Sufjan Stevens released "On This Christmas (It Only Gets Better)" and its music video on November 2, offering the new song ahead of Friday's holiday compilation, Worst Christmas Ever! The album gathers 15 previously released selections and one new original into 16 tracks, giving listeners a shorter entry into a Christmas catalog that previously filled two five-volume box sets.
Asthmatic Kitty's announcement identifies this as his first new Christmas song in nearly 15 years. The compilation was announced in September, with the full album arriving November 6.
The new song and its handmade video
Stevens describes the song as a Christmas apology, built around forgiveness rather than the exchange of presents. In the label's statement, he says: "I love the idea of a Christmas apology." Pitchfork describes it as a previously unreleased vault track.
The official video was directed and edited by Stevens, who filmed and created it with photographers Michael O'Neal and Cubby Graham. The label says its overlay effect used 6,000 printed stills, hand-painted by Stevens, O'Neal, Graham and Hannah Cohen, then scanned back into the video. Leesa Allmond's mixed-media animation provided the inspiration.
Its cast includes friends and neighbors, among them musician Meg Lui. The new song is available in the official video ahead of Friday’s full album release.
How the three Christmas collections compare
The holiday recordings began as gifts for friends and family in 2001. Asthmatic Kitty eventually released the first five volumes together in 2006, followed by another five in 2012. The new compilation selects material from both sets, placing songs such as "Sister Winter" alongside traditional carols and the newly released original.
| Release | Tracks | Availability | Bandcamp digital price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Songs for Christmas | 42 | Released November 21, 2006 | $10 or more |
| Silver & Gold | 58 | Released November 13, 2012 | $10 or more |
| Worst Christmas Ever! | 16 | Full release November 6, 2026 | $14 or more, preorder |
The older releases offer considerably more material. Songs for Christmas includes "Put the Lights on the Tree," "Only at Christmas Time" and "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!" Its 42 tracks also include pieces absent from the new selection, such as "The Winter Solstice."
Silver & Gold extends from short carols to longer pieces. Its track list includes the 15-minute-plus "The Child With the Star on His Head" and the 12-minute-plus "Christmas Unicorn," neither of which appears on Friday's compilation. The same carol can differ across these releases: "Joy to the World" runs 4:20 on the 2006 set and 5:24 on the 2012 collection. The new album does include two separately identified versions of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," so identical carol titles should not be treated as interchangeable recordings.
What the current prices include
The artist's Bandcamp preorder lists the new digital album at $14 or more and a Candy Cane LP at $23.99 or more. The vinyl includes the digital album, with shipping listed for on or around November 6. That is a dispatch estimate, not a promised delivery date. Taxes and shipping can add to the physical purchase.
The two older digital sets total $20 at their displayed minimum prices, versus $14 for the new compilation. They supply 100 tracks combined, but do not include the newly released original. The compilation's appeal is its smaller selection and that additional song; buying it will repeat recordings for listeners who already own both boxes.
Bandcamp says digital album purchases include streaming through its free app and downloads in formats including MP3 and FLAC. The new download is listed at 24-bit/96kHz, compared with 16-bit/44.1kHz for both older digital collections. The preorder includes one track immediately and the full new digital album on release day.
