Gwen Stefani – You Make It Feel Like Christmas ft. Blake Shelton

The Voice Text Blake Sent That Made Her Jealous

Released on September 22, 2017, as the lead single from her fourth studio album, “You Make It Feel Like Christmas” featuring Blake Shelton peaked at number two on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and reached number nine on the Adult Contemporary chart, becoming her highest entry since “The Sweet Escape” a decade earlier. The track hit number 69 in the UK, marking her first solo top 100 entry since 2007, and eventually sold 200,000 copies there before earning platinum certification from the RIAA in 2023. But here’s the story nobody expected: Blake sent Gwen a voice text from his tour bus with the song half-written, and her first reaction wasn’t gratitude but jealousy. She told him he’d just written a hit, then added: what do you do, you just sit around on your bus writing hits? What a jerk. Sometimes the best collaborations start with a little competitive fire.

The album You Make It Feel Like Christmas debuted at number 51 on the Billboard 200 with 10,000 album-equivalent units before climbing to peak at number 16 in late December, becoming the week’s biggest gainer. The record topped the Holiday Albums chart immediately and continued selling steadily through multiple Christmas seasons, proving Stefani’s fantasy about creating an annual tradition had merit. In the UK, the single spent seven weeks charting during Christmas 2017, re-entered in 2018 to peak at number 71, returned again in 2023 reaching number 62, and kept coming back each December, accumulating nine total weeks by 2025. Blake’s throwaway bus demo had accidentally created what both artists hoped for: a legitimate modern Christmas standard that radio programmers reached for alongside Mariah Carey and Wham each holiday season.

The album’s creation started with wildebeests, not romantic duets. During summer 2017, Stefani vacationed at Blake’s Oklahoma ranch doing exercise, meditation, and praying when inspiration struck during a spiritual walk. Surrounded by exotic animals on the property, she asked herself what a Christmas song by her would sound like, then started singing random phrases out loud. That became “Christmas Eve,” which led her to pitch Interscope on a full Christmas album despite having no time and being convinced she was too slow a writer. She knocked out six original songs in three sessions, shocking herself. Blake heard “Christmas Eve” and loved it so much he covered it for his own 2012 album Cheers, It’s Christmas reissue, marking the first time anyone had recorded one of Stefani’s songs. Then Blake sent her his bus demo for “You Make It Feel Like Christmas,” which consisted of just a couple lines. Stefani minimized his contribution, insisting she made the song what it became, while Blake deflected credit back to her.

Recording sessions took place during summer 2017 with producers Busbee and Eric Valentine handling all twelve tracks. Justin Tranter co-wrote the six originals alongside Stefani and Busbee. The title track blended country and pop elements with a Motown beat, incorporating horns, strings, and backup singers for what critics called a luxury retro treatment. Stefani and Shelton traded verses before harmonizing on the chorus and bridge, their vocal chemistry obvious to anyone who’d watched them flirt on The Voice. The production emphasized Blake’s pop sensibilities more than country roots, though his twangy first verse made it clear this wasn’t purely a Stefani solo track. The song referenced holiday staples like snow and sweet gingerbread made with molasses but focused primarily on romantic love rather than religious themes, making it Christmas for people who view the season as about togetherness rather than spirituality.

“You Make It Feel Like Christmas” opened the album released October 6, 2017, which balanced six originals with six covers including “Jingle Bells,” “Let It Snow,” and “Santa Baby.” Stefani dedicated the album to her late ex-husband Sonny Bono, who’d died in a 1998 skiing accident, though by 2017 she was deep into her relationship with Blake. The original material contained plenty of Blake Shelton references, with critics noting the romantic odes throughout. A deluxe edition arrived October 2018 adding five tracks including “Secret Santa” and a duet of “Feliz Navidad” with Mon Laferte. Another reissue in 2020 included “Sleigh Ride” and “Here This Christmas,” while a 2025 deluxe edition exclusive to Amazon Music added “Hot Cocoa” and “Shake the Snow Globe,” the latter debuting at number 86 on the Hot 100 and becoming her highest-charting solo hit in nearly a decade.

The promotional campaign was relentless. Stefani and Blake performed it on The Voice finale on December 4, 2017, ending with a kiss that sent social media into overdrive. They performed it again on the Season 19 finale December 15, 2020, with eventual winner Carter Rubin. Stefani hosted an NBC holiday special titled Gwen Stefani’s You Make It Feel Like Christmas that premiered December 12, 2017, featuring performances of album tracks including the title song with Blake in matching plaid. She appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! wearing a white gown with embellished polka dots, performed it at the 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting with Blake, and promoted it annually through late-night shows and morning programs. The accompanying music video, directed by longtime collaborator Sophie Muller and released November 2018, showed Stefani channeling Marilyn Monroe glamour in 1950s-inspired looks while engaging in holiday activities and big band performances with Blake, complete with food fight bloopers.

Eight years later, “You Make It Feel Like Christmas” accomplished exactly what Stefani told Entertainment Weekly she hoped for: becoming part of the joy of Christmas with a record that’s an annual thing people want to hear every year. The song that started as Blake’s jealousy-inducing bus demo transformed into a genuine holiday standard, proving contemporary artists could create Christmas music that endured beyond one season. As critics observed, while the song’s lyrics reference traditional holiday imagery, its real power lies in capturing how Christmas brings families together, making it universally appealing. Sometimes the best gifts are the ones you steal from your boyfriend’s voice texts, rewrite completely, then duet on while wearing matching plaid and kissing on national television.Blake Shelton.