One reviewer noted that Stefani sounded happy on the album's original tracks, including the song, and cited her relationship with Shelton as evidence why.

The next day, Stefani announced her next studio album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, and revealed that the title track would be released as the lead single.

[4] Stefani spent the summer months of 2017 residing with her fiancé American singer Blake Shelton at his rural Oklahoma estate, located in the Texoma region of the state.

[8] In an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Stefani explained that she wrote the chorus to the song on the trail as she passed a wildebeest.

[10] The song was released for digital download and streaming on October 6, 2017, by Interscope Records, as part of You Make It Feel Like Christmas.

[12] A promotional audio video for "Christmas Eve" that uses the song's cover artwork was released to Stefani's Vevo account on YouTube.

[13] In a December 21, 2017 article, People falsely reported that Shelton duetted with Stefani on "Christmas Eve", instead of stating he recorded his own version.

Laura Mace, Monet Owens, and Dolly Sparks provided background vocals for the track, with arrangements from Grace Potter.

[10] During the final week leading up to Christmas Day 2017, Stefani guest hosted a seasonal radio show on TuneIn and shared the meanings and inspiration behind several of the songs on the album.

"[15] During its first week of eligibility, "Christmas Eve" appeared on Billboard's Holiday Digital Song Sales component chart in the United States.

On the November 20, 2017 episode of NBC's Today, Stefani was featured as a guest and performed "Christmas Eve", "When I Was a Little Girl", and her cover of "Santa Baby" to the studio audience.

The same day, the taping of her mini concert was posted to Stefani's official YouTube channel and her separate Vevo account.

The album featured collaborations with his then-wife Miranda Lambert, among others, and contained three Shelton-penned original songs, including "Time for Me to Come Home".

[29][30] In 2017, Warner Bros. Nashville announced that Cheers, It's Christmas would be reissued as a deluxe edition with a new cover artwork and three previously non-included bonus tracks.

The song is composed in the key of E-flat major and it follows Stefani's original music structure, with the addition of a choir-backed introduction.

[37] A full orchestra backed the song and Charles Judge, a member of the production team for the album, contributed with additional instrumentation on keyboards and piano.