Christmas Tree Farm

Having grown up in Pine Ridge Farm, a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania, Taylor Swift has expressed her love for the holiday season throughout her career and her desire for it to be "all year round". She stated that she helped her dad manage the farm during her childhood and that the environment influenced her affection for the season. Swift's first Christmas record, The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection (2007), features four covers of Christmas songs and two original tracks that she wrote. In 2019, Swift wrote, recorded, and released "Christmas Tree Farm" in under six days. She wrote the song on piano on December1, and recorded her vocals the following day. On December3, a group of choral singers provided background vocals. Swift announced the track on Good Morning America on December5, before Republic Records released it as a single the following day. A behind-the-scenes video that showcases the song's creation process was released on December23,2019. On November22,2021, Swift announced an "Old Timey Version" of the track on Good Morning America, released on the same day as an Amazon Music exclusive. A behind-the-scenes video featuring the process of making the new version accompanied its release. ==Production and composition==

Swift produced "Christmas Tree Farm" with Jimmy Napes, who provided background vocals and played piano. Gus Pirelli played Moog bass and recorded the track at London Lane Studios in the United Kingdom, assisted by Jamie McEvoy, Joseph Wander, and Will Purton. Serban Ghenea provided audio mixing, with John Hanes serving as the mixing engineer. Simon Hale conducted the string arrangement and Lawrence Johnson worked as the vocal arranger. Musicians who played instruments for "Christmas Tree Farm" include Bruce White (viola), Jodi Milliner (bass guitar), Ian Burdge (cello), Chris Laurence (double bass), and Ash Soan (drums); John Thurgood, Laurence Davies, and Martin Owen played French horn. Several singers provided choral background vocals, including Candice-Mimi Otohwo, Destinee Knight-Scott, Glenn Tatenda Gwazai, Jessica Mae Obioha, Lorrain Briscoe, Margeaux Michelle, Paul Lee, Tarna Renae Johnson, Tehillah Daniel, The LJ Singers, Travis J Cole, Wayne Hernandez, and Wendi Rose. It is a Christmas-themed pop song and a sentimental ballad that features an upbeat arrangement, an uptempo rhythm, and 1960s music influences. It begins with a jazzy intro showcasing 1950s-inspired strings, which was compared to the music of Nat King Cole and Karen Carpenter by The A.V. Club Gwen Ihnat. The song then transitions into the main upbeat pop part that features jingle bell percussion; critics stated that it evoked the music of Mariah Carey and Phil Spector. Featuring a new arrangement and a 70-piece orchestra, the "Old Timey Version" incorporates horns, strings, and muted jingle bells along with elements of swing music. The lyrics recall Swift's nostalgic childhood memories from an adult perspective. In the intro, she expresses her stress amid the chaotic nature of the holiday season, before she closes her eyes and envisions being in a different place. She wishes to visit the Christmas tree farm in her heart and depicts a fanciful scene: "In my heart is a Christmas tree farm/ Where the people would come/ To dance under sparkling lights/ Bundled up in their mittens and coats/ And the cider would flow/ And I just wanna be there tonight." Swift sings in the hook to her lover, "Everything is icy and blue/ And you would be there too", before admitting in the refrain, "Just being in your arms/ Takes me back to that little farm/ Where every wish comes true." ==Critical reception==

Music critics believed that "Christmas Tree Farm" succeeded in the context of using the holiday season to reflect Swift's childhood memories, Paste Jane Song dubbed it "twinkly, fresh and happy", Several music journalists praised "Christmas Tree Farm" as catchy and dubbed it an "earworm". The production of "Christmas Tree Farm" was also a subject of praise by critics, who believed that its heavy orchestration resulted in "maximum holiday glee" "Christmas Tree Farm" appeared in rankings of Swift's discography by Song (72 out of 158), Mylrea (84 out of 161), Vulture Nate Jones (185 out of 245), and Rolling Stone Rob Sheffield (214 out of 286). Several publications listed "Christmas Tree Farm" in their lists of the best Christmas songs. The A.V. Club included it on its list of the 18 best Christmas songs of the 2010s decade in 2020, In 2019, British GQ and NME considered it one of the best newly released Christmas songs. while PinkNews picked it as the 12th-best. The track also appeared in all-time rankings by Time Out (16 out of 50), Cosmopolitan (45 out of 80), Glamour (53 out of 55), and Parade (76 out of 200). It was included in unranked lists by Entertainment Weekly and Esquire. ==Commercial performance==

"Christmas Tree Farm" debuted at number 147 on the Billboard Global 200 chart on the week ending January 2, 2021, before peaking at number 84 in January2026. On the week ending December 14, 2019, it debuted at number 25 on the Adult Contemporary chart, before peaking at number three in its third week. before peaking at number 44 in December2021. It reached number 13 in Croatia, number 16 in Scotland, number 23 in Flanders, number 29 in Hungary, number 40 in Canada, number 49 in Australia, and number 50 in Switzerland. The track was certified gold in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. "Christmas Tree Farm (Old Timey Version)" reached number 98 on the Billboard Global 200 chart dated January 1, 2022. In the United States, it peaked at number 22 on the Adult Contemporary chart, number 46 on the Holiday 100 chart, and number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Christmas Tree Farm (Old Timey Version)" reached number 84 on the national chart of Sweden in the last week of 2023. ==Music video==

Swift announced the self-directed music video for "Christmas Tree Farm" on her social media accounts on December 5, 2019. The video aired on Good Morning America on the morning of the following day, and it was released digitally along with a lyric video. The music video features childhood home footage of Swift and her family, filmed at Pine Ridge Farm. It captures them sledding, sitting on Santa lap, playing in the snow, and gathering by a Christmas tree. The video additionally features footage of the farm days before Swift's birth and transitions to its different areas, showcasing stockings placed by the fireplace, numerous Christmas lights decorated around the home, and Swift's pet dog playing in the garden. ==Live performances==

Swift performed "Christmas Tree Farm" at the Jingle Bell Ball in London on December 8, 2019, wearing a white belted playsuit and thigh-high boots. Footage of her childhood and falling snowflakes appeared in the background throughout the performance. On December 13, she reprised the performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City as part of the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, donning a sequin gold dress and knee-high boots. Rolling Stone Patrick Doyle lauded her vocals during the performance, which featured "Beach Boys-y harmonies and a Wall of Sound arrangement". ==Credits and personnel==

Credits were adapted from Qobuz. • Taylor Swift – vocals, songwriter, producer • Jimmy Napes – producer, background vocals, piano • Serban Ghenea – mixer • John Hanes – mixing engineer • Gus Pirelli – recording engineer, Moog bass • Jamie McEvoy – assistant recording engineer • Joseph Wander – assistant recording engineer • Will Purton – assistant recording engineer • Bruce White – viola • Jodi Milliner – bass guitar • Ian Burdge – cello • Chris Laurence – double bass • Ash Soan – drums • John Thurgood, Laurence Davies, Martin Owen – French horn • Simon Hale – string arranger • Lawrence Johnson – vocal arranger • Candice-Mimi Otohwo, Destinee Knight-Scott, Glenn Tatenda Gwazai, Jessica Mae Obioha, Lorrain Briscoe, Margeaux Michelle, Paul Lee, Tarna Renae Johnson, Tehillah Daniel, The LJ Singers, Travis J Cole, Wayne Hernandez, Wendi Rose – background vocals ==Charts==

Weekly charts Monthly charts ==Certifications==