This is the third all-Christmas album by this Cincinnati-based husband-wife duo, and like the previous two it's an eclectic grouping of songs based in the holiday season though not necessarily always about Christmas. Unlike the past two albums, the duo didn't write all of the songs; "Bethlehem" and "Snowbirds" are originals by other musicians who play on the album and there's one cover, Merle Haggard's "If We Make It Through December," a straight country take that's also appropriate alongside the other songs here. The title song is a twangy take on traveling to see the family, "Another Christmas" is a folky strum that addresses one person's doubts about the big questions framed against Christmas, topped off with a quote of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," and then the same emotions become bleaker with "My Father's Body." "First Snowfall" features the duo harmonizing over some finely-drawn observations about the phenomenon in the title, and "Let It Fall" serves as a comment about what to do about that "First Snowfall." "Snowbirds" celebrates the holiday in the sunnier climes, although the tone of the song sets up a melancholy contrast to the lyrics. "Bethlehem" is a revisitation and answer song to "O Little Town of Bethlehem," which is something the group had previously done on the Snow Angels album. "New Year's Song," likewise, contrasts happy lyrics and downbeat music. All told, if you've heard the previous two Christmas albums by this act, there aren't a lot of surprises here, but that's because their approach to a happy holiday with mixed emotions applies to just about everybody.
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