Eisele Kaye and Hillary Scott
Hodges Usry
“Hard to Wait for Christmas,” a sweet holiday duet by Lady A‘s Hillary Scott and her daughter Eisele Kaye, has arrived to get you in the Christmas spirit.
The surprise holiday song was released Friday (Nov. 15).
“We hope this song makes families smile and encourages them to laugh and have fun together as they wait patiently (or not!) for Christmas,” Scott says in a statement about the festive new tune featuring her 11-year-old. “My favorite line from the song is about how it feels better to give than to receive, and if we could say anything about the Christmas season, it is that we hope you have a giving heart. That’s what really makes Christmas special — the gift of your time to the people you love, and the gift of your generosity to those in need.”
On Instagram Friday morning, Scott announced the song to fans: “Eisele and I have an early Christmas present for you… Our new Christmas song ‘Hard To Wait For Christmas’ is OUT NOW!”
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“Last year Eisele, her dad, and I sat and wrote this song after a little family drama trying to explain to her sisters, Betsy and Emory, why we were not able to open every single day of the advent calendar. This conversation led into all the other reasons why it is hard to wait for Christmas,” wrote Scott, who’s a Grammy Award-winning artist with country trio Lady A and Christian group Hillary Scott & The Scott Family; both acts have topped various Billboard charts.
She added, “Our hope is that this song makes your family smile and lean into the playful spirit of the holiday season while you wait 40 more days until Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas.”
“It’s hard to wait for Christmas/ All the joy there is to share/ Like cookies baking in the oven/ The sweetest smell that fills the air/ Let’s hold our hope/ And shine our light/ Before it’s Christmas Eve/ We know this season’s so much more/ Than presents and a tree/ But honestly … It’s hard to wait for Christmas,” the mother-daughter duo sings together with joy, trading lead vocals on the chorus. You can feel them smiling throughout the recording.
“Hard to Wait for Christmas” is available to stream now on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Music and YouTube Music. The track was produced by Scott, Chris Tyrrell and Ryan Gore.
Scott shared some adorable holiday memories — like a home video of herself singing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” as a little girl, and one of a younger Eisele singing “Jingle Bells” — on Instagram leading up to Friday’s song release.
Plus, on release day, she unveiled the official visualizer for “Hard to Wait for Christmas,” which shows Hillary and Eisele in the recording studio and spending time with the whole family (mom Hillary, dad Chris, Eisele, and younger sisters Betsy and Emory), all dressed beautifully for a holiday card photo shoot. It’s fun to get a glimpse at everyone’s personalities (and to spot Eisele rocking a cool Niall Horan concert tee!).
The “Hard to Wait for Christmas” video, which might inspire you to start baking cookies this weekend, can be seen on Scott’s YouTube channel. If you want to learn the words to the song with your own kids, check out the cute advent calendar-themed lyric video, too.