A Very Kacey Christmas

Musgraves first announced she was working on a Christmas album on June 1, 2016,^[5] before a formal announcement came on September 7, 2016.^[2] In an interview with Rolling Stone published on September 8, 2016, Musgraves called working on the album "one of the most enriching musical experiences."^[6] On recording the album, she states, "I really wanted to create a whimsical throwback holiday record, one that evokes feelings of nostalgia and simpler times. I think that the fine musicians and brains that were a part of this project have helped me create a body of music that can be added to people's classic collections."^[6]

Musgraves describes the album as "part western swing sprinkled with bits of classic pop, hazy Hawaiian moments and child-like fun that all comes to a nostalgic, melancholy end and ultimately is very 'me,'" and adds, "There can be a touch of sad feelings and memories during the holiday season for a lot of people so I knew when I went in to write I wanted to include all the emotions this time of year can bring out."^[4]

In support of the album, Musgraves embarked on the "A Very Kacey Christmas" tour. It began November 26, 2016, in Windsor, Ontario, and concluded on December 21, 2016, in Fort Worth, TX.^[7] The tour's production was bigger than a typical Musgraves tour. In addition to her band it featured a strings section, an accordion, bass, saxophone, clarinet and backup singers.^[8]

Promotional appearances in the media included a performance of "Mele Kalikimaka" and "Christmas Makes Me Cry" on CMA's Country Christmas 2016 TV special.^[9] Musgraves also performed live on Good Morning America on November 30, 2016,^[10] The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on December 1, 2016,^[11] The Talk on December 5, 2016,^[12] and on Late Night with Seth Meyers on December 7, 2016.^[13]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100[14]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Belfast Telegraph	8/10[15]
Evening Standard	[16]
Financial Times	[17]
Los Angeles Times	[18]
Pitchfork	6.8/10[19]
Q	[20]
Vice (Expert Witness)	[21]

A Very Kacey Christmas received universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 82 based on 4 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[14] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album four and a half out of five stars and calls it "a sharp, playful, and warm holiday record, the kind that evokes the past while feeling fresh and seeming destined for many years of annual spins."^[1] Writing for Pitchfork and rating the album 6.8 out of 10, Marc Hogan states the album "glides naturally from her established Western-swing throwback aesthetic to kitschy exotica and vintage pop, with an expertly curated song selection that leans on campy novelties, classy standards, and a stocking’s worth of originals."^[19]

Entertainment Weekly ranked the album 12th on its list of the "Best Christmas Albums of all Time", writing that the album "blends the festive joy of the season with just the right touch of her signature melancholia".^[22] In 2022 Billboard listed This Christmas Day as the 7th "Best Christmas Albums of the 21st Century".^[23]

Source: AllMusic^[1]

Credits adapted from AllMusic.^[24]

Musicians

Technical personnel