Christmas Without You

For the Trixie Mattel song, see Homemade Christmas.

"Christmas Without You"
Single by Ava Max
Released	October 15, 2020 (2020-10-15)
Genre	Christmas pop
Length	2:49
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Amanda Ava Koci Henry Walter Gian Stone Jesse Aicher Sam Martin
Producer(s)	Cirkut Stone
Ava Max singles chronology
"OMG What's Happening" (2020) "Christmas Without You" (2020) "My Head & My Heart" (2020)
Music video
"Christmas Without You" on YouTube

"Christmas Without You" is a song by American singer Ava Max, released on October 15, 2020, through Atlantic Records. It was written by Max, Jesse Aicher, Sam Martin, and producers Gian Stone and Cirkut. A Christmas pop song, it contains a piano, jingle bell and bassline, alongside Max's melisma and whistle register vocals. "Christmas Without You" received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who praised the Christmas sound and Max's vocal performance. The song peaked at number 28 on both the US Adult Contemporary chart and in Germany. A music video was released in 2022, which depicts Max in front of a winter-themed background.

Composition

Musically, "Christmas Without You" is a Christmas pop song,[1] which is bouncy, upbeat, and has a retro influence.[2] The song begins with piano chords, which transitions into the first chorus with jingle bell sounds. During the next verse, a bassline is used with a basic beat and harmony, before leading to the second chorus. Max uses melisma throughout the vocal-driven ballad, which climaxes with a whistle register in the last chorus.[1] Jerrett Franklin of Nashville Music Reviews stated that Max's vocals become stronger in the song, comparing her whistle register to Mariah Carey.[3]

Critical reception

Writing for Idolator, Mike Wass described "Christmas Without You" as a "feel-good festive anthem" with a "loved-up chorus", declaring the song as one of the best modern Christmas anthems.[4] David Gleisner of Washington City Paper praised Max's vocals and songwriting, stating that the song evokes a positive emotion during Christmas.[1]

Promotion

The music video for "Christmas Without You" was released on December 17, 2022.[5] Max sports symmetrical, long, blonde hair and a Christmas-styled red dress, while appearing in front of a winter-themed background.[6]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[7]

• Amanda Ava Koci – vocals, songwriting
• Henry Walter – production, engineering, songwriting, instruments, keyboards, programmer
• Gian Stone – production, bass, engineering, instruments, keyboards, programmer, songwriting
• Jesse Aicher – songwriting
• Sam Martin – songwriting
• Rafael Fadul – engineering
• Mark Schic – guitar
• Kurt Thum – keyboard
• Chris Gehringer – mastering
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• John Hanes – mixing, engineering
• Yasmeen "YAS" Al-Mazeedi – strings

Charts

Chart performance for "Christmas Without You"

Chart (2020–2025)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8]	28
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9]	42
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[10]	25
Croatia (HRT)[11]	20
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[12]	52
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13]	39
Germany (GfK)[14]	23
Global 200 (Billboard)[15]	141
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[16]	33
Ireland (IRMA)[17]	42
Lithuania (AGATA)[18]	43
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19]	19
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20]	69
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[21]	31
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[22]	72
South Korea (Circle)[23]	86
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[24]	16
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25]	32
UK Singles (OCC)[26]	43
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[27]	16
US Holiday Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[28]	10

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Christmas Without You"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label	Ref.
Various	October 15, 2020	Digital download streaming	Atlantic	[4]

References

1. Gleisner, David (December 2, 2020). "The Sleigher: Ava Max, 'Christmas Without You'". Washington City Paper. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
2. Dresdale, Andrea (October 15, 2020). "An Ava Max Xmas: Listen to 'Christmas Without You'". ABC News Radio. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
3. Franklin, Jerrett (October 16, 2020). "Ava Max | 'Christmas Without You'". Nashville Music Reviews. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
4. Wass, Mike (October 15, 2020). "Ava Max Drops Festive Bop "Christmas Without You"". Idolator. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
5. Ava Max (December 17, 2022). "Ava Max - Christmas Without You (Official Video)". Retrieved December 26, 2022 – via YouTube.
6. Pendleton, Tonya (December 23, 2022). "What to listen to: 10 Christmas songs of 2022". United Press International. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
7. "Credits / Christmas Without You / Ava Max – Tidal". Tidal. October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
8. "Ava Max – Christmas Without You" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
9. "Ava Max – Christmas Without You" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
10. "Ava Max – Christmas Without You" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
11. "ARC 100 - Week 1 (01.01.2024.)". HRT. January 1, 2024. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
12. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 50. týden 2020 in the date selector. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
13. "Ava Max: Christmas Without You" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
14. "Ava Max – Christmas Without You" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
15. "Ava Max Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
16. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
17. "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
18. "2022 52-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
19. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 52, 2020" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
20. "Ava Max – Christmas Without You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
21. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
22. "OLiS – oficjalna lista airplay" (Select week 16.12.2023–22.12.2023.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
23. "Digital Chart – Week 52 of 2022". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 29, 2022.
24. "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 52". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
25. "Ava Max – Christmas Without You". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
26. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
27. "Ava Max Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
28. "Ava Max Chart History (Holiday Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2020.