New Orleans stalwart Ever More Nest (Kelcy Wilburn/Kelcy Mae) has given us the crying country Christmas EP you didn’t know you needed with Merry Little Thing. The two original songs, “Where Do Holidays Go?” and “Back in the Doghouse on Christmas” (covered on our sister site Rainbow Rodeo) take an unorthodox — if traditionally country — look at Christmas, while her cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is as enchanting as the song is mysterious. Below, Wilburn shares her favorite Christmas musical memories.
Name a perfect Christmas song and tell us why you feel that way.
I think “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is the perfect Christmas song. Nevermind its insanely gorgeous melody—the emotion in it, especially with the “muddle through” lyrics from Meet Me in St. Louis, says everything. There’s love, togetherness, and reassurance, but there’s also this realist acknowledgement that life is hard, that circumstances aren’t ideal. I don’t think any holiday is quite as magical as Hallmark would have us believe, and this song perfectly gets at the complicated spectrum of emotions we experience at the holidays but with a little hope on the side. “Next year” and “someday soon” are promising, but the important moment is the present…”so have yourself a merry little Christmas now.”
Does your Christmas album have an overarching theme?
I think so—and I’d have to land on loneliness. But I don’t think the EP is sad. Sure, “Where Do Holidays Go” gets at a literal loneliness, something a lot of people who lack family/community feel during the holiday season. And there should be room for songs like that since that is one honest holiday experience. But, “Back in the Doghouse on Christmas” offers a silly, somewhat jolly, and fun take on perhaps a well-deserved loneliness, while “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is the familiar and reassuring antidote to lonely, hard times.
Tell us about the first Christmas song you wrote.
My first original holiday song was written around Christmas 2014. My partner Lucy had just loaded the car and set out on the long drive from New Orleans to Illinois, and I was sad at spending another holiday without her. We’d been together for five years at that point and had yet to spend Christmas together. The song was a reflection on the experience of queer couples who—without the legal right to marry at that time—often felt pressure to spend the holiday with their family of origin. It was like we were subconsciously devaluing our own experience as partners because were weren’t married. As the song progressed, it turned into an accidental marriage proposal. I knew at the time that Lucy had conflicting feelings about the institution of marriage, so I didn’t want to play it for her—I didn’t want there to be any pressure. But then in 2015, Obergefell v. Hodges affirmed our rights, and I chose to release the song as a celebration in the holiday season of that year. The music video for “Christmas with You (Merry Me)” (released as Kelcy Mae) features crowdsourced photos of queer couples marrying and celebrating the holidays together. That December, Lucy took me to a special place in City Park and said, “I don’t know if I’m answering or asking…” and held out a ring.
Explain the title of your Christmas album.
I thought Merry Little Thing was perfect for a couple reasons—one, it’s a holiday EP, so it’s both “merry” and short. Second, the line comes directly out of “Where Do Holidays Go,” where it serves as a flippant description of what carolers offer to someone lacking the joyful spirit of the holiday. All three songs on the EP are pretty different, and for me this title captured them all.
Tell us about your favorite Christmas show you’ve ever played.
Every two years I host Kelcy Mae’s Biennial Merry Songwriter Revue in New Orleans, and 2023’s show was my favorite to date. The lineup was fantastic—Mia Borders, Bruisey Peets, Robert Eustis, Sarah Quintana, Sabine McCalla, Sam Doores, Shawn Williams, and I had the band, of course. I’m always amazed at the creativity of songwriters when they’re given one parameter—write a holiday song—but no other restrictions. There were songs that had you cry-laughing or just cry-crying and so many wonderful covers. The show was at one of my favorite local haunts, BJ’s Lounge, which is perfectly unpretentious and welcoming. That night was also one of the last times I was fortunate to share space and conversation with Andy Rubinski, a kind and generous music industry force of nature who recently passed. He’d ridden the train down from the Northeast to attend the show and offer well wishes to his artist Lilli Lewis who was scheduled but unable to play the event. My heart goes out to Lilli and to songwriter Amelia White, who Andy managed. He will be sorely missed by the Americana music community.