Olivia Rodrigo releases her first original Christmas song, with Cynthia Nixon in the video

Olivia Rodrigo has released "Take Me Home (4 Christmas)," her first original holiday song, and its music video casts Cynthia Nixon as the mother of a boyfriend who brings Rodrigo home for the holidays.

The single and video arrived Thursday, Nov. 5. Ben Marshall, a "Saturday Night Live" cast member who is also part of the comedy trio Please Don't Destroy, plays Rodrigo's love interest. Nixon plays his mom.

Rodrigo wrote the song with her frequent collaborators Dan Nigro and Amy Allen, and Nigro produced it. Beyond streaming, the track is sold on exclusive 7-inch vinyl and cassette. Rodrigo's website also carries a full holiday collection that includes limited-edition gifts, collectibles and decorations.

A song about meeting the family

The lyrics follow the nervous first visit to a partner's relatives. In the chorus, Rodrigo asks to be taken "to your parents' house" and wants her partner to "show me serious commitment." Elsewhere she mentions peeking under the tree, a hungover brunch and wanting to get drunk with her future in-laws.

NME described the upbeat track, built on bells and a groovy rhythm, as an echo of The Waitresses' 1981 new wave holiday song "Christmas Wrapping."

The video opens the morning after a wild party, with Rodrigo cleaning up and stepping over Marshall, who is passed out on the floor. She then imagines him taking her to meet his family, and the fantasy plays out as charades, gingerbread-house building and the carving of a holiday bird, with Nixon as the warm, welcoming host. Rolling Stone compared those scenes to the film "The Family Stone." The clip ends back in reality: Marshall is still asleep, and a disappointed Rodrigo hauls out the trash.

The cast wears loud Christmas sweaters throughout. Rodrigo teased the release days earlier with a clip of the group playing a forehead guessing game in which every card read "Olivia Rodrigo." Another preview showed her beside a Christmas tree with Nixon as the "Sex and the City" theme played.

The 'Sex and the City' connection

The casting has roots in Rodrigo's well-documented fandom. Earlier this year, she told Jimmy Fallon that "Sex and the City" is her favorite show and that she has "watched every single episode maybe three times."

She also told Fallon the series shaped her latest album, "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love," especially the romance between Nixon's character, Miranda Hobbs, and Steve Brady. Recalling a tearful scene in which the two reconcile, Rodrigo said, "I remember watching that and being like, 'Oh my God, I have to write a song about this.'"

That moment became a lyric in "Maggots for Brains": "And everything that's funny, I wish I could tell to him." After the Fallon interview, Nixon posted a video of herself dancing in her kitchen to Rodrigo's "Drivers License."

Although this is Rodrigo's first original Christmas song, it isn't her first holiday recording. In 2020 she covered Joni Mitchell's "River" for a holiday special of "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series," the show in which she appeared.

The single follows her recent remix of "Expectations" with her friend Chappell Roan. The remix sent the song to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its video starred David Byrne. The original version of "Expectations" appears on "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love," which topped the Billboard 200. NME gave the album four and a half stars.

Rodrigo's single leads a week of new holiday music. It came out a few hours before Alanis Morissette's album "Good Weather for Immaculate Conception" and Sufjan Stevens' compilation "Worst Christmas Ever."

Rodrigo is currently touring North America on her Unraveled Tour in support of the album. Grace Ives, Wolf Alice, Devon Again, the Last Dinner Party and Die Spitz are among the opening acts across the run. The U.S. and Canadian dates continue through Dec. 20, so fans at the December shows could hear the new song live. After a short break, the tour picks up again in January and is scheduled to run through summer 2027, including a residency at London's O2 next spring.

Over the summer, Rodrigo launched Daisy Chain Fields, an all-women benefit festival inspired by Lilith Fair. The first edition took place in August at Great Park in Irvine, California. Its lineup included Roan, Doechii, Bikini Kill and the Breeders, and Rodrigo brought Stevie Nicks, Sarah McLachlan and Morissette onstage during her headlining set. She also debuted a new song, "Serena Joy," inspired by "The Handmaid's Tale." The festival raised $20 million for nonprofits that support women and girls.