I’m a sucker for Christmas tunes. I enjoy listening to any Christmas song whether it’s traditional or has a bit of a twist. As I was browsing through some new November songs, I came across a new album: Everyday Is Christmas written by Australian singer Sia.

The album has ten songs, which are called “Santa’s Coming for Us,” “Candy Cane Lane,” “Snowman,” “Snowflake,” “Ho Ho Ho,” “Puppies Are Forever,” “Sunshine,” “Underneath the Mistletoe,” “Everyday Is Christmas,” and “Underneath the Christmas Lights,” respectively.

Listening to these songs surprised me quite a lot; Sia’s vocals were strong and the background instruments were rather mesmerizing. While most songs exceeded my expectations, there were a couple that were about average in terms of the meanings behind the songs and how Sia sang them.

“Santa’s Coming for Us” (nine out of 10 stars)

This song starts out the album with a wonderfully festive, uplifting tune that evokes a lot of positive emotions. Sia’s vocals have a lot of depth and are featured strongly throughout the entire song. The instrumentals also blend in nicely with her voice. This first song has more of a traditional take on Christmas, but nonetheless, it was a good song to listen to. The lyrics tell stories of what people typically do during Christmas, such as “nights are getting shorter now, hot chocolate fills the air and Christmas cheer does, too” and “pick a merry old Christmas tree, so lovely.” Although the song was a bit short than I’d like, I would definitely recommend this song. It simply filled me with joy.

“Candy Cane Lane” (8.5 out of 10 stars)

“Candy Cane Lane” begins with Christmas bells jingling to the moderately fast rhythm. Compared to “Santa’s Coming for Us,” this song did not quite give as festive of a mood. Instead, listening to this song made me feel nostalgic and hopeful. With this song, Sia’s voice fit perfectly with the instrumentals and the beat. Despite the lyrics being a little repetitive, it was enjoyable listening to this song. I especially liked how Sia described the “red and yellow and pink and green” colors of Christmas. Throughout the song, Candy Cane Lane seemed like a perfect world when Sia said, “Take a trip down Candy Cane Lane with me. I’ll call Rudolph down to meet us in the street. We can dance, he can prance. There’s no can’ts, ’cause here, everything is possible.” All in all, I really liked this song for its meaning and instrumentals.

“Snowman” (seven out of 10 stars)

With a slower beat and a hint of sadness, “Snowman” has a unique rhythm compared to the previous songs. In this song, Sia talks about her lover, who is the snowman. She cheers him up by saying, “Don’t cry snowman, don’t leave me this way. A puddle of water can’t hold me close, baby.” Her lyrics are very sentimental yet cheerful-sounding mainly because of the Christmas theme of the song lyrics. The instrumentals are subtle yet add a different dimension to the overall mood of the song. The length of the song is also the same compared to the lengths of other songs, yet it felt as if I was listening to it for a long time due to the slowed beat. I liked this song, but I would say it was not as good as the previous ones for these reasons.

“Snowflake” (eight out of 10 stars)

When I listened to the beginning of the song, I did not like it that much because the rhythm was repetitive. However, as the song progressed, the chorus took a different, positive turn with the instrumentals and rhythm. This song is not traditional of Christmas music in terms of rhythm as well. This song is not traditional of Christmas music in terms of rhythm. With the lyrics, Sia alludes to a person with a memorable personality and qualities. She makes him or her the snowflake she mentions throughout the song when she says, “Snowflake you know you’re the only one. There’s no one like you, so I’m gonna hide you, my sweet.” Overall, I came to like this song even more as I continued to listen to it until the end.

“Ho Ho Ho” (nine out of 10 stars)

The Christmas tunes roll back around with “Ho ho ho,” featuring Sia’s rich vocals, lighthearted instrumentals, and a catchy rhythm. The instrumentals start out quietly as the song focuses mainly on the lyrics. However, as soon as Sia sings, “Ho ho ho, it don’t get better than this,” the instruments take the spotlight. In this song, Sia describes the mischievous sides of people when Christmastime comes when she says, “Ho ho ho, bring a bottle of rum. Ho ho ho, cream and whiskey bourbon. Ho ho ho, bring a bottle of booze” and “ho ho ho, in the land of misfits. Ho ho ho, we’re all losin’ our legs. We got nothing but this, ho ho ho.” Towards the middle of the song, sound effects are played, which add to the playful mood of this song. The addition of trumpets makes this song sound hearty as well. Though Sia was a bit monotonous in some areas of the song, I would surely recommend this song.

“Puppies Are Forever” (7.5 out of 10 stars)

Sia sings all about puppies and how much she loves them in “Puppies Are Forever.” This song features lively instrumentals, an almost fast beat, and puppy barking sound effects. I really liked how Sia repeated certain notes when she said, “’Cause they’re so cute and fluffy with shiny coats. But will you love ’em when they’re old and slow.” However, what makes me confused is why Sia decided to focus on an entire song on puppies. In the chorus, she says, “Puppies are forever, not just for Christmas,” which made me wonder why she put this song specifically in this Christmas album. I also noticed she said the words “my sweet” in “Snowflake” as well, and I wish she made the lyrics for this song a little more unique than the lyrics from previous songs. Despite this, this song was nice to listen to, and I would recommend it.

“Sunshine” (8.5 out of 10 stars)

This song has a beautiful tune, evoking an optimistic mood. Sia cheers up a loved one by saying, “I’ll bring you sunshine.” However, she repeats “my sweet” from “Snowflake” and “Puppies Are Forever,” which made me think that these lyrics would be very similar to the lyrics from previous songs in terms of meaning and the feelings they gave. As the song progressed, I realized that this song was much more genuine, especially when Sia said, “Don’t be scared, I’m by your side. I’m Santa’s helper, give your fears to me. I’ll take them home, baby, and return them as sunshine.” The rhythm and beats were moderately fast, and they were quite catchy. Overall, I enjoyed listening to this song.

“Underneath the Mistletoe” (9.5 out of 10 stars)

“Underneath the Mistletoe” is my favorite song in this album. Having strong vocals and a good blend of instrumentals and vocals are just some of its highlights. This song also has an innocent and playful tune. Sia sings about spending the holidays with a special someone in this song when she says, “Run to me, run to me through the white night. ‘Cause I adore ya” and “kiss me till dawn, la la la la la la. Hold me close now. You’ll keep me warm, la la la la la la. Keep the ghosts out.” However, I just wish the song was a little longer. This song was overall sentimental and had a variety of instruments playing in the background, especially a piano. Sia’s strong vocals contrasted sharply with the soft music in some parts, while in others, her vocals blended with the instruments. For these reasons, I would undoubtedly recommend this song.

“Everyday Is Christmas” (eight out of 10 stars)

In the second-to-last song, Sia refers back to the title of the album and sings about one of her loved ones and how she enjoys every day like Christmas when she is with her lover. Although the song has a melancholy tune to it, the meaning behind the song was beautiful. Sia’s voice adds a great amount of energy to the song, and when these aspects were combined together, this song sounded quite authentic. I really liked when Sia said, “You’re the gift that keeps givin’, my angel for life. Everyday is Christmas, everyday is Christmas. Everyday is Christmas with you by my side.” Even though the lyrics were a bit repetitive, the song exceeded my expectations.

“Underneath the Christmas Lights” (nine out of 10 stars)

With a stunning finish to the album, “Underneath The Christmas Lights” gave a sense of nostalgia. Sia’s vocals along with the music sounded divine and ethereal. I thought it was interesting how Sia began the song with a rhetorical question when she said, “Will the snow fall for me?” The rhythm was very slow, but this added to the pureness of this song. I also liked how Sia connected her personal life with her view of the world during Christmastime when she said, “You are all I need tonight” and “happy presents for the girls who’ve cried.” Out of all the other songs, this song seemed to be constructed with the most care. Sia’s vocals were delicate rather than strong in this song. Due to these aspects, I enjoyed every minute of listening to this song.

I felt this album had a lot of wonderful songs. Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten stars.