Santa Claus Lane
Hilary Duff's Holiday EP Proves Pop Stars Are Getting Festive Their Way
The singer is releasing Christmas music again — but staying true to her sound.
Move over, Mariah Carey, the new Queen of Christmas is sleighing her way into town. OK, just kidding, I’m not sacrilegious — but Hilary Duff could arguably be second in line for the throne.
On Oct. 20, the singer surprised fans by announcing she’s returning to Christmas music with her new EP Holiday Things, nearly 25 years after her first Christmas album, Santa Claus Lane (technically her debut, but it’s always been Metamorphosis to me). This time, she’s getting festive her way, continuing the trend of pop stars making the holidays sound like... their usual musical style.
Holiday Things features three new original songs: “All You Want For Christmas Is Me,” “I Want (a few small things),” and “I Guess It’s Christmas,” all of which would fit seamlessly on her album luck... or something. They’re undeniably Christmas songs, complete with jingle bells and surf guitars, but they're filled with millennial angst and joy, and they don't hide the stress that can come with the holidays.
Mirroring the anxiety of her track “Holiday Party,” Duff ditches tradition on “All You Want For Christmas Is Me,” trading holiday soirees for eating Thai food and dancing at home. Other things on Duff’s wishlist? New face cream, perfectly fitted baggy jeans, and doom-scrolling in bed, as she sings on “I Want,” celebrating the small things but making them festive.
Like any good holiday project, she also includes some classics, including a new cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and a “(Mine)” version of “Last Christmas,” updating the teenage rendition from her first album. Both covers feel laid-back yet melancholy, carrying the maturity and bittersweet nostalgia that’s apparent on luck... or something. (She missed a trick by not re-recording the iconic “Santa Claus Lane,” but there’s always next year.)
All of those feelings culminate in “I Guess It’s Christmas,” where Duff embraces the chaos of the holidays, wallowing in the passing of time but ultimately choosing to celebrate with love. With that, Duff joins the ranks of pop stars who don’t compromise their preferred sound or lyricism for the season, proving that Christmas music doesn’t have a specific sound.
Ariana Grande’s 2015 Christmas and Chill EP takes a modern approach to holiday music, with trap synths and R&B melodies that sound downright jolly, plus clever lyrical flips on classics like “12 Days of Christmas.” Sabrina Carpenter infused 2023’s Fruitcake EP with disco flair, dramatic strings, and even a New Year’s Eve song. And Kacey Musgraves’ holiday album A Very Kacey Christmas is as down-home country as it gets, while also incorporating Spanish and Hawaiian influences, plus her usual cheeky puns that would make your family blush.
In an increasingly static Christmas music landscape, with the same classic songs topping the charts every year, doing your own thing is exactly how to stand out. Thank God Duff got the memo, as releasing the umpteenth rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock” with the same guitar riff would’ve been bad luck... or something.
