Palmer-Geaves remarked that the female harmonies left him "overjoyed" and "weak at the knees", and felt the album's "unexpected turn" toward "One Less Bell to Answer" "makes it clear [Steps] are a group with many strings to their bow".

Nevertheless, Haynes felt that the title track "is a stand-out highlight [with] lush instrumentation, a soaring chorus, decent lyrics and great vocals", and put this down to the fact that it is the only original song on the album.

Reasoning that while the first two-thirds consist of "rather obscure covers", "the final third contains a trio of classic Christmas tracks", which while nice in their own right "really don't add anything to those songs and there have been far superior versions recorded over the years".

In the midst of the release of the "promisingly poptastic title track", he said the group may be "misleading their fanbase somewhat, for Light Up the World is miles away from reliving their cheesy pop heyday".

He argued that while "'History Is Made at Night' errs in the right direction, the collection veers towards a sincere edge only previously witnessed in Faye Tozer's solo outings", such as their cover of "When She Loved Me", which although "really highlights the unquestionable dexterity of the three girls' vocals", also "hardly fits with either the group's signature sound or the album's implicit Christmas joviality".

[10] Fiona Shepherd of Scotsman.com also commented on some of the odd song choices, saying "'One Less Bell to Answer' and 'A House Is Not a Home'...are hardly festive fare, unless Steps want to emphasise the heart-crushing, suicidal loneliness of the season.

Shackleton observed the absence of the "catchy school disco hooks of '5, 6, 7, 8' or 'Tragedy' that gave Steps its place in childhood memories", and derided the group for "focusing instead on the boring, ballad side of manufactured pop that is easily forgotten".

She felt that the Christmas cover theme "does them no favours", as most of the songs they sing on the album have already been sung countless times before, therefore adding to the "vast saturated pool of festive fodder".

She concluded her review by saying "expecting more than...one tedious Christmas ballad after the other...or some element of musical growth and originality after twelve years apart would be anticipating too much from a band that have made their career by gaining hits using other artist's songs".