Key Points
- Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath The Tree” re-enters Billboard charts, its earliest seasonal return yet.
- The song has charted 33 weeks and fans predict a potential No. 1 peak this year.
- Clarkson calls holiday albums freeing: “Oh, there are no limitations! We can do whatever we want!”
Grammy-winning singer Kelly Clarkson made a grand return to the charts to signal the official start of the holiday season. The 43-year-old’s 2013 hit song called “Underneath The Tree” re-entered the Billboard music charts at the 41st spot, right below “wgft” by Gunna and above “Ruin The Friendship” from Taylor Swift‘s new album, The Life of a Showgirl.
This is reportedly the song’s earliest return to the charts for the holiday season. Fans are already predicting a good performance for the song this winter, with one on X reacting to the news by saying, “I’m smelling a number 1 peak position this year…”
Last winter, “Underneath The Tree” reached its highest chart position yet, with a peak at No. 9 on Jan. 4, 2025. In total so far, the song has charted on Billboard for a total of 33 weeks, although that’s expected to go up in the coming months.
Clarkson performs the popular track every holiday season, with fans cheering her on and sharing appreciation for “Underneath The Tree” over a decade after it first debuted. The song was originally released on Nov. 5, 2013, on her first holiday album, Wrapped in Red. Since then, it has become a true holiday classic.
Fans praised the song’s grand return to the music charts on X, calling it “The best modern christmas song” and declaring, “She coming for you Ms. Mariah 😏😝,” referring to Mariah Carey and her legacy as the “Queen of Christmas.”
When Wrapped in Red was first released in 2013, Clarkson opened up about her dreams of making a holiday album, telling Billboard, “I’ve been dying to make a Christmas album…What’s cool about making the Christmas album was, ‘Oh, there are no limitations! We can do whatever we want!’”
Along with covers of classic Christmas songs like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “White Christmas,” and “Silent Night,” the album featured a handful of original songs like “Underneath The Tree.” This included “4 Carats,” “Winter Dreams (Brandon’s Song),” “Wrapped in Red,” and “Every Christmas.”
