Is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas where you are?

Only two weeks to go before Santa Claus is coming to town. So, naturally, playlists are starting to fill up with festive standards, radio stations are dusting off the season’s favourites, and Mariah Carey is surely basking in her annual “All I Want for Christmas Is You” glory.

Apart from the evergreen classics, there are always new additions to the December holiday repertoire. This week, I’m bringing you a small selection of Christmas-related releases from Australia in 2025.

PART 252 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE

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Before jumping into the festive mood, let me remind you that chestnuts are only roasting on an open fire for Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere. Australian Santa Claus wears shorts and thongs (aka flip-flops in other parts of the world), and likely carries a surfboard. And at this time of year, the population of the Land Down Under flocks to the beaches to sunbathe rather than to ski in snowed-in mountain resorts.

As a result, not all Aussie Chrissy songs are carols in the traditional sense of the word. And not all of them are about the winter wonderland, either. But yes, the locals get into the holiday spirit like the rest of the world. And they love blasting festive bangers at office parties and during family celebrations in the last month of the year, too.

So I’ve taken the liberty to suggest additions to Listmas 2025 in Oz.

Kylie Minogue goes Fully Wrapped this Christmas

There’s no stopping Kylie Minogue in 2025. She’s released a few stand-alone singles this year, visited different parts of the world with her hugely successful Tension Tour, and managed to put together a Chrissy-themed album, too.

In all fairness, Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped) is not an entirely new thing. Fans of the Australian Pop Princess will surely remember its predecessor from a decade ago, and then another iteration a year later. Hence, some songs on this year’s LP are previously released versions. Like “100 Degrees” with sister Dannii Minogue, “Let It Snow” or “Santa Baby.”

But there are a few catchy new tunes as well. The most danceable one and a very Kylie-style is “Hot in December”. Then, there’s the nostalgic “This Time of Year.” But the one I didn’t see coming is “Office Party,” the video to which – as the global icon herself admitted during a recent interview with BBC – is how she envisions what that event can look like. Because – surprise, surprise – she’s never worked at an office.

But there’s more. The Australian singer is currently in Europe (London, to be precise), unveiling that recent festive project. And she’s prepped a few surprises for fans, including a pop-up at the stylishly revamped Battersea Power Station and an appearance at Capital Radio’s Jingle Bell Ball 2025. That latter thing was a greater occasion to reveal yet another holiday banger, it turns out. “XMAS” is apparently coming to your ears this Friday, 12 December, but there’s a preview of it on YouTube already.

So if there’s one Aussie artist (aside from Sia) who knows how to use the holiday spirit to their advantage, it’s definitely Kylie Minogue. Rumour has it that, less than a week after its release, Kylie Christmas (Fully Wrapped) is already gearing up to become this season’s No.1.

My Pet Rhino strike an emotional chord with their Christmas single “Ham & Holy Water”

When I covered the Sydney band’s debut album earlier this year, I didn’t think they’d share any more songs in 2025. After all, it took Jon Maratheftis two decades to finally release his music to the world.

But My Pet Rhino has really surprised me with this quintessentially Australian Christmas track, featuring Lee Loo. Right from the get-go, “Ham & Holy Water” evokes the core memories of a classic holiday season in the Land Down Under: the food, the drinks, the heat, backyard cricket with the family, and the company of all the ones you love the most. (I’d know because I’ve spent Chrissy in Oz myself.)

But it’s the story and the vulnerability that caught my attention in this song above anything else. It is written as a reflection on the first Christmas after losing a loved one. The lyrics remind us that, as life goes on, we inevitably lose some family members and friends along the way. So “Ham & Holy Water” is dedicated to all those missing someone from their Christmas table.

The band’s frontman described it beautifully himself:

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“The loss of a loved one is something we all go through as part of life, and oftentimes it really hits home the most during the holiday season. I wanted to showcase these feelings (…) to help reinforce what I believe the true meaning of Christmas is all about – sharing quality time with those you love the most. I hope this song encourages people to make the most of the time they have with their family and friends this holiday season.”

Polish Club take a fun approach to festive classics on Christmas Stinks!

There’s one thing Polish Club‘s members and I have in common: we’re of Eastern European descent. But I follow their music for a different reason – they’re a pretty cool garage rock duo that slaaaaays at live performances.

With numerous releases under their belt since the Sydney-based outfit’s formation in 2014, including EPs, albums, and various collabs with industry peers, they’ve been super busy this year, too. Yet, in a hilarious turn of events, they’ve found time to record their take on some traditional Christmas anthems.

And we’re not talking a few carols. We’re talking 20 renditions of the beloved classics, like “Must Be Santa”, “Little Drummer Boy”, or “Jingle Bells”. Some stick to the original track’s vibe. Some others are just instrumentals. And there are some reimagined ones, with that signature Polish Club whacky, rock’n’roll style that I’m drawn to.

The duo has also done mammoth work to promote the Christmas Stinks! album. Before the whole thing was released on December 1, they would share a song from it every day. And they have various gigs planned to celebrate the record and the holiday season, which you should definitely suss out on their socials.

Plus, there’s a cultural bonus on the record. Song no.8 is a cover of a Filipino Christmas song, featuring the Polish Club’s vocalist’s mother. “Ang Aking Pamasko” was originally performed by her band, The New Minstrels, on their seminal Christmas record Pamasko in the 70s. And that’s also what makes this album worth your while. Because, frankly, we don’t need yet another version of “Silent Night”.

Paul Kelly’s Christmas gravy story continues in “Rita Wrote a Letter”

Wham’s “Last Christmas” might be the most famous British Christmas tale. Michael Bublé is the go-to festive troubadour in North America. Jose Feliciano brought together the Hispanic and Anglo-Saxon cultures with his bilingual “Feliz Navidad” banger. But when it comes to the Land Down Under, every Aussie can sing “How to Make Gravy” by Paul Kelly.

The story from the 1996 song goes something like this: Joe (the main character) writes to his brother Dan from prison. He’ll miss Christmas, so he shares his gravy recipe, metaphorically expressing longing for his wife Rita and their kids. A simple yet appealing idea. So, unsurprisingly, this melodic tear-jerker has been covered countless times by other prominent Aussie acts. But there has never been any talk about a possible sequel.

Until August 2025, when the Adelaide singer dropped his newest album, Seventy. One of the songs on it is called “Rita Wrote a Letter”. And it reveals what happened afterwards in Joe’s story, but told from his wife’s perspective. Spoiler alert: it’s not a happy ending. We find out, for instance, that Rita has moved on with Dan and has had more offspring with him. And Joe is… well, dead.

Fun fact: the singer had apparently been sitting on the sequel for some time. But he couldn’t release it while the “How To Make Gravy” movie was being made, as he shared on Ash McGregor’s “Listen Up” podcast. But spacing the story out 30 years makes up for a really interesting twist, don’t ya think?

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Also, it’s not even a Christmas song, strictly speaking. But because the original track is so vital to Aussie festivities, I’m including it here. Especially since the lyrics showcase Paul Kelly’s superb storytelling and world-building abilities. After all, in “Rita Wrote a Letter”, Joe’s ghost speaks from the grave.

Grace Cummings offers some comfort during the lonely Christmas “Times Like These”

Longing, happiness and love are the predominant feelings in most of the modern Christmas songs. But for some people, this can be a depressing period as well. We rarely talk about it, though. So Grace Cummings decided to change it.

Just a heads-up: her “Times Like These” track is sad through and through. But it conveys an important message. It’s okay to be merry at Christmas time. Let’s just not forget that it can feel lonely to people who have nobody to share the celebrations with. So we should “sing” for them, too, according to the Melbourne-based indie artist.

The story in the song is enhanced by the singer’s whaling vocals. But the track features a male voice, too. It belongs to American musician Jim James, the friendship with whom Grace Cummings credits in a Rolling Stone Australia feature for seeing “some beautiful things in the world” and being “grateful for what she has.”

The singer-songwriter also stated that her objective with “Times Like These” was to offer some comfort and some love. She shared a very personal insight related to why the song came to life in a recent Instagram post.

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“The state of the world leaves me feeling devastated so much of the time. But maybe a tiny bit of it would be better if I try to pick myself up and keep going, try to help others, tell somebody I care about that I love them, make a small mark that somebody might find some beauty or comfort in.”

Musical theatre stars celebrate A (Very) Musical Xmas again 

This is probably the most traditional festive release of all six I’ve chosen. It’s a proper album, with stars reinterpreting holiday classics. And for a good cause, too.

Actually, first and foremost, this is a special gala, presented by the Michael Cassel Group and ABC. It brings together a line-up of Australian musical theatre performers. Last year’s edition was very well received. So, the organisers put out a record as well, which – in turn – resonated with the music industry. It even scored an ARIA Award nomination in 2025 for Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album.

And you know what they say: If you do something well, then do more of it. So there’s a follow-up to last year’s event. The 2025 edition was filmed on the Melbourne set of MJ THE MUSICAL at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Plus, it is hosted by Australian media personality Zan Rowe (who, by the way, happens to be one of my fave radio presenters and music journos I look up to).

This time, the live recording is released first, on 5 December, “giving audiences a way to revisit the concert throughout the holiday period.” And if you’re based in Oz, the special will air on ABC TV at 7.30 pm on Friday, 19 December 2025, with viewers also able to stream it on ABC iview from the beginning of the month.

Finally, the most important part of this release is its charitable nature. For the second consecutive year, A (VERY) MUSICAL CHRISTMAS is partnering with Beyond Blue, drawing attention to wellbeing during a time of year that can be difficult for many people. Proceeds from the live recording event will go toward Beyond Blue’s free, 24/7 Support Service, offering confidential mental health assistance to people across Australia via phone, webchat and email.

So, which release is going to make your Aussie Listmas this year?

No matter what you choose, have a ripper holiday season, everyone! If you celebrate it, that is.

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