Originally recorded by Bing Crosby in 1943, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” has become one of America’s most popular holiday songs and it’s still a big hit. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) named it the #10 most-performed holiday song of the last century.
The song has been written from the perspective of a soldier serving overseas during World War II. The soldier is telling his family that he will be coming home for the holiday and requests snow, mistletoe, and presents on the tree. The 39 words long song “I’ll be Home for Christmas” ends on a melancholy note with the soldier saying, “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams”.
