Songfacts®:

• This was written by Meredith Willson, who wrote the Broadway play The Music Man, which included his famous songs "76 Trombones" and "Till There Was You."
• This song celebrates that time when Christmas decorations appear in stores and public displays, which has been earlier and earlier in recent years. There are some dated references in the song, such as the "five and ten," which is a store selling inexpensive items. The "Hopalong boots" the child wishes for are a reference to those worn by the fictional cowboy Hopalong Cassidy.
• Along with Bing Crosby and Andy Williams, Perry Como was one of the entertainers most associated with Christmas for many years. From 1948 to 1994 he appeared on many Christmas specials. >>>

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  Bertrand - Paris, France, for all above
• Johnny Mathis recorded this in 1971 for his second Christmas album. His version was used in the movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and gradually received more airplay than Como's. Dean Martin and Bing Crosby also recorded popular versions of the song.
• Michael Bublé covered the song and released it on his holiday album, Christmas. His version first entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated December 17, 2011. It has regularly charted in the UK during the festive period since December 2014.