Critical response The program was met with acclaim from television critics. Calling it engaging, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly opined that A Very Gaga Thanksgiving was "disarmingly direct, sincere, and unpretentious". Tucker praised Lady Gaga's performances in the television special, saying they were a "warm, low-key collection of solid performances of her hits and pop standards". Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times said that while viewers might have thought they were viewing a "dream or a hallucination", they were watching "an actual holiday special". The Guardian s Hadley Freeman wrote, "It was all inoffensive, silly and knowing, and laid down the groundwork for what looks likely to be the singer's next career: as America's in-house eccentric, fearless enough to satirize the country's traditions but canny enough to know that while you can deface as many Irving Berlin songs as you like, the turkey is non-negotiable." In contrast, A Very Gaga Thanksgiving was panned by Jen Carlson of Gothamist, who felt that it was a "very transparent marketing ploy for the new Gaga holiday release". The Washington Post Sarah Anne Hughes wrote that she was shocked at how traditional Gaga was in the television special. Cavan Sieczkowski of the International Business Times described A Very Gaga Thanksgiving as a "charming throwback to holiday specials of times past". Sieczkowski praised the outfits and drew comparisons to those of Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner. Joe Drake agreed, writing on TVology: "This special was [fabulous]. I have nothing bad to say about it. Lady Gaga proves, yet again, that she is the artist of our generation. Her talent, beauty, personality and spirit make her such an incredible person to look up to and respect." At the 2012 Dorian Awards, the special was nominated in the category of Best TV Musical Program of the Year but lost to Glee and Gaga's own concert special, Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden. Music On November 22, 2011, iTunes Store began selling an exclusive EP of the live performances from the special, which included "White Christmas", "Orange Colored Sky", "You and I", and "The Edge of Glory". The EP was made available for purchase only. Titled A Very Gaga Holiday, it entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 52, selling 22,000 copies, and number nine on the Top Holiday Albums chart. The same week, the special also increased sales of Gaga's second