Wrapped in Red is the sixth studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released on October 25, 2013, by RCA Records.

The Christmas music of Wrapped in Red comprises a variety of genres such as pop, jazz, country, and soul, marking a departure from the pop rock sound established from Clarkson's previous studio albums, while its lyrics share a singular theme of the color red, which represents a plethora of emotions during the holidays.

For nine consecutive weeks, Wrapped in Red stayed on the top ten of both charts and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and Music Canada.

In 2014, Clarkson released the title track as the second single and hosted the Christmas benefit concert, Miracle on Broadway, at the Bridgestone Arena from 2014 to 2016.

[7] It also marked the fourth time Kurstin had solely produced an entire studio album apart from being a member of the musical groups The Bird and the Bee and Geggy Tah (the first three being Lily Allen's It's Not Me, It's You in 2009, Sia's We Are Born in 2010, and The Shins' Port of Morrow in 2012).

[1] Wanting to stray away from her usual pop sound, she described Wrapped in Red's music as a representation to explore different genres such as jazz, country and Memphis soul.

[1][18] She recalled: "What's cool about Christmas albums is you can do jazz, rock and roll, you can do pop, you can do blues, like you can do all that stuff and it works—cause it's all classic and it's Christmasy sounding.

[1][16] She co-wrote the opening and title track, "Wrapped in Red", with Ashley Arrison, Aben Eubanks, and Shane McAnally.

"[28] RCA Records chief executive Peter Edge remarked that its release as a single was partly inspired by the success of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey.

[22] She revealed that the song narrates of her holiday life prior to meeting Brandon Blackstock, Reba McEntire's stepson, saying: "Every Christmas, I was just like, 'This is going to be different, right?

Clarkson opted for the Broadway performance of the song to stray away from Julie Andrews' version, citing: "I think you shouldn't go near anywhere of what she's doing because she's so good.

[1] A rendition of Imogen Heap's "Just for Now" was described by Clarkson as her highly dysfunctional environment, saying: "Can we just stop for like five minutes and have like a normal Christmas setting?

[11] The closing track, a rendition of the traditional carol "Silent Night", features McEntire and Trisha Yearwood and ends in an a cappella setting between the trio.

[1][33] In addition, two tracks were also included in the deluxe edition of the album: the first, Clarkson's cover of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" from her iTunes Session extended play, and the second, her rendition of the first stanza of the ecclesiastical hymn "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel".

[35][36] Kelly Clarkson co-wrote all five original songs on Wrapped in Red, starting in December 2012 to avoid writing Christmas music during the summer of 2013.

"Underneath the Tree," her first co-write with Greg Kurstin, became a standout single, inspired by the success of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

Unique additions included a cover of Imogen Heap’s "Just for Now," which starts with "Carol of the Bells," and a trio performance of "Silent Night" with Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood.

[38] A deluxe LP and CD edition was also released on the Sony Music store, which included a scarf, a holiday ornament and a snow globe, all of which were decorated in red to match the albums theme.

[40] On October 21, 2014, Wrapped in Red was reissued by RCA with a special edition CD+DVD release exclusive to Walmart stores in the United States.

[46] Produced by Done and Dusted, Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale premiered on NBC in the United States and Global in Canada on December 11, 2013, being pegged by RCA as the album's primary promotional medium.

[62] An annual Christmas benefit concert, Miracle on Broadway featured live performances of various Christmas songs by Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Kacey Musgraves, Hayley Williams, Charles Esten, and Meghan Trainor, some of whom joined Clarkson in performing selections from Wrapped in Red.

Reviewing for Slant Magazine, Sal Cinquemani wrote that the track would likely become Clarkson's very own contemporary standard,[64] while The Independent's Hugh Montgomery applauded it as "a winner on all fronts.

[4] Towards the end of his review, he wrote: "Perhaps the concept and execution are conventional, but even in this utterly expected setting, Clarkson retains her fiery, individual spirit, and that's what makes Wrapped in Red appealing: to the letter, it delivers what it promises.

He noted that the album "largely offers a respite from the pop-rock template she's been relentlessly pursuing since Breakaway, with less shouting and more of the varied range and texture on full display that helped crown her the winner of the inaugural season of American Idol.

[26] Matt Casarino of PopMatters gave the album a generally favorable review, claiming that "Clarkson plays it safe and spends too much time showing off her upper register, but Wrapped in Red is a warm and romantic addition to the Christmas pop Zeitgeist," adding: "Wrapped in Red doesn't need edge; it's just dynamic and varied enough to be satisfying, and it's light-years better than any of the whitewashed Christmas crap Simon Cowell has inflicted on the world".

[81] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe gave a favorable review, particularly lauding "Underneath the Tree", and described Clarkson's rendering of the Christmas standards as "fairly straight".

"[14] Newsday's music columnist Glenn Gamboa wrote that "Clarkson handles it all expertly – hitting remarkably high notes on "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and swinging jazzily on "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Dunn.

The new songs make Wrapped in Red a real gift, as the title track and "Underneath the Tree" channel the Phil Spector Christmas album; and "4 Carats" somehow blends "Stronger" and "Santa Baby".

[21] He also observed that its five original tracks, most notably "Wrapped in Red" and "Underneath the Tree", "have reasonable odds of remaining in the yuletide rotation five years from now.

[93] Twelve of the album cuts from Wrapped in Red also entered the Billboard Holiday Digital Songs chart during its first week of release – led by "Silent Night", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", and "Underneath the Tree" at numbers one, two, and four, respectively.