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Stories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas
You know these songs by heart. They’re the “greatest hits” of Christmas. But do you know the fascinating, inspirational stories behind them—who wrote them and how they came to be? In his latest book, Ace Collins reveals the stories behind the greatest hits of Christmas—all the songs you have enjoyed for generations. For example, as the story goes, jazz great Mel Torme wrote “The Christmas Song” after visiting a friend in California, who, longing to escape California’s heat for the cold winters of his New England, doodled these now-famous phrases on his spiral “Chestnuts roasting … Jack Frost nipping … Yuletide carols …” Torme saw those words and one of the most famous Christmas songs of all time, first recorded by Nat King Cole, was born. Within these pages, you’ll discover the origins of such famous Christmas songs as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” “White Christmas,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Feliz Navidad,” “O Holy Night,” and two dozen others. Although not yet as famous as the Christmas songs of which he writes (he’s working on that), Collins’s many books have sold tens of thousands of copies and have become treasured family classics, read and enjoyed by young and old alike. His new book is a treasure-trove of the kind of magic that makes Christmas the beloved holiday it is. This is Ace Collins at his storytelling best … which means it’s sure to become a “greatest hit” with your family, too.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2010
22 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Ace Collins
118 books219 followersCiting his Arkansas heritage, Christy Award winner Ace Collins defines himself as a storyteller. In that capacity, Collins has authored more than eighty books for 25 different publishers that have sold more than 2.5 million copies. His catalog includes novels, biographies, children’s works as well as books on history, culture and faith. He has also been the featured speaker at the National Archives Distinguished Lecture Series, hosted a television special, been featured on every network morning TV show and does college basketball play-by-play. He is married to Kathy Collins, Chair of the Education Department at Ouachita Baptist University, and the couple has two grown sons. Collins lives in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 1, 2020
The origin stories for 34 oft-heard holiday songs . . .fun and fluffy.
Every one needs Fun and Fluffy. Right?
Every one needs Fun and Fluffy. Right?
December 3, 2024
Honestly, I thought this was going to be cheesy and dumb. I was quite surprised by not only being intrigued by the origins of many Christmas songs, but also how much time I spent on Amazon music adding more songs to my extensive Christmas playlist.
So many songs came from enduring war. Many songs originated from a sad place. My favorite story was a French man named Noel who wrote poems and an American woman named Gloria who wrote music. They met in NYC, married, then many years later wrote “Do You Hear What I Hear?” after Noel had a nightmare from his time being forced to serve in the German army during WW II. (Btw… A couple named Noel and Gloria were basically made to write a Christmas song!)
Some seriously impressive and inspiring information.
So many songs came from enduring war. Many songs originated from a sad place. My favorite story was a French man named Noel who wrote poems and an American woman named Gloria who wrote music. They met in NYC, married, then many years later wrote “Do You Hear What I Hear?” after Noel had a nightmare from his time being forced to serve in the German army during WW II. (Btw… A couple named Noel and Gloria were basically made to write a Christmas song!)
Some seriously impressive and inspiring information.
December 3, 2023
THE POPULAR CHRISTIAN AUTHOR’S THIRD (OF THREE) BOOKS ABOUT CHRISTMAS SONGS
Author ‘Ace’ (Andrew) Collins wrote in the Introduction of this 2010 book, “Get ready to be surprised by Christmas songs. Did you know it was a Christmas song that introduced the world to modern electronic recording? Did you have any idea that many of the greatest hits of the season were penned by Jewish songwriters? Have you ever considered how many Christmas hits do not contain a single reference to the holiday? Did you have a clue that it was a famous Christmas song that all but ruined a budding country music star’s career?... In this book thirty-four all-time great Christmas songs are arranged in almost chronological order according to when they hit the charts… The musical numbers in this book are the ones the public chose as favorites. They are the songs that made the greatest impact by touching hearts and minds in a special way.”
He says of ‘Jingle Bells,’ “the song was not even written about the Christmas season. When you examine the lyrics … you’ll note there’s not a single reference to Christmas---not a mention of Santa, Jesus, gifts, trees, or carols… In fact, this ditty actually examines the dating rituals of teenagers during the cold Northeastern winters in the nineteenth century… In 1840, James S. Pierpont was a young man… his [father was] the pastor of the Unitarian church in Medford, Massachusetts… James was asked by his father to create a song for a special Thanksgiving service at the church.. Suffering from writer’s block, James looked out the front window of the Pierpont’s house. He saw young men sledding on a snow-covered hill… He recalled racing horse-drawn sleds against other boys when he was a teen. He laughed as he remembered the way the girls embraced the winner of those races… The preacher … allowed James to teach his ‘One Horse Open Sleigh’ to the children’s choir… The fully harmonized and whimsical song made its debut at the annual Thanksgiving service… This song … was so well received … [that] the elder Pierpont instructed his son to have the choir perform [the song] during the services on Christmas weekend… Many visitors …were in the church when James and his choir sang his song for a second time… they assumed it was a new Christmas song.” (Pg. 20-22)
Of ‘I’ll be Home for Christmas,’ he recounts. “[It] is one of the simplest Christmas carols ever written… yet those few simple lines became a prayer for a nation uncertain about the outcome of World War II. The song still works today because home is where Christmas comes to life and home is where the holiday takes us, even if it’s only in our dreams.” (Pg. 53)
He observes, "Many of today’s most popular Christmas classics were introduced during World War II and in the years following. Music, more noticeably than literature and film, seemed to bring the nation real hope during the insecure days of war. Music was a uniting force. The songs that were introduced during this time seemed to push deep into listeners’ hearts and linger longer than songs released during times of peace.” (Pg. 65)
Of ‘Frosty the Snowman,’ he explains, “Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson were intent on cashing in on the holiday concept… The songwriters needed a storyline. They couldn’t just start with a living snowman. What would bring him to life? A hat filled with magic… ‘Frosty’ jumped onto the charts after ‘Rudolph,’ on December 9. The song’s whimsical story and catchy tune caught on and even affected the American language. Building a snowman became known as creating a ‘Frosty.’ Because of the record, old top hats were taken out of trunks and placed on the heads of snowmen… The song cracked the top 10 by Christmas Day.” (Pg. 93)
He notes, “Within a week of its release, the archdiocese of Boston condemned ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’ as immoral. Other groups from both the Catholic and Protestant churches followed suit. Missing the point that the man in the lyrics was actually a husband dressed up like Santa, people wrote articles and gave speeches deriding the song for casting Old St. Nick as a man who played around on the side. Hundreds argued this song was sending a horrible message to America’s innocent children… the label decided to put [singer Jimmy] Boyd on a plane and fly the boy across the country to meet with the head of the Catholic Church in Boston… the child explained to the church leader … This was not an affair---it was a father making the season magic for his children. His wife… felt the need to thank him with a kiss… the church took a second look at the song and removed its objections. In the process, millions tuned in to hear what the fuss was about.” (Pg. 103-104)
He recalls, “‘Jingle Bell Rock’ … jumped onto rock playlists. Teens made the song part of the lineup for their winter dances… Today ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ is often hailed as a rock-and-roll Christmas classic. Not only is it the first holiday song to contain the word ‘rock’ in its lyrics, but also the tune made its chart debut at the same time Elvis Presley was lighting up the airwaves with the rocker ‘Blue Christmas.’ … Perhaps 1960’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ (recorded in 1958) should claim the honor of being the first real Christmas rock-and-roll record. That is a matter for debate; what can’t be debated is the staying power of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ on the pop and rock charts.) (Pg. 132-133)
He states, “the cute and eternally popular ‘The Chipmunk Song’ owes its life to an imaginary witch doctor… Ross Bagdasarian … in 1957 … was down to his last two hundred dollars when he spent all but ten of them on a tape recorder that could vary recording speeds…. He wrote a song called ‘Witch Doctor’ … [He] created the stage name of David Seville… the determined songwriter used the production technique he had developed for ‘Witch Doctor’ to bring a voice to a stubborn chipmunk… Bagdasarian knew from experience that selling a novelty concept to a major recording label was hard… he knew the concept of singing chipmunks was an idea too bizarre for most companies to consider… [His] best contacts were at Liberty Records. To get his foot in the studio door, he named his Chipmunks after the three most powerful men at Liberty: Simon Waronker, Theodore Keep, and Al Bennett. It was a … bit of pandering that paid big dividends as the studio opened its doors. The [song] … was cute, but it needed dialogue to lift it from the status of a children’s song to … popular radio. The back-and-forth bickering between the father and the problem child… gave the number the energy and humor it needed to get disc jockeys to listen to it… Bagdasarian saw his new group as a potential franchise…” (Pg. 140-143)
He says of ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’, “Noel Regney… rarely found happiness. He grew up in France during the Great Depression…. Noel left France after the war… Unable to speak English… he stepped into the Beverly Hotel hoping to find a place to stay… Gloria Shane was playing piano in the hotel dining room… When Gloria took a break, he introduced himself. Though he spoke no English and she spoke no French, they found a common language in the world of music. Within a month they had married… Noel wanted to write classical music, while Gloria had her sights on becoming a rock-and-roll tunesmith… Within two years, their different viewpoints combined on a Christmas song that … had a classical feel coupled with a modern message… Noel had believed that the horrors and destruction during the Second World War would wake folks up to the futility of war. Then the Korean War began… By 1962, Vietnam was in the headlines, and men were dying in a war again… Noel wrote a poem that centered on hearing, seeing, and feeling peace. He focused on the birth of Christ as a moment in time when humans experienced a night filled with hope and wonder… He wanted her to write the music… however, she inserted an extra note in each line of the composition. The music didn’t fit Noel’s lyrics. Noel was so moved by the haunting melody, he decided to rework the lyrics. ‘Said the wind to the little lamb’ became ‘Said the night wind to the little lamb.’ The addition added to the song’s depth and power… Noel and Gloria were shocked when …. The Harry Simeone Chorale recorded ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’ Many others were, like Noel and his wife, looking for a reason to hope for peace. With the Cold War… and the escalating violence in Vietnam, [the song] struck a chord… Born of a nightmare, ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’ is loved because it embraces the dream of peace on earth.” (Pg. 154-159)
He reports “the unique calamity that led to [Silent Night’s] creation. In 1818, Joseph Mohr was a twenty-five-year-old priest serving … [in] Austria… Mohr was assigned the task of organizing the music for the Christmas Eve mass… he sat down at the church organ to play… The instrument was dead… Mohr’s best friend was Franz Gruber… [a] thirty-one-year-old schoolteacher… The schoolteacher … offered to play his guitar during the service… Mohr felt that none of the songs the choir had practiced would work with the instrument… A few years earlier, Mohr had written a Christmas poem… ‘Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht.’ …The song saved Christmas at the little church… In January… an organ repairman … arrived to fix the organ. As he worked, Mohr shared the story of how he had used a guitar and an original composition at the Christmas Eve mass… The repairman liked [the song] so much that he jotted down the words and learned the melody. [He] taught the song to churches all over Europe…” (Pg. 208-212)
This book (and the other two in the series) will be of great interest to anyone (particularly Christians) wanting to know more about the background of these songs.
Author ‘Ace’ (Andrew) Collins wrote in the Introduction of this 2010 book, “Get ready to be surprised by Christmas songs. Did you know it was a Christmas song that introduced the world to modern electronic recording? Did you have any idea that many of the greatest hits of the season were penned by Jewish songwriters? Have you ever considered how many Christmas hits do not contain a single reference to the holiday? Did you have a clue that it was a famous Christmas song that all but ruined a budding country music star’s career?... In this book thirty-four all-time great Christmas songs are arranged in almost chronological order according to when they hit the charts… The musical numbers in this book are the ones the public chose as favorites. They are the songs that made the greatest impact by touching hearts and minds in a special way.”
He says of ‘Jingle Bells,’ “the song was not even written about the Christmas season. When you examine the lyrics … you’ll note there’s not a single reference to Christmas---not a mention of Santa, Jesus, gifts, trees, or carols… In fact, this ditty actually examines the dating rituals of teenagers during the cold Northeastern winters in the nineteenth century… In 1840, James S. Pierpont was a young man… his [father was] the pastor of the Unitarian church in Medford, Massachusetts… James was asked by his father to create a song for a special Thanksgiving service at the church.. Suffering from writer’s block, James looked out the front window of the Pierpont’s house. He saw young men sledding on a snow-covered hill… He recalled racing horse-drawn sleds against other boys when he was a teen. He laughed as he remembered the way the girls embraced the winner of those races… The preacher … allowed James to teach his ‘One Horse Open Sleigh’ to the children’s choir… The fully harmonized and whimsical song made its debut at the annual Thanksgiving service… This song … was so well received … [that] the elder Pierpont instructed his son to have the choir perform [the song] during the services on Christmas weekend… Many visitors …were in the church when James and his choir sang his song for a second time… they assumed it was a new Christmas song.” (Pg. 20-22)
Of ‘I’ll be Home for Christmas,’ he recounts. “[It] is one of the simplest Christmas carols ever written… yet those few simple lines became a prayer for a nation uncertain about the outcome of World War II. The song still works today because home is where Christmas comes to life and home is where the holiday takes us, even if it’s only in our dreams.” (Pg. 53)
He observes, "Many of today’s most popular Christmas classics were introduced during World War II and in the years following. Music, more noticeably than literature and film, seemed to bring the nation real hope during the insecure days of war. Music was a uniting force. The songs that were introduced during this time seemed to push deep into listeners’ hearts and linger longer than songs released during times of peace.” (Pg. 65)
Of ‘Frosty the Snowman,’ he explains, “Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson were intent on cashing in on the holiday concept… The songwriters needed a storyline. They couldn’t just start with a living snowman. What would bring him to life? A hat filled with magic… ‘Frosty’ jumped onto the charts after ‘Rudolph,’ on December 9. The song’s whimsical story and catchy tune caught on and even affected the American language. Building a snowman became known as creating a ‘Frosty.’ Because of the record, old top hats were taken out of trunks and placed on the heads of snowmen… The song cracked the top 10 by Christmas Day.” (Pg. 93)
He notes, “Within a week of its release, the archdiocese of Boston condemned ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’ as immoral. Other groups from both the Catholic and Protestant churches followed suit. Missing the point that the man in the lyrics was actually a husband dressed up like Santa, people wrote articles and gave speeches deriding the song for casting Old St. Nick as a man who played around on the side. Hundreds argued this song was sending a horrible message to America’s innocent children… the label decided to put [singer Jimmy] Boyd on a plane and fly the boy across the country to meet with the head of the Catholic Church in Boston… the child explained to the church leader … This was not an affair---it was a father making the season magic for his children. His wife… felt the need to thank him with a kiss… the church took a second look at the song and removed its objections. In the process, millions tuned in to hear what the fuss was about.” (Pg. 103-104)
He recalls, “‘Jingle Bell Rock’ … jumped onto rock playlists. Teens made the song part of the lineup for their winter dances… Today ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ is often hailed as a rock-and-roll Christmas classic. Not only is it the first holiday song to contain the word ‘rock’ in its lyrics, but also the tune made its chart debut at the same time Elvis Presley was lighting up the airwaves with the rocker ‘Blue Christmas.’ … Perhaps 1960’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ (recorded in 1958) should claim the honor of being the first real Christmas rock-and-roll record. That is a matter for debate; what can’t be debated is the staying power of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ on the pop and rock charts.) (Pg. 132-133)
He states, “the cute and eternally popular ‘The Chipmunk Song’ owes its life to an imaginary witch doctor… Ross Bagdasarian … in 1957 … was down to his last two hundred dollars when he spent all but ten of them on a tape recorder that could vary recording speeds…. He wrote a song called ‘Witch Doctor’ … [He] created the stage name of David Seville… the determined songwriter used the production technique he had developed for ‘Witch Doctor’ to bring a voice to a stubborn chipmunk… Bagdasarian knew from experience that selling a novelty concept to a major recording label was hard… he knew the concept of singing chipmunks was an idea too bizarre for most companies to consider… [His] best contacts were at Liberty Records. To get his foot in the studio door, he named his Chipmunks after the three most powerful men at Liberty: Simon Waronker, Theodore Keep, and Al Bennett. It was a … bit of pandering that paid big dividends as the studio opened its doors. The [song] … was cute, but it needed dialogue to lift it from the status of a children’s song to … popular radio. The back-and-forth bickering between the father and the problem child… gave the number the energy and humor it needed to get disc jockeys to listen to it… Bagdasarian saw his new group as a potential franchise…” (Pg. 140-143)
He says of ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’, “Noel Regney… rarely found happiness. He grew up in France during the Great Depression…. Noel left France after the war… Unable to speak English… he stepped into the Beverly Hotel hoping to find a place to stay… Gloria Shane was playing piano in the hotel dining room… When Gloria took a break, he introduced himself. Though he spoke no English and she spoke no French, they found a common language in the world of music. Within a month they had married… Noel wanted to write classical music, while Gloria had her sights on becoming a rock-and-roll tunesmith… Within two years, their different viewpoints combined on a Christmas song that … had a classical feel coupled with a modern message… Noel had believed that the horrors and destruction during the Second World War would wake folks up to the futility of war. Then the Korean War began… By 1962, Vietnam was in the headlines, and men were dying in a war again… Noel wrote a poem that centered on hearing, seeing, and feeling peace. He focused on the birth of Christ as a moment in time when humans experienced a night filled with hope and wonder… He wanted her to write the music… however, she inserted an extra note in each line of the composition. The music didn’t fit Noel’s lyrics. Noel was so moved by the haunting melody, he decided to rework the lyrics. ‘Said the wind to the little lamb’ became ‘Said the night wind to the little lamb.’ The addition added to the song’s depth and power… Noel and Gloria were shocked when …. The Harry Simeone Chorale recorded ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’ Many others were, like Noel and his wife, looking for a reason to hope for peace. With the Cold War… and the escalating violence in Vietnam, [the song] struck a chord… Born of a nightmare, ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?’ is loved because it embraces the dream of peace on earth.” (Pg. 154-159)
He reports “the unique calamity that led to [Silent Night’s] creation. In 1818, Joseph Mohr was a twenty-five-year-old priest serving … [in] Austria… Mohr was assigned the task of organizing the music for the Christmas Eve mass… he sat down at the church organ to play… The instrument was dead… Mohr’s best friend was Franz Gruber… [a] thirty-one-year-old schoolteacher… The schoolteacher … offered to play his guitar during the service… Mohr felt that none of the songs the choir had practiced would work with the instrument… A few years earlier, Mohr had written a Christmas poem… ‘Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht.’ …The song saved Christmas at the little church… In January… an organ repairman … arrived to fix the organ. As he worked, Mohr shared the story of how he had used a guitar and an original composition at the Christmas Eve mass… The repairman liked [the song] so much that he jotted down the words and learned the melody. [He] taught the song to churches all over Europe…” (Pg. 208-212)
This book (and the other two in the series) will be of great interest to anyone (particularly Christians) wanting to know more about the background of these songs.
December 8, 2019
I confess. I was listening to Christmas music in October. I've read of the origins of some of the older carols and hymns; but, this was the first book I've read about more contemporary Christmas songs.
I was familiar with all of the songs. The tunes jingled merrily through my mind as I was reading. Beginning with the first song recorded with electric microphones, Oh Come All Ye Faithful, and proceeding through decades of popular titles including White Christmas, Here Comes Santa Claus, Jingle Bells and fourteen others, you will not only enjoy the details behind the songs, you also will enjoy the history surrounding them.
This book reads like a history of 20th century Christmas music. I really enjoyed learning the stories behind each of the popular songs. What I didn't expect was that I would get a feeling for what the musical climate was during the early part of the 20th century. Many of my favorites were written either just prior to, during or just after World War II. There was a real need for upbeat songs that would bring cheer and good feelings about being home for Christmas. I was also surprised to find that some of the best wintry snow songs were written during the heat of the summer in California.
Christmas lovers, history lovers, and music lovers will all agree that this book enriches our appreciation of the times and the music itself. I plan to read it again with my children, sing the songs, and maybe even look up some of the original versions on youtube.
Enjoy this book and have yourself a merry little Christmas!
Laura
Happy at Home
I received this book for free from Zondervan in exchange for an honest review.
I was familiar with all of the songs. The tunes jingled merrily through my mind as I was reading. Beginning with the first song recorded with electric microphones, Oh Come All Ye Faithful, and proceeding through decades of popular titles including White Christmas, Here Comes Santa Claus, Jingle Bells and fourteen others, you will not only enjoy the details behind the songs, you also will enjoy the history surrounding them.
This book reads like a history of 20th century Christmas music. I really enjoyed learning the stories behind each of the popular songs. What I didn't expect was that I would get a feeling for what the musical climate was during the early part of the 20th century. Many of my favorites were written either just prior to, during or just after World War II. There was a real need for upbeat songs that would bring cheer and good feelings about being home for Christmas. I was also surprised to find that some of the best wintry snow songs were written during the heat of the summer in California.
Christmas lovers, history lovers, and music lovers will all agree that this book enriches our appreciation of the times and the music itself. I plan to read it again with my children, sing the songs, and maybe even look up some of the original versions on youtube.
Enjoy this book and have yourself a merry little Christmas!
Laura
Happy at Home
I received this book for free from Zondervan in exchange for an honest review.
February 11, 2025
This book can be enjoyed and be enlightening any time of year! It surprised me about how many Christmastime songs were made purely for commercial purposes many years ago. One made me go back and listen to the song; "Pretty Papers," which talks about a man who is on the side of the street, ignored by everyone in the hurry and bustle of the season, while he cries. Willie Nelson wrote that to call attention to the poor, as he understood from experience what that was like. The last song mentioned was "Silent Night," not meant for commercial purposes.
The book made me look up other books by this author in order to read them!
The book made me look up other books by this author in order to read them!
December 16, 2023
I have to be honest and say I only skimmed a lot of this little book. I love listening to and singing Christmas songs, but the stories didn’t really hold my attention like I thought they would. I did learn some interesting facts that would come in handy for a Christmas trivia game though.
December 13, 2017
Christmas Songs
I read this as part of my daily devotions in December. Enjoyed it very much. My only criticism is it would have been better if all the song lyrics were included.
I read this as part of my daily devotions in December. Enjoyed it very much. My only criticism is it would have been better if all the song lyrics were included.
September 30, 2018
An Early Christmas Read That's Interestingly Fun!
I have enjoyed how Are Collins tells each tale of how each of the Christmas songs have come to be.
I have enjoyed how Are Collins tells each tale of how each of the Christmas songs have come to be.
February 7, 2021
Interesting!
December 24, 2024
Great book! I now have it marked on my annual Christmas season reading list, right up there with Dickens's A Christmas Carol and Barbara Robinson's The Best Christmas Pageant ever.
December 20, 2023
It was cool to learn about the songs I grew up with and listen to still today, but it was kind of dry at times. I found myself skipping over passages.
December 20, 2019
I probably would have given it 4 stars if it would have left out The Christmas Shoes. I keep thinking of knocking off even another because including this song.
Seriously? The Christmas Shoes as one of the greatest Christmas songs? I love Christmas songs, but I absolutely detest The Christmas Shoes song.
Seriously? The Christmas Shoes as one of the greatest Christmas songs? I love Christmas songs, but I absolutely detest The Christmas Shoes song.
December 17, 2019
This is a fun tour through many of the great songs of Christmas--only one of which I hadn't heard of ("Pretty Paper" by Willie Nelson--fortunately Alexa knows it). There are two errors that make me question the credibility of these enthusiastic stories. First, Meredith Willson (of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas") spelled his last name with two l's, which is something the author and editor should have known. Second, although Judy Garland may not have liked the original lyrics to "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (from the movie Meet Me in St. Louis), the version that made it into the movie is not the upbeat version that everyone sings today (as in "from now on our troubles will be out of sight" and "from now on our troubles will be miles away"). In the movie, the lyrics Judy Garland's character sings to her little sister, who is unhappy because the family is moving away from St. Louis after Christmas, are "next year all our troubles will be out of sight" and "next year all our troubles will be miles away." This makes me wonder how closely the author paid attention to the movie (if he even watched it). But it was still fun to hear the stories behind many Christmas songs, although now I wonder how accurate they are. The book would have been even better if the lyrics to the songs had been included and if the e-book had included a way to actually play the songs. This would have caused huge copyright and permissions headaches, but at least the lyrics seem like an important addition to this type of book.
October 21, 2024
It was really enjoyable learning the history behind the greatest hits of Christmas. Only one of the songs was a carol I was not familiar with. What a great book to listen to as we approach the holidays.
Songs covered:
O come, all you faithful
Jingle bells
Winter wonderland
Santa Claus is coming to town
Carol of the bells
White Christmas
I'll be home for Christmas
Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas
The Christmas song
Here comes Santa Claus (right down Santa Claus Lane)
Let it snow
Sleigh ride
Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer
Frosty the snowman
Silver bells
I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus
Caroling, Caroling
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
(There's no place like) Home for the holidays
Blue Christmas
Jingle Bell Rock
The Little drummer boy
The Chipmunk song
Rockin' around the Christmas tree
Do you hear what I hear?
Pretty paper
Let there be peace on Earth
Holly jolly Christmas
We need a little Christmas
Merry Christmas, Darling
Grandma got run over by a reindeer
All I want for Christmas is you
Christmas shoes
Silent night
Songs covered:
O come, all you faithful
Jingle bells
Winter wonderland
Santa Claus is coming to town
Carol of the bells
White Christmas
I'll be home for Christmas
Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas
The Christmas song
Here comes Santa Claus (right down Santa Claus Lane)
Let it snow
Sleigh ride
Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer
Frosty the snowman
Silver bells
I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus
Caroling, Caroling
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
(There's no place like) Home for the holidays
Blue Christmas
Jingle Bell Rock
The Little drummer boy
The Chipmunk song
Rockin' around the Christmas tree
Do you hear what I hear?
Pretty paper
Let there be peace on Earth
Holly jolly Christmas
We need a little Christmas
Merry Christmas, Darling
Grandma got run over by a reindeer
All I want for Christmas is you
Christmas shoes
Silent night
February 18, 2011
I enjoyed this book! The author did a great job of telling the stories, including the historical perspective and some cultural influences behind these Christmas songs. Both Christian and secular songs are represented. I was amazed how many were written by Jewish authors or scored by Jewish composers!
December 8, 2012
Found this at my library and wanted to read something about Christmas to get me in the holiday mood.
So many great story's of how these songs were written or why this person sang this instead of this other person.
Like the other review said, I was also surprised at how many songs were written by people who don't celebrate Christmas.
So many great story's of how these songs were written or why this person sang this instead of this other person.
Like the other review said, I was also surprised at how many songs were written by people who don't celebrate Christmas.
August 20, 2023
This was just a fun book. I love reading about the history of hymns and songs and this was no exception. This book is mostly popular Christmas songs you hear on the radio. Most are from the 40's and 50's. Just some amazing stories of how they came about.
February 23, 2011
Great "behind the scenes" stories of some of my favorite Christmas songs.
December 31, 2014
Really enjoyed reading about the background on some of my favorite Christmas songs even though some had some very sad beginnings
January 1, 2016
Interesting to know the history of the carols.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews