"Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" by James A. Rocco is a holiday classic reimagined across time and space

LyricalOdyssey Music December 18, 2025

James A. Rocco's latest release, "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)," is a deep personal chapter embedded in his ongoing Legacy Recording Project, which is becoming increasingly personal. This holiday gift is at once warm, purposeful, and an unusual kind of connectedness that transcends geography.

The tale of how it came to be released distinguishes this one. The song was composed across continents and reflected the universal yearning that often accompanies the festive season, connecting people from disparate cultures and lands as only music can. Rocco had recorded the vocals in New York, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Seattle, so the performance felt like it covered several emotional and physical spaces.

Another guest guitarist and yet another contributor to the collaboration is Russian-born musician Steve Kittens, who resides in Bali. His presence makes the song feel special, while also contributing to its arrangement and the argument that people can be brought together by music, wherever they may be.

The lovely remastering is by Grammy-winner Phil Klum, and his work simply clarifies the song and adds depth without sacrificing its emotional anchor. The remaster preserves the ethos of the original while ensuring it sounds pleasing to modern ears, lending it the quality of timelessness while remaining timely. "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" is about being together and apart, and why we want that in the first place. It's a reminder that the holidays aren't about being perfect, but about being together.