Taking us on a retro-pop journey through a golden era of festive wonderment, You’re Christmas To Me bears all the hallmarks of a modern holiday classic. Having already become a household name thanks to his stellar performance representing the UK in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, the flaxen-haired TikTok personality Sam Ryder initially wrote the song as a fun homage to all his festive favourites. Little did he realise, however, that the song would ignite an unforgettable chart battle that will go down in modern pop history.
Here is the story of You’re Christmas To Me, and how Sam Ryder unexpectedly found himself in a festive face-off with Wham! and Mariah Carey.
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The backstory: “I wrote the song on the train with minutes to spare”
Just a year after Sam Ryder finished as the runner-up in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest with his hit song Space Man, the Essex-born singer was approached to write and record a new Christmas song for the soundtrack of the Amazon Original film Your Christmas Or Mine 2. Thrilled at the request, he seized the opportunity with both hands.
However, writing a festive bop in the summer wasn’t easy. Leaving it to the 11th hour, Ryder finally found inspiration during a railway commute. “I wrote the song on the train with minutes to spare before the deadline,” he later recalled, “and I needed to hand in my homework that evening!”
His relaxed approach may have come from underestimating just how many people his Christmas song would reach. “You never know who is going to hear that, only really the audience watching the film, so you kind of make it with no pressure at all,” Ryder said.
Throughout the whole process, Ryder’s only goal was to focus on writing a song he was truly passionate about – “Just for love and just for fun,” as he put it. Without the weight of commercial expectations or musical trends to consider, Ryder tapped into his enthusiasm for classic Christmas pop, crafting a loving throwback to all the festive songs he grew up enjoying.
