Debbage depicts "A Minnesota Snowfall" from "Christmas Around the World" as taking "a more naked, bare-boned ballad approach". While discussing "Classic Christmas", Gerry Grzyb, chairman of the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh sociology department, states that Joseph's usual approach is to play the carol straight, and then add his own twists. "... he's very effective at that—he doesn't stray as far as a jazz or classical organ improviser might, but he does keep the interest up." Grzyb says that the same applies to Joseph's earlier "Christmas Around the World" CD, which he found even more interesting because of the use of other instrumental sounds.