This holiday season, Olivia Van Goor is stepping back in time.

The jazz vocalist-composer reimagines Christmas songs from TV specials and movies she loved as a child on her latest album, Waiting for Santa.

“I thought it would be fun to pick some of those songs that you forget about, that aren’t overplayed, or that aren’t overdone,” said Van Goor, who’s based in Royal Oak, Michigan.

“And speaking of Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, if you listen to the full version of ‘Put One Foot in Front of the Other’ at the very end, they go into a section that’s in seven instead of in four. That’s what I did in my recording at the end. I thought, ‘This is so hip [that it’s in] an odd meter. I don’t even remember that when I was a kid.’”

Waiting for Santa also includes Van Goor’s soaring renditions of “Silver and Gold” and “There’s Always Tomorrow” from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and “Believe” from The Polar Express.

“It was really fun to think about those songs, and they just so easily are turned into a very standard feel in the jazz world,” she said.

“And then going from that, it was really fun to reimagine more stories from those things and write the song, ‘Hermey’s Blues,’ with Mike [Harrison]. Hermey the Elf [from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer] didn’t ever get a song. I loved playing along with those ideas and feeling like I was accessing that part of my childhood.”

While the album’s six covers sparkle, Van Goor truly shines on the seven originals, which include a combination of songs she composed or co-composed with others. There’s also a track composed by bandmate Mike Harrison called “Mrs. Mistletoe.”

“I started coming up with ideas, and I had a bunch of ideas for songs that I thought were missing from the Christmas repertoire,” Van Goor said. “And then I was thinking, ‘I don’t have to do this all alone; I can co-compose with some of my friends,’ and that’s how the album came to be.”

Along with bandmates Reuben Stump (bass, vocals), Dave Zwolinski (drums), and Mike Harrison (piano), Van Goor presents a refreshing Christmas album featuring soulful vocals, nostalgic and festive lyrics, and enchanting instrumentation.

I recently spoke with Van Goor about Waiting for Santa ahead of several live shows in December.

Q: You’re now working as an adjunct professor of vocal jazz at Hillsdale College. How is that new role going?

A: It’s my first time having a real position somewhere. I’m a vocal jazz private instructor, and I have 16 students. I’m teaching them what I’ve learned. I’m just so excited every week that I go, and it’s been [several] weeks so far. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this semester will close out as the students and I get our first run of working together.

Q: What are some jazz Christmas albums that have inspired you?

A: I love all the ones from Jazz at Lincoln Center. One of my favorite Christmas albums of all time is When My Heart Finds Christmas by Harry Connick Jr. My favorite song from it is “(It Must Have Been Ol’) Santa Claus,” and it’s his song. It’s an example of a jazz musician putting an original or a unique song on [a Christmas album]. Obviously, all of the Ella Fitzgerald ones. I’ve always loved so many Christmas albums by Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. The really nostalgic stuff for me is this one compilation album that was made back when you would go to FYE. It was one that my mom got, and it had ‘90s singers on it.

Q: Waiting for Santa opens with “Silver Bells.” Why did you include that holiday classic on the album?

A: That song evolved from live gigs. Reuben [Stump] and I joked that it was like the sound of the bells, but as if they were scatting. I worked on the arrangement with another pianist last year, and she and I started working with a shuffle-Charleston feel. Then, it evolved from there. I wanted to ensure I had at least one song that was a Christmas standard. What I like about this one is that it’s still not one of the top five [Christmas songs] that you think of. It’s also a nice introduction to what’s going on, and it sets the scene. It not only has a swing feel, but it also has a groove to it. It has a very fun, positive energy.

Q: “Santa, Did You Get My Letter?” is one of your originals featured on the album. What sparked this song?

A: I wanted to write an up-tempo tune, and I just came up with it. Sometimes, I’ll brainstorm lyrics, and then it will turn into a concept. Or sometimes, I will brainstorm song titles, and then I’ll try to fill in the blanks there.

And this was brainstorming the song title, and I like question songs. They’re a little bit easier to write because it’s a formula, and then it can evolve from there. I came up with the title and realized I could apply it in many ways. I didn’t know which direction it was going to go—from like a childlike point of view or a romantic point of view. [It ended up being a romantic point of view.] I was also trying to come up with a rhythm, and that was the beginning of the song.

Q: You feature renditions of “Silver And Gold” and “There’s Always Tomorrow” from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on Waiting for Santa. What’s special to you about these two songs?

A: “Silver and Gold” is a song that I’m going to be singing with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra on December 20. I got it arranged because there’s no version of it with alto voice and orchestra. I wanted to do something from my record, and so I’ll be singing that with the orchestra. It won’t be quite like we did in the recording, but it’s a little nod to it.

A lot of these older songs from the TV specials were written in three. Like “There’s Always Tomorrow,” waltzes are very Christmassy. I thought it would be fun to do it in four and swing it. And what better way to demonstrate a quarter note swung than with an upright bass player like Reuben [Stump]. I love doing that one, and it’s gonna be fun, too. When we do our live shows to promote the album, we’re going to really stretch out on it and add the full band.

Q: “Hermey’s Blues” was co-written with Mike Harrison as a tribute to Hermey the Elf from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. What inspired this nod to Hermey?

A: He was always my favorite character, and I thought he was so cute with blond hair. It’s all about having fun and being silly. In a lot of jazz tradition and in a more serious light, people will write blues [songs] for people, other musicians, or a loved one. At first, I was going to call it “Santa’s Workshop Blues,” but it didn’t have the same ring to it. When people hear it, they’ll think, “Hermey is the elf who wants to be a dentist.” It became a full concept of using quotes from clips we watched online, and he does this whole thing where he says, “You can’t fire me, Santa, because I already quit.”

Q: “Winter’s Song” features a duet with jazz vocalist and composer Ellie Martin. What was it like to co-write that track with her?

A: I look up to her so much, and her songwriting is the opposite of mine. When I listen to her records, I think, “Whoa! How did she even come up with that?” It was one of the co-written songs where I thought, “I want to try to do something with a different texture and do something with Ellie.” I was looking to learn more about her and her songwriting style. It was so fun to go back and forth with concepts.

She’s very whimsical and nature-y, and then it evolved into personifying winter and Mother Nature. The concept can be interpreted in a couple of different ways, depending on how you look at it. But I always thought, as a kid, that winter got a bad rap. It’s this idea of: “Winter’s not trying to punish us, and it’s just teaching us to slow down and cozy up.”

Q: “My Family’s Tree Topper” pays homage to a family Christmas ornament. How does this song capture the nostalgia that’s associated with it?

A: The back of the album has a picture of the tree topper. It’s the tree topper my parents bought when they got married, and in the original box, every year, they would write who put it on the tree. When I came into the picture, in little kid letters is written “OLIVIA.” It goes back to 1993, since that’s when they got married. It’s got everyone, it’s got my half-siblings on there, too, and that is what I talk about. My parents would always say, “Well, it’s not Christmas yet because we have to put the tree topper on.” That’s how it would start. We would always do that during Thanksgiving break—get the tree and decorate it. The tree topper was the final thing, and then it’s officially the Christmas season. Every line in it is true.

Q: Waiting for Santa was recorded at Willis Sound and Black Sheep Audio & Production. How did the album come together during those recording sessions?

A: We recorded at the tail end of February and in April as well. Every song except for “Believe” was recorded at Willis Sound, and that was with the band of Mike Harrison, Reuben Stump, and Dave Zwolinski. “Believe” was recorded [by Steve Capp] at Black Sheep Audio & Production in Novi, and that was with a couple of guys who I knew could really hone in on that neo-soul sound. It has Rufus Ferguson on keyboard, Matt Ryan on bass, and Brandon Williams on drums, and then everyone [else] was at Willis Sound. I also had Ellie Martin sing on our original song, “Winter’s Song,” and then Reuben Stump sang on a couple of the songs.

Q: You co-produced Waiting for Santa with Matt Ryan. How did you two shape the album’s production?

A: Matt is really good at the production side of things. He’s a bass player, and he also mixed the album. Matt mixed my last album. David Roof mastered this album because he has all the tools for an album that’s recorded live. David also recorded [almost all of] the album at Willis Sound.

Matt knows my sound, and being so close, he knows where my brain is at and what I want. By taking on a bigger project like this, it really helped to have someone as my consultant who could [steer] the ship when I was worried about my singing part and recording it. You can’t be thinking about everything at once. [It helps] having someone who knows my sound and knows what I want. I can trust him to step into that role, and he understands what’s needed to make this music make sense and have it be done in the best way possible. I don’t have to worry about it; I trust him, and it all came together.

Q: You have several shows lined up for the rest of the year. Where will you be performing?

A: In December, I’m hitting all the cities that I can. I’ll be at Kerrytown Concert House on December 7, and then I’ll be downriver at Parts & Labor [in Melvindale] on December 9. I’ll also be in Akron, Ohio, at BLU Jazz on December 10, and then I’ll be at Merrimans’ [Playhouse] in South Bend, Indiana. I’m doing a show with the Henry Ford Big Band on December 14 [at Nardin Park United Methodist Church] in Farmington Hills, and then on December 16, I’ll be at Moriarty’s Pub for Lansing’s jam. Then, I’ll be at Cliff Bell’s [in Detroit] on December 18, and the finale for me is [a performance] with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra on December 20.

Q: What plans do you have for 2026?

A: I’ve been writing some more and putting out some originals into live shows, but we haven’t recorded anything. My goal is to keep doing that by writing originals and working them out onstage. I would love for my next [release] to be full originals. That way, I can continue my plan of making it a little bit different every time I record, instead of it just being another album of standards.

Olivia Van Goor performs December 7 at Kerrytown Concert House, 415 North Fourth Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan. For tickets, visit Kerrytown Concert House’s website. She also performs December 20 with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra at Hill Auditorium, 825 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan. For tickets, visit the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra’s website. More information about Van Goor’s live performances can be found on her website.