Jenny Tolman’s ‘Cowboy for Christmas’ + 7 More New Holiday Tunes

Country stars sure have been getting into the Christmas spirit this holiday season! Whether those songs are unconventional originals or faithful takes on old standards, each new tune has something special to offer your Christmas playlist. Read on to unwrap all the goodies! 

Jenny Tolman, "Cowboy for Christmas":

Jenny Tolman doesn’t want anything complicated for Christmas, just a cowboy that comes complete with old Wrangler jeans. It’s that wish that Tolman sings about in her playful holiday release, “Cowboy for Christmas.” Tolman explained the inspiration for the song in a press release, saying "Last fall I got to tour for the very first time in Texas which led to me falling in love with cowboys!” Tolman wrote “Cowboy for Christmas” with Dave Brainard and Bill Whyte. -- CC

Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors (feat. Ellie Holcomb), "Let it Snow":

Drew Holcomb duets with his wife, fellow performer Ellie Holcomb, in this cozy take on a holiday classic. "Let it Snow" is the title track for the group's new holiday EP, which also includes two original holiday tunes, "Christmas Style" (which also features Ellie Holcomb) and "It's Christmas."

The musical couple have spent December spreading the magic of the holidays, both through recordings and live in concert. They delivered their annual Drew & Ellie Holcomb's Neighborly Christmas shows with dates in Texas and Tennessee. Sharing holiday music around this time of year has become a longstanding tradition for the Holcombs, who have released seasonal tunes dating back to 2007. -- CL

Katie Pruitt, "Merry Christmas, Mary Jane": 

In “Merry Christmas, Mary Jane” Katie Pruitt isn’t afraid to express her desire to smoke some weed to take the edge off of the holiday season. Definitely not the most traditional Christmas song, “Merry Christmas, Mary Jane” focuses on Pruitt feeling isolated and left will little faith in the season.

Pruitt explained in a press release why she wrote the track, “I wrote ‘Merry Christmas, Mary Jane’ on Christmas Eve at my parents’ house when I was home from college. I was feeling pretty lonely, a lot of my friends had moved away and I was fighting with my parents. I really just wanted to smoke some weed. I couldn’t find any, so I just wrote a song about it instead.” -- CC

Lena Stone, "River":

Holiday songs come in all shapes and sizes. For Lena Stone, one of her favorite holiday songs isn’t one that fits the typical mold: It’s “River,” a song made popular by Joni Mitchell. “‘River’ is the perfect holiday release for me,” Stone explained in a press release. “It’s not a song people typically think of this time of year, but it’s always been a Christmas song to me. Joni Mitchell is one of my biggest inspirations, and to cover one of her songs felt like a challenge, but a challenge that I was up for.” Stone's "River" was produced by Dave Pittenger. -- CC

Charles Esten, "On the Road to Bethlehem":

In his Christmas release, “On the Road to Bethlehem,” Charles Esten is taking on a familiar story from an unfamiliar point of view. That unfamiliar point of view is that of Joseph on his way to Bethlehem. “I had in mind to write a new Christmas song, and was trying to do so from a perspective I hadn’t heard very often," Esten explains of the song. "It occurred to me that, although I’m sure some exist, I couldn’t think of any songs from Joseph’s point of view, and that it would have been a fairly complicated and interesting one, at that." -- CC

Tara Thompson, "Willie Nelson Tickets":

Some people wish for true love or a picturesque snowfall for Christmas, but Tara Thompson's a little bit easier to shop for: All she wants for Christmas are tickets to a Willie Nelson show.

"Willie Nelson for president, by God," Thompson tells Sounds Like Nashville. "He's been my hero for a long time. I just love his songwriting, and I still haven't gotten the chance to even be in the same room as him, so obviously, going to see him live would be a very good Christmas present for Tara Thompson. That was kind of the inspiration behind it." -- CL

Temecula Road, "Christmas in Dixie":

Up-and-coming trio Temecula Road lend their ethereal, close harmonies to a new version of Alabama's 1985 holiday classic, "Christmas in Dixie." The bandmates shared their take on the Christmas tune in celebration of their current 2019 holiday tour: They're joining Sara Evans' Blue Christmas Tour, which kicked off  on Dec. 5. "Christmas in Dixie" follows Temecula Road's most recent original release, "Fades." -- CL

Jessie G, "Santa Baby":

Christmas is almost here, and Jessie G wants you to get into the spirit with her take on “Santa Baby.” According to a press release, the song was recorded at the last minute for the 2019 holiday season: She cut it in mid-November! The singer is signed to Gretchen Wilson's record label, Redneck Records, and recorded the track at Wilson’s Studio 27. In addition to being the label head and providing the space, Wilson produced the song along with recording the backing vocals. "Santa Baby" was penned by Joan Javits and Phillip Springer, the song was originally (and famously) recorded by Eartha Kitt in 1953. -- CC