THE ONES

I USED TO KNOW.

a countdown

by Hunter Jon

I start listening to Christmas music on December 1st, and as far back as I can remember I’ve always kicked things off with the same song: “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby.

Here’s a wee illustration for ya…

December 1st, 2002. My family’s first Christmas in a new home. I was twelve. I wanted Bing’s rendition to begin playing the moment everyone sat down at the table for dinner - right on cue as we began to eat and be merry. However, the CD player was a few feet away from my usual spot at the table. I didn’t want to get up, press play, and be sitting back down when the song started. I wanted to be seated and for the song to just start, as if by magic. Then I remembered the CD player had initially come with a small remote. It took quite a search to find it, and a greater search to find batteries that fit it, but both were accomplished. Making sure the remote worked and getting the volume just right were tricky, because I was so strict with myself - I couldn’t hear even two seconds of the song beforehand, otherwise that all-important first listen of the year would be ruined. I didn’t tell anyone my plan. I wanted it to be a surprise. I made sure to memorize the feel of the play button so that I could press it without looking. Then, after my mum served dinner and everyone was seated, I, with the remote hidden under the table but aimed at the CD player, pressed play. The delicate, etherial opening tinkles of “White Christmas” filled the dining room… and Bing began to croon about a dream. It remains one of the few things in my life to go perfectly.

Here are some wee facts for ya…

“White Christmas” was written by Irving Berlin (whose birth name is Israel Beilin and was, naturally, Jewish) for the movie “Holiday Inn”, released in 1942, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. It won Best Original Song at the 15th annual Academy Awards.

However, it was first performed by Bing live on December 25th, 1941 - a few weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Unsurprisingly, it continued to resonate quite profoundly with listeners throughout WWII.

When they did record the song, the session lasted 18 minutes.

It did quite poorly at first commercially (perhaps because it was released during the summer), but grew to be such a beloved hit that they built a whole movie around it, also starring Crosby, called “White Christmas”.

Most recordings omit the original first verse:

“The sun is shining, the grass is green,

the orange and palm trees sway.

There’s never been such a day

in Beverly Hills, L.A..

But it’s December the twenty-fourth,

and I am longing to be up North…” 

If the internet is to be believed, “White Christmas” is the most recorded Christmas tune in history, and Bing’s original is the best selling single of all time. By my count, 24 covers of the song have been released this year alone. None of this really surprises me. It is, in my humble opinion, the quintessential Christmas song.

It captures the coziness of Christmas that I believe all who celebrate it long for. Musically, it somehow sounds like snow falling. I have no idea how this is achieved, but it is. Lyrically, it manages to look back and forward at the same time. One way with nostalgia and the other with optimism. These suggest that the current holiday season is not the best it could be - and that will always be relatable. Perhaps this is why the song is truly timeless; snow will always fall and the new year will always promise better days ahead, just like the ones we used to know.

Here are my favourite versions of “White Christmas”.