This song was written in 1962 and first came to prominence in 1964 on an album by the Quinto Sisters, a Christmas TV special programme and when it was re-recorded as a single by Burl Ives. The next year it became part of a Christmas album which he brought out called A Holly Jolly Christmas. Acoustic guitar formed an important part of that version which is why we have joined forces to record this song as a duo for you. 

The song has had enduring popularity over the ensuing decades, although, to be honest, I really didn’t know it, but that says more about me than the song!

It reached various chart positions a number of times, even as recently as 2017 when it reached no 38 and in 2020 it reached no 4! This in turn meant that Burl Ives broke other records through this achievement for the longevity of his success and the number of years between the peaks, including going into digital download success. It also made him the oldest person to have had a Top 40 hit of any person, living or dead, having re-entered the charts when Burl Ives would have been 109!

However, Burl Ives has not been the only person to record this song and also very successful have been Michael Bublé in 2011, Lady Antebellum in 2012, Jerrod Riemann in 2014 and Alan Jackson in 1992.