What does "Christmas Tree Farm" by Taylor Swift mean?

“Christmas Tree Farm” Lyrics Meaning

Since the release of the “Lover” album, Taylor Swift’s lyrics have focused on themes of love and redemption. Though “Christmas Tree Farm” is a single, it shares the same tone as the album it follows. It is a song that is either mostly, or more likely, entirely autobiographical and appears to be very close to Taylor’s heart. She wrote the song only about a week before its release and worked with the producers to have it finished in two days.

“In my heart is a Christmas Tree Farm” 

Taylor Swift grew up on a Christmas tree farm, but this song does more than reminisce. The lyrics describe a place of joy, family, and community and show how Taylor cherishes the memories she has from her time there. While she misses it, she has found that same love and security in her boyfriend, and is grateful for their relationship.

Intro

My winter nights are taken up by static
Stress and holiday shopping traffic
But I close my eyes and I'm somewhere else
Just like magic

Taylor is having difficulty enjoying the days leading up to Christmas because she’s been caught up in the “stress and holiday shopping traffic.” In the midst of the busy chaos, she’s able to recall a place that represents family, friends and love to her. “Just like magic” she’s back to her childhood and on the “Christmas tree farm.”

Verse 1

In my heart is a Christmas tree farm
Where the people would come
To dance under sparkling lights
Bundled up in their mittens and coats
And the cider would flow
And I just wanna be there tonight

Taylor spent her childhood living on a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania. In the music video for “Christmas Tree Farm,” there are clips from this part of her childhood. Though she has moved away, the Christmas tree farm and what it represents to her live in her heart. It is a place of community, “where the people would come,” and where Christmas traditions are exemplified through “sparkling lights” and “cider.” The Christmas tree farm is representative of all the things she loves about Christmas: big and small.

Pre-Chorus

Sweet dreams of holly and ribbon
Mistakes are forgiven
And everythin' is icy and blue
And you would be there too

There is more to this special place than Christmas traditions. Behind the warmth of traditions, there is a warmth of heart. In this place, “mistakes are forgiven.” Her line “and you would be there too” could be addressing someone who wasn’t originally in her life when she lived on the Christmas tree farm, and is likely her boyfriend. She wants to join the beauty of where she’s been with the joy she’s found in the present.

Chorus

Under the mistletoe
Watchin' the fire glow
And tellin' me, "I love you"
Just bein' in your arms
Takes me back to that little farm
Where every wish comes true

Although Taylor may not be back at the Christmas tree farm, she finds that same love in the arms of her boyfriend as they sit, “watchin’ the fire glow” under “the mistletoe.” Her relationship with him runs deep, and she sees the same warmth, forgiveness and safety in their interactions that she had during that special, almost magical, time of her childhood.

Verse 2

In my heart is a Christmas tree farm
There's a light in the barn
We run inside out from the cold
In the town, kids are dreamin' of sleighs
And they're warm and they're safe
They wake to see a blanket of snow

Taylor fondly recalls details from her time at the Christmas tree farm. The “light in the barn” or the warmth of the fire in the midst of a snowy day. Each detail paints a picture of safety and childhood and joy. 

Bridge 

And when I'm feelin' alone
You remind me of home
Oh, baby, baby, Merry Christmas
And when the world isn't fair
I pretend that we're there
Baby, baby, Merry Christmas (To you)

To this day, the memories keep her warm, because she still has that security and love in her boyfriend. When she feels alone he “remind[s] [her] of home” on that farm. And when the “world isn’t fair” she imagines going there with him, and it gives her strength. It reminds her of what’s good in the world. 

Deeper Meaning of “Christmas Tree Farm” by Taylor Swift

“Christmas Tree Farm” is a heartwarming song that not only finds joy in the past, but in the present as well. She wishes sometimes that she could go back, but she carries the joy of those times with her and cherishes where she is now, and who she is with. It isn’t always easy to appreciate both the past and the present at the same time, but Taylor shows us that a love for the best parts of where we’ve been can help open our eyes to the blessings of where we are. By recognizing the beauty of her home as a child, she finds and embraces that same beauty in her life today. We can do the same. We can think of a simple moment from our past that keeps us warm on difficult days, and look to where we are now. We may not have the same people, or be in the same place, or even think the same way, but we can look for the “good times” in where we are now and love them while we’re in them.