Nothing beats acoustic.
Today, Riley Green shared a beautiful, simple acoustic rendition of his new Christmas song “Christmas To Me,” which he co-wrote with frequent collaborator Erik Dylan.
A nostalgic holiday tune about his most special and cherished Christmas memories, it’s far from your typical Christmas song in that it’s reflective, warm and far from a lot of the gimmicky, cheesy types of holiday jingles a lot of artists put out this time of year.
Of course, I think everything sounds better in this type of setting where the song can really breathe, and Riley often shares videos like this on Instagram with his songs, and sometimes covers, in their purest form.
Steeped in Southern charm, “Christmas To Me” has such a nostalgic undertone in terms of the lyrics, and feels so simple yet relatable as he sings about his mom about to “come apart” because she just found out about his sisters new tattoo (what’s Christmas without a little family drama, right?):
“And all them in-laws are showin’ up late
For a five star meal on a paper plate
The sound of bare foot feet runnin’ through the house
The football games just about to start
About the time momma has a come-apart
Cause sisters new tattoo she just found out about
There’s a string of lights all tangled around the tree
That’s christmas to me”
I don’t usually gravitate to Christmas music, and I certainly don’t love it, but if they all sounded more like this, I’d probably come around…
“I wrote a song about what Christmas was like for me growing up. Hope y’all dig it. ‘Christmas to me’ is out now.”
Check it out:
“Christmas To Me”
Riley released his third studio album Don’t Mind If I Do in October, and just won his first CMA Award for Musical Event of the Year for the viral hit he was featured on with Ella Langley, “You Look Like You Love Me,” on Wednesday.
He should have been nominated for way more, but there’s always next year, I guess…
Riley will hit the road on his Damn Country Music Tour next year, and you can check out the full list of dates below.
DAMN COUNTRY MUSIC TOUR DATES:
March 27, 2025 – Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Centre
March 28, 2025 – Kelowna, BC – Prospera Place
March 30, 2025 – Regina, SK – Brandt Centre
April 3, 2025 – Kingston, ON – Slush Puppie Place
April 4, 2025 – Toronto, ON – Coca-Cola Coliseum
April 5, 2025 – London, ON – Budweiser Gardens
May 1, 2025 – Athens, GA – Akins Ford Arena
May 9, 2025 – Lake Charles, LA – Lake Charles Event Center
May 10, 2025 – Tupelo, MS – Cadence Bank Arena
May 29, 2025 – Youngstown, OH – Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre
May 30, 2025 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center
May 31, 2025 – Detroit, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
June 12, 2025 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Pavilion
June 13, 2025 – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion
June 14, 2025 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park
June 19, 2025 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
June 21, 2025 – Huntington, WV – Marshall Health Network Arena
July 24, 2025 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17
July 25, 2025 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
July 26, 2025 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion
August 21, 2025 – Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater
August 22, 2025 – Idaho Falls, ID – Mountain America Center
August 23, 2025 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater