Christmas Songs by Sinatra is the third studio album by the American singerFrank Sinatra. It was released on October 4, 1948, as a 78 rpm album set of four 78 rpm records in an actual album and as a 10" LP record (CL 6019) featuring a collection of eightholiday songs. It included four songs previously released as singles, one recorded four years earlier in 1944, and four songs not released as singles, one recorded July 3, 1947 ("Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas") and three recorded on December 28, 1947, for the album.
Columbia reissued the album several times in later years with alternate track listings and different artwork. 1957 saw the first 12" release asChristmas Dreaming (CL 1032) with the addition of "Christmas Dreaming (A Little Early This Year)" (recorded July 3, 1947) and "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" (recorded November 5, 1950), though the latter was dropped from later releases when the album was reissued and retitled asHave Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Harmony HS 11200) in October 1966. This version peaked at No. 42 onBillboard's Best Bets For Christmas album chart on December 21, 1968.[2]
A compilation album was released in 1994 including the eight songs released on the 1948 album (three original takes; five previously unreleased alternate takes) along with the two other Christmas songs he recorded atColumbia. It also includes an introduction by a general and four recording from rehearsals or broadcasts of songs performed on radio shows and issued only asV-Discs to American military during WW II.[3]
A stylizedpaper craft version of the LP album with its original 1948 Christmas tree cover art is prominently featured in the officialmusic video for Sinatra's "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!".[4] However, the 1948 version of the album did not contain the track.
