The John Fahey Christmas Album

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide	[8]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	7/10[10]

The Province wrote that "the flute, piano and cello accompaniment creates a lithe, pleasant chamber-ensemble ambience."^[11] The Edmonton Journal opined that, "while it might be labelled part of the contemplative art form known as New Age, the music is rich, difficult and beautiful enough to impress non-aficionados of relaxation music."^[12] The Globe and Mail noted that "Fahey's warm, round tone glows like a Yule log at midnight and the balance between the familiar and obscure is delicate enough that the album can tug heartstrings without ever becoming cloying."^[13]

In 2017, Pitchfork, comparing the 1991 release to his earlier Christmas albums, wrote: "For Fahey, holiday music allowed for a sort of evolving emotional inventory and a dependable corrective for heavy feelings. It, like him, could change."^[14]