Sunday, 16 November 2025

Emmelie de Forest - Kisses for Christmas


39 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy-stream Kisses for Christmas here (external link)

Do not delete Emmelie de Forest because she has delved into some of her most magical holiday memories to craft her own EP of endlessly timeless seasonal songs called Kisses for Christmas. It is a delightful selection box of old school Hollywood style charm, the type of music that doesn't seem to age but just gets better each year you play it. It all starts off with a brand new song - the title track (Kisses for Christmas) is a lavish ode to how love, actually, is all around at the most wonderful time of the year; and, if you are in the worst / best type of love affair (an unrequited one), then a wish for the titular embrace would take priority. Chiming piano, bold percussion and echoing backing vocals create a dreamlike atmosphere, as beguiling as watching the snowflakes dance on the breeze. The vibe is very A Christmas Gift For You - and it is all the better because of it.

No Man But A Snowman is a song that my mum used to play on a crackly and slightly scratched 7" from the sixtes. This evocative update feels like it has traversed the passages of time, like a long lost music box being wound up again after years in a dusty attic. Which is meant to be a huge compliment - the strumming guitar and winsome nature of Emmelie's vocal marry together beautifully, making this as captivating as the most ornate Christmas bauble. Her take on My Favourite Things is a haunting soliloquy, drawing to mind comparisons with a wintry Kate Bush. The Sound of Music song takes on a beuiling lament aura as Emmelie sings of the simple yet deepest desires of her heart - the juxtaposition of the music caressing nicely against the yearning lament of her singing. Everything old is new again - and just as enchanting as it ever was. 

I'll confess that when I saw the title of Snow, I thought it would be the vibrant song from White Christmas. Instead this is a different song I'm unfamiliar with but one I sense will become my new favourite future oldie. Emmelie really is expert at taking opposing themes and blending them exquisitely. Here, the stark nature of the lyrics should conjure up images of cold landscapes, yet is warmed by the lilting accompaniment. It is not dissimilar with the elegiac nature of Christmas Time Is Here. The gorgeous plucked string elements weave round cooing voices, as if drifting on a memory that's twirling in the ethers. Emmelie paints a vivid picture with the words, letting them feel every space between the notes. That's some musical alchemy that will keep you merry and bright until next Christmas rolls around.

**Ghosts of Christmas Past**
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