Songfacts®:

• "Under the Tree" is a piano ballad that captures the feeling of longing and heartache during the festive season. Ed Sheeran recorded the song for That Christmas, a 2024 animated film directed by Simon Otto and co-written by Richard Curtis.
• The movie, based on Curtis's trilogy of children's books, unfolds in the fictional seaside town of Wellington-on-Sea and weaves together interconnected stories of yuletide joy and sorrow. Sheeran is a longtime collaborator and friend of Curtis.
  
  "We've done loads of charity work together, and both worked on the movie Yesterday," he explained. "He showed me the rough sketches for That Christmas about two years ago - just voices and drawings - but it absolutely blew me away. Then he asked me to write a song for it. How could I say no?"
• This tender and emotional song is about the ache of festive loneliness. The narrative ties to one of the film's characters, a child longing to spend Christmas with his father but unable to.
  
  "Having kids, I struggle to find great movies for very young kids to watch at Christmas, and this ticks all the boxes," said Sheeran. "This song is written about a character in the film who wants to spend Christmas with his dad but doesn't get to. It's a heartbreaking scene, and something so many people go through every year being alone at Christmas."
• Co-written and produced by Sheeran with his regular collaborator, Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol, the song starts as a sparse piano ballad, gradually swelling into a lush orchestral arrangement. This musical progression mirrors the song's themes of solitude and hope.
• The music video for "Under the Tree" shows scenes from That Christmas along with appearances by Claudia Jessie from Bridgerton. It visually complements the song's themes by showcasing moments of both joy and longing during the holiday season. Sheeran filmed the video in Southwold, Suffolk, on the seafront and around the town.
• "Under The Tree" is Ed Sheeran's third foray into festive music, following 2021's cheeky collaboration with Elton John and LadBaby, "Sausage Rolls For Everyone" and his Elton John duet "Merry Christmas," released the same year.
• Ed Sheeran's brother, Matthew Sheeran, a classically trained composer, adds a touch of elegance to "Under The Tree" with his string arrangement performed by the Budapest Scoring Orchestra. Matthew has a history of collaborating with Ed, having previously arranged strings for such songs as "Perfect," "First Times" and "The Joker And The Queen."