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Taylor Swift Albums Ranked by How Perfect They Are for the Holidays

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Ottawa chapter.

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Every Taylor Swift album is essentially perfect, and ideal for listening to at any stage of the year. That being said, they don’t all exactly fit the holiday season. Some definitely have more Christmassy songs than others.

I have ranked them by how many songs on the album have themes relating to winter and Christmas, and how overall holiday-like they feel.

evermore

evermore, in my opinion, is hands down Taylor Swift’s most Christmassy album. Although it’s probably her most underrated album (even Taylor doesn’t seem to acknowledge it, sadly), it includes so many amazing songs. Her songs “champagne problems,” “’tis the damn season,” “ivy,” “cowboy like me,” and “evermore” all evoke very wintery themes and feelings. Additionally, the album came out in December, which must mean that Taylor herself feels that it fits in during that season.

red

Red, arguably one of her most popular albums, has many songs that can be seen as holiday songs. Of course, “All Too Well” (especially the 10 Minute Version) is the most popular. With lines like “‘Cause in this city’s barren cold / I still remember the first fall of snow / And how it glistened as it fell,” it’s undeniable that the song has themes relating to winter. Other songs on the album that are good for holiday listening are “Forever Winter,” “The Moment I Knew,” and “Begin Again.”

speak now

Speak Now, Swift’s third album, has one main song, which makes it a perfect album for winter⁠—and of course, that song is “Back to December.” It’s one of her most wintery songs and is hauntingly beautiful. Another song that fits the holiday vibe is “Enchanted,” which has recently regained newfound popularity, thanks to TikTok. One of the main themes from this album is heartbreak, which pairs well with the winter months since it reflects the season’s coldness.

reputation

Reputation, although a very polarizing album, still maintains those themes of winter, especially with the closing song, “New Year’s Day.” Like Speak Now, the tone of this album is darker than her previous albums, which is perfect for those cold, dark winter days. Other songs on the album that I associate with winter are “Delicate” and “Call It What You Want.” Although these songs aren’t explicitly associated with winter, their themes of romance definitely relate to it.

midnights

Taylor’s newest release includes many banger songs. Of course, the whole album doesn’t exhibit the same vibes as the previous albums. Her collaboration with Lana Del Rey in “Snow on the Beach” is very reminiscent of winter. In my opinion, other songs that emit Christmas vibes are “Labyrinth” and “Maroon.”

lover

We have reached the point in the list where the majority of the songs on the albums don’t completely align with the holiday season. However, “Lover” and “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” both refer to Christmas or snow. Still, the album as a whole seems to be geared more toward the summer season. All the colours are very bright, and it’s a very upbeat and fun album.

folklore
Taylor Swift folklore
Republic

evermore‘s sister album, folklore, represents the other seasons⁠—spring and summer⁠—whereas evermore represents winter and fall. Even though Taylor herself has explained this distinction, there are still some songs on folklore that in some way represent winter. Songs like “cardigan,” “exile,” and “the lakes” can all be interpreted as wintery in their themes.

debut

Taylor Swift’s debut album only really has one main song that can be associated with winter, which is “Cold as you.” However, the whole vibe of the album, in my opinion, is more representative of spring.

Fearless

Fearless has always seemed like a spring/summer album. Even the artwork is very bright and exudes lots of sunshine. There aren’t a ton of songs that demonstrate any themes of winter.

1989

In my opinion, 1989 is a great summer album. it’s an excellent pop album, and like Fearless, it doesn’t have many songs that directly point to anything Christmassy or wintery.

That ends my ranking! To be fair, really only the first five albums on the list exude any Christmas presence. Though, I’m aware that everyone would have a different ranking. Swift’s discography is incredibly impressive, and you should stream all her albums (but especially evermore) this winter!

Hi there! My name is Natasha and I am a second-year English student!