It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" was written by Meredith Willson in 1951 — the same songwriter who would later create the Broadway hit "The Music Man." Willson reportedly found inspiration while walking through the main street of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, where he was visiting. The song's mention of "the five and ten" (a Woolworth's store) and specific children's toy wishes captures a very particular mid-century American Christmas.

Two versions were released simultaneously in 1951: one by Perry Como with the Fontane Sisters and another by Bing Crosby. Como's version reached #3 on the charts and became the more enduring recording. The song paints a vivid picture of early December — the decorations going up, the shopping beginning, the weather turning cold — capturing the exact moment when ordinary life transforms into the Christmas season.

The song experienced a massive resurgence in the streaming era. In 2020, it entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, nearly 70 years after its release — a testament to how streaming has revived classic holiday songs for new generations.