"Kudos to Crowell, one of Americana's most daring and veteran songwriters, for having the artistic guts to work in such melancholy territory, especially under the auspices of the Christmas spirit. This is not the album to play when trimming your tree, unless your family is as dysfunctional as the characters that populate most of these songs. But it's one that will resonate for months after the last present is unwrapped".