedigree front and center. [Out now via Stargirl.]

Jazz, bluegrass and orchestral traditions

Niia, Christmas With Niia

Alt-R&B singer Niia and producer Spencer Zahn take on the intimate, jazz-tinged side of Christmas music with Christmas With Niia. The lead single recasts Paul McCartney’s often-debated “Wonderful Christmastime,” trading the original’s playful character for a more wistful, smooth reading. It’s a shift that gives a familiar song a quieter mood, and suggests Niia’s album could suit listeners looking for a gentler addition to their seasonal rotation. [Out digitally 10/30 and physically 12/4 via Candid Records.]

Kat Edmonson, Have Your Merry Christmas With Me

Kat Edmonson has spent years working in holiday music, including an appearance on Lyle Lovett’s Songs For The Season in 2011 and her own 2021 release, Holiday Swingin'! (A Kat Edmonson Christmas, Vol. 1). Her next album, Have Your Merry Christmas With Me, continues in a jazz-pop style. The advance tracks “It's Snowing” and “That's What I Want For Christmas” point to originals that sit comfortably beside the record’s traditional covers. [Out 11/6 via self-release.]

David Benoit, David Benoit Conducts A Vince Guaraldi Holiday Symphony

Vince Guaraldi’s music for A Charlie Brown Christmas is well-established holiday listening. Pianist and composer David Benoit offers an orchestral interpretation on David Benoit Conducts A Vince Guaraldi Holiday Symphony, recorded with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. The lead single, “Christmas Time Is Here,” also features the All-American Boys Choir. The project’s appeal will depend on how much listeners want a symphonic frame around Guaraldi’s familiar melodies. [Out digitally 10/30 and physically 11/20 via Candid.]

The Infamous Stringdusters, Dust The Halls Vol. 2

Progressive bluegrass band the Infamous Stringdusters return to holiday music with Dust The Halls Vol. 2. The sequel follows 2020’s Dust The Halls: An Acoustic Christmas Holiday! and again brings bluegrass arrangements to the expected mix of hymns, standards and original songs. [Out 11/13 via Americana Vibes.]

Crooner pop and unexpected seasonal detours

Ryan Peter Murphy, Christmas In New England

At 24, Connecticut-born Berklee student Ryan Peter Murphy is making a case for traditional crooner pop. He describes himself as a “swooner,” a label his press release explains as “Gen Z’s answer to the crooner.” On Christmas In New England, Murphy sticks to classic arrangements rather than adding a contemporary twist. Songs from the album are set to appear in this year’s Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, a placement that fits the record’s broad, old-school appeal. The title track has an animated video that appears to use AI imagery, one conspicuously modern element in an otherwise retro package. [Out now on Warner.]

aron!, christmas dream EP

aron! also leans into retro vocal pop, with lowercase branding and a self-described “cozy pop” sound. His seasonal EP, christmas dream, follows that approach rather than trying to update big-band style for its own sake. The single “Christmas Dreams” brings a brisk big-band arrangement with an easygoing vocal delivery. [Out 11/13 via Verve.]

The cast of The Gilded Age, Voices Of The Gilded Age: The Christmas Album

HBO’s The Gilded Age isn’t a musical, but its cast includes a deep bench of stage performers. Voices Of The Gilded Age: The Christmas Album gives them a chance to sing together, pairing holiday standards with two new songs composed by hitmaker Desmond Child. The performers include Carrie Coon, Ben Ahlers, Christine Baranski, Laura Benanti, Denée Benton, Jordan Donica, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Donna Murphy, Kelli O’Hara, Taylor Richardson, Morgan Spector, Taylor Trensch and Adrienne Warren. The arrangements sound more contemporary than the show’s 1880s New York setting, but the cast’s Broadway experience makes the album a natural extension of its ensemble. Child’s work is part of that mix, and a preview offers a taste of the results. [Out 11/6 via Concord Theatricals.]

Norah Jones and Chris Stapleton, “April’s Gone”

Norah Jones and Chris Stapleton join forces on the holiday-season single “April’s Gone.” Jones wrote it with Leon Michels of El Michels Affair, who produced her 2021 Christmas album I Dream Of Christmas and 2024’s Visions. The track’s rootsy sound makes it an easy fit for a quieter holiday playlist, especially in a coffee shop setting.

Johan Agebjörn and Dana Jean Phoenix, “Will You Be Home For Christmas”

Swedish producer Johan Agebjörn and synthwave singer-songwriter Dana Jean Phoenix bring electronic textures to “Will You Be Home For Christmas.” The concept points toward a holiday song with the mood of a Drive soundtrack, though the finished track lands in a more overtly polished, kitschy register. It’s a reminder that the season’s releases aren’t confined to standards and crooners: the same familiar subject can still take a detour into synth-pop. [Out 11/27 via self-release.]

The strongest thread across this year’s crop is how deliberately artists are choosing their seasonal lane. Stevens and Page draw on established catalogs, Morissette gathers years of holiday singles, and Niia and the younger crooners make distinct bets on mood and tradition. For listeners building a holiday rotation early, the release dates offer a useful guide; the styles offer a better one.