I don’t know about you, but I now have a dedicated shelf for Christmas piano books. Admittedly, it’s not that large, and of course, the books only come out once a year. But for all the new books published each year, I add a surprisingly small number to it - I guess I’m picky!
I therefore approach any new Christmas book with some trepidation, and I’m afraid A Nostalgic Christmas, a new book of 17 ‘cozy arrangements of beloved favourites’ for piano solo from Hal Leonard, was no exception.
Well, I can tell you now, A Nostalgic Christmas will be taking pride of place amongst my small and select shelf of Christmas piano books, but why?
Key Impressions
A Nostalgic Christmas is billed as containing 17 ‘cozy arrangements of beloved favourites’. Arranged for solo piano, the back cover claims that these are ‘especially written to warm the hearts of the Grinches amongst us’ - I’m not sure how to take that, but I take it in the spirit intended!
The Christmas ‘favourites’ included are mainly from pop and film music genres, and in some ways, it is perhaps these where there is often a gap in the market - I own plenty of carol books, and indeed, piano arrangements of traditional carols, but effective arrangements of popular Christmas songs are harder to come by. The full contents includes:
All I Want for Christmas Is You
Blue Christmas
Do You Hear What I Hear
Do You Want to Build a Snowman?
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Jingle Bell Rock
Let It Snow!
A Marshmallow World
Merry Christmas
Santa Baby
Sleigh Ride
Somewhere in My Memory
White Christmas
Who Would Imagine a King
Winter Wonderland
‘Zat You, Santa Claus?
Many well-known arrangers’ names feature amongst the line-up, including Phillip Keveren, Kevin Olson, Mona Rejino, Nikki Iles and Glenda Austin. A cavalcade of Hal Leonard ‘staples’!
Favourite Arrangements
A whole range of eras are represented here, from the relatively modern ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ and ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman?’ from Frozen, to ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Sleigh Ride’. All the arrangements are incredibly effective - gentle and ‘cozy’, just as the book states, but never losing anything of the original songs. There is some warming jazz influence, but they’re not all ‘jazzy’ - something which can put some pianists off.
‘All I Want for Christmas’ sits fairly low (if not off the bottom) of my Christmas favourites, but Jorn Swart’s arrangement is really beautiful and adds a new ‘twinkly’ dimension to this familiar song. I also enjoyed Wayne Bucknor’s arrangement of ‘Do You Hear What I Hear’ and Mona Rejino’s of ‘Somewhere in My Memory’.
Whilst I already own a variety of arrangements of some of the songs here, there were some refreshing takes included in A Nostalgic Christmas which I think pianists, students and teachers will appreciate. Standing out for me were Glenda Austin’s arrangement of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ and Nikki Iles’ arrangement of ‘White Christmas’.
Summary
Overall, this is a lovely publication which does exactly what it says ‘on the tin’. There is a good selection of songs - some better known than others - and the clever and skilled arrangements always remain true to the originals. Most of the arrangements will suit intermediate to advanced level pianists of around Grades 6-8.
Overall, I was very impressed with A Nostalgic Christmas and I am more than happy to add it to my small but select array of Christmas piano music. Congratulations, Hal Leonard!
I will certainly enjoy playing these arrangements, not just this Christmas, but I’m sure, for many Christmases to come. In fact, I know that some of my students are going to enjoy these too - if they can get their fingers around them before the year’s out!
I hope you will enjoy A Nostalgic Christmas as much as I did!
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A Nostalgic Christmas for Piano Solo, was published in 2026 by Hal Leonard, ISBN 9798350181548, RRP £16.99.
I was sent a review copy of this book free of charge; however, this review is my honest opinion as a teacher. You can find my Reviews Policy here.
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Star ratings reflect my personal opinion based on usefulness, creativity, presentation, and appeal for teachers and players. I only review publications I can genuinely recommend (3 stars and above):
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Worth exploring - A solid and dependable publication with moments of interest.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Recommended - Thoughtful and well-presented; many teachers and players will enjoy using it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Highly recommended - Beautifully written, inspiring, and one I’ll return to often.
A Nostalgic Christmas offers a splendid selection of cosy Christmas arrangements for pianists around Grade 6 and above.