Living in Utah, snow hits us early November and doesn’t care to leave until about mid April. This being said, we do have the opportunity to live the American dream of a perfect Holiday season full of hot chocolate, lights, sweaters, and beautiful white landscapes yielding the latest snowfall. Waking up to snow covered pines and icy window sills brings the Christmas spirit in like none other. Additionally, every year I know I’m not alone in saying that i hope and pray for a quiet snowfall to hit Christmas Eve and last through the next day. The optime of every Holiday enthusiasts dream… a White Christmas.
“White Christmas” written by Irving Berlin, is not only the highest selling Christmas song of all time, but the single most best selling single EVER. This single has sold more than 50 Million copies since its debut in the 1940’s. To put that in perspective, “Thank you, Next” has sold 81,000 singles since it’s release a few weeks ago. The first public performance of this song was actually performed in 1941 on NBC’s radio show The Kraft Music Hall by Bing Crosby. Initially the song did not gain much public eye, and only became popular when featured in the 1942 Classic Holiday Inn (available to stream on Amazon Prime Video). The song even won Holiday Inn an Academy Award in 1943 for best original song. That’s right, “White Christmas” was introduced more than 10 years before its feature in the Christmas movie we all know and adore… White Christmas (available to stream on Netflix).
Not only did this song capture the hearts of America, but it was actually revolutionary. If you listen to the lyrics, you realize that this song has nothing to do with The Three Wiseman or a Baby Jesus. “White Christmas” was one of the first secular Christmas songs (meaning that the tune is non religious). In fact, the composer Irving Berlin, was a Jewish-American. The lyrics focus on impersonating the warm and fuzzy feeling of the holidays, especially when spent with family. Contrasting from other upbeat seasonal songs like “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Jingle Bells”… this song brought relatable emotion to the holidays. The song was able to be enjoyed and sung by anybody, and that’s what sparked such a popularity among Americans. Still today, you hear the Christmas classic in shopping malls, on Spotify playlists, and anywhere with a wintery feel.