We all have those holiday songs where simply hearing the first few notes is enough to fill our souls with a unique sense of joy that you just don’t get any other time of the year. Mariah Carey’s iconic “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and even “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” by ‘NSYNC are among some of my personal favorites.
But when it comes to an entire album that fills me with Christmas cheer, there’s no competing with Hanson’s Snowed In.
Yes, I’m referring to the 1997 album that features the very young Hanson brothers — Zac, Taylor, and Issac — during their peak “MMMBop” fame. Zac and Taylor had those adorable high voices, and they all sported their famous shoulder-length hair. Say what you will about those three boys, but they are talented musicians, and they rocked the heck out of this Christmas album.
I have loved Snowed In since its original release, back when I was a young pre-teen and the band’s prime audience. I’ve listened to it every holiday season without fail, and have been low-key pushing it to become my family’s go-to Christmas album. Much to my delight, it seems to be working.
Once Nov. 1 rolls around, my kids, husband, and I flip that switch from spooky season to Christmas, and with that comes holiday music. Without fail, the first song we go to is Hanson’s “Silent Night Medley,” which is a fantastic mash-up of “O Holy Night,” “Silent Night,” and “O Come All Ye Faithful.” It’s three classic Christmas songs in one, sung with beautiful harmonies, and just the right amount of instrumental flair. From there, we let the rest of the album play out with my daughters totally unaware that the album was released decades before they were born, and my husband, who is usually a bit of a music snob when it comes to pop, can’t help but crank it up and soak in the sounds.
Growing up, my family also had a go-to Christmas album — the Carpenters’ Christmas Portrait, which was released in 1978, long before my sister and I were born. Like my kids today, we had no idea we were listening to “old people” music at the time; we simply heard Karen Carpenter’s voice sing the opening notes of “Sleigh Ride” and felt excitement wash over us. It was the album we listened to in the car when we drove around looking at lights, in the living room as we hung ornaments on the tree, and in the background of every holiday gathering my parents would host.
Years later, hearing songs from Christmas Portrait still transports me back to snowy December days with my parents and sister. And I have been methodically trying to create the same kind of connection between my kids and Snowed In.
I can admit there’s some degree of selfishness here because I’m pushing hard for them to love the same album I have loved for close to 30 years, but it has nothing to do with the band itself and everything to do with the music.
Those three kids were impressive musicians back then, and they found a way to make classic songs feel even more fun. Their version of “What Christmas Means to Me” always gets my daughters and me up dancing, and their “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” truly does rock. Plus, I really get a kick out of “White Christmas” because it was recorded with “pops” to sound like it was on vinyl (since this was released back in the days of CDs). At the end of the song, there’s a little joke about record players — technology that seemed so old to us in the late 90’s but is pretty common to find in homes today (including mine).
There are so many incredible Christmas songs out today, and more and more drop every year. Still, I have yet to find an album I love as much as Snowed In, especially now that it has become my family’s go-to collection of Christmas songs. I see no point in trying to find something more modern to replace it. For me, it does not get any better than Hanson’s Snowed In.
Ashley Ziegler is a freelance writer living outside Raleigh, NC, with her two young daughters and husband. She’s written across a range of topics throughout her career but especially loves covering all things pregnancy, parenting, lifestyle, advocacy, and maternal health.
