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Riley Green Reflects On Special Holiday Memories With Nostalgic New Song, “Christmas To Me”
It's too early to be crying on a Friday...
Today, Riley Green released a new song called "Christmas To Me," which is a nostalgic holiday tune about his most special and cherished Christmas memories.
Thankfully, 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. Written by Riley along with frequent collaborator Erik Dylan, it finds Riley reminiscing on the Christmas season and some of his most special, and funny, memories.
It's steeped in Southern charm and 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"
The song immediately took me back to Christmas Day with my own family growing up, driving down my grandparents gravel road to a warm house and the special glow of the holiday season, which says to me that the writing itself is absolutely on point.
Not that I would ever expect him to do a full-on cover of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" or something cheesy like that, but this song just feels so elevated and authentic, and is a holiday song I'm excited to add to my playlist... which is saying a lot, because y'all know I'm really not a huge fan of most Christmas music.
I think "Christmas To Me" is the perfect release for this time of year, because once again, he stays true to his country roots and writes from the heart, which is the way to do it if you're writing country Christmas music, in my humble opinion.
It's just another example of how how Riley continues to evolve and elevate his music, while remaining every bit the country boy we know and love through his storytelling, and I love everything about it... check it out:
"Christmas To Me"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyf38_NqVDY
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