The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection

Music critics received the album with favorable responses. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album three stars and said its songs were “all crisp, cheerful arrangements that are suitably seasonal but also faithful to her bright country-pop.” Craig Shelburne of CMT said, “Thanks to this teen star, a new generation of sensitive girls may discover the melancholy but oh-so-melodic ‘Last Christmas’. She also includes two original holiday songs.” Dan Maclntosh of Country Standard Time concluded, “Swift is a fine singer, who finds ways to inject sincere emotion into every line she sings. They say the best things come in small packages. And that saying holds true for Swift’s new one.” In the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Kellie B. Gormly commented that the EP was “sweet” and highlighted the “deeply spiritual” track “Christmas Must Be Something More” as a standout.

David Yonke in The Blade said that he wished the EP had been longer, and selected two tracks as highlights: “Christmases When You Were Mine” (“a mature, wistful ballad”) and “Santa Baby” (“a sassy wink-and-a-nod”). A review in the Deseret News by Scott Iwasaki complimented Taylor’s self-penned songs and said the EP overall was fine, with the exception of “Silent Night”, which he found heavy on the arrangement. Billboard ranked the album as the 18th-best Christmas album of the twenty-first century.