It’s Christmas, and that means Christmas songs, on repeat, everywhere. It actually hasn’t been quite so all pervasive this year since everything is shut.
So maybe that’s why I feel a lot more charitable to the old classics right now. They’re an integral part of the Christmas experience, well worn yet fondly remembered, like an old Christmas tree decoration.
And it doesn’t get much more classic than this. Although this song isn’t quite as venerable as ‘Silent Night’ or ‘First Noel’, or even as the original Jingle Bells (1857, if you’re interested), it has still been warming hearts and annoying retail workers for a good stretch.
Released in 1957, the song was allegedly written first by a couple of advertising guys – but Helms maintains that their version was pretty dire and that he should’ve got the writing credits. Christmas cheer all round!