1951 Christmas song written by Meredith Willson
"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas " is aChristmas song written in 1951 byMeredith Willson . The song was originally titled "It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas ".Perry Como was the first to record and release the song in 1951.
The song has become a standard recorded by many artists. It was first a hit forPerry Como andthe Fontane Sisters withMitchell Ayres & His Orchestra on September 18, 1951, released onRCA Victor as 47-4314 (45 rpm) and 20-4314 (78 rpm).Bing Crosby recorded a version on October 1, 1951, onDecca Records , which was also popular.
Background and writing [ edit ] A popular belief inYarmouth ,Nova Scotia ,Canada , holds that Willson wrote the song while staying in Yarmouth's Grand Hotel.[ 1] The song refers to a "tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well..."; the park being Frost Park, directly across the road from the Grand Hotel, which still operates in a newer building on the same site as the old hotel.[ 2] It also makes mention of thefive and ten which was a store operating in Yarmouth at the time.
It is also possible that the "Grand Hotel" Willson mentions in the song was inspired by theHistoric Park Inn Hotel in his hometown ofMason City ,Iowa , US. The Park Inn Hotel is the last remaining hotel in the world designed by architectFrank Lloyd Wright , and is situated in downtown Mason City overlooking Central Park.
Perry Como andThe Fontane Sisters withMitchell Ayres & His Orchestra released their cover of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" on September 18, 1951. Their edition became one of the most successful versions of the song, which is still widely played today, with over 382 million streams onSpotify as of May 1, 2024. The song is featured in the 2004 filmThe Polar Express .
20s Decade-end chart performance Chart (2025–2026) Position Russia Streaming (TopHit )[ 31] 170
Michael Bublé version[ edit ] Canadian singerMichael Bublé 's version was first released on October 24, 2011, as the first track of Bublé'sChristmas album. However, it was then re-released as the album's second single on November 18, 2012, achieving greater success. In the UK, the song peaked at number 6 in 2022.
Monthly chart performance for "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" Chart (2025) Peak position Estonia Airplay (TopHit)[ 87] 40
Chart (2020) Position Hungary (Single Top 40)[ 88] 100 Hungary (Stream Top 40)[ 89] 71
Chart (2021) Position Hungary (Single Top 40)[ 90] 70 Hungary (Stream Top 40)[ 91] 83
Chart (2022) Position Global 200 (Billboard )[ 92] 199 Hungary (Single Top 40)[ 93] 70 Hungary (Stream Top 40)[ 94] 85
Chart (2023) Position Hungary (Single Top 40)[ 95] 50
Chart (2024) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[ 96] 72
Chart (2025) Position Germany (GfK)[ 97] 92
Region Certification Certified units /salesDenmark (IFPI Danmark )[ 98] 3× Platinum 270,000‡ Germany (BVMI )[ 99] Platinum 600,000‡ Italy (FIMI )[ 100] 2× Platinum 200,000‡ New Zealand (RMNZ )[ 101] 3× Platinum 90,000‡ Portugal (AFP )[ 102] 2× Platinum 50,000‡ Spain (PROMUSICAE )[ 103] Platinum 40,000‡ United Kingdom (BPI )[ 104] 4× Platinum 2,400,000‡ Streaming Greece (IFPI Greece )[ 105] Platinum 2,000,000† ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
Meredith Willson incorporated the song into his 1963 Broadway musicalHere's Love , where it is sung incounterpoint to the newly composed song "Pine Cones and Holly Berries".
Johnny Mathis recorded the song for his 1986 albumChristmas Eve with Johnny Mathis ; this version gained popularity after its inclusion in the filmHome Alone 2: Lost in New York . Gradually, Mathis's recording began to receive wideradio airplay, and in later years this version became aTop 10 Christmas hit.
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