When Christmas Comes Around... is Kelly Clarkson’s second Christmas album and her ninth studio album overall, released on October 15, 2021 via Atlantic Records. The 15‑track collection runs about 48 minutes and mixes originals, standards, and high‑profile duets, including “Christmas Isn’t Canceled (Just You),” “Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know),” “Blessed,” and “Christmas Come Early,” alongside classics like “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Santa Baby,” “Last Christmas,” and “Jingle Bell Rock.” It also features collaborations with Chris Stapleton (“Glow”), Ariana Grande (“Santa, Can’t You Hear Me”), and Brett Eldredge (“Under the Mistletoe”), giving the album a blend of pop, country, and big‑band flavors.Musically and thematically, the record explores a wide emotional range, from festive warmth to breakup‑era melancholy. “Merry Christmas Baby” opens with a soulful, expansive, tongue‑in‑cheek take on love gone wrong, while “Christmas Isn’t Canceled (Just You)” and “Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)” lean into the idea that the holidays can be complicated after a split. Clarkson balances these with upbeat, sass‑filled covers—her funky big‑band “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” smoky jazz‑club “Last Christmas,” and expressive “Santa Baby”—that show off her vocal versatility. Original ballads “Blessed” and “Christmas Come Early” slow things down, focusing on gratitude and longing, and critics note that she “hits all the right notes” by fusing fresh, contemporary takes with straightforward traditional arrangements, making the album sound distinctly like a Kelly Clarkson record while still feeling like a genuine, replayable holiday set.
