Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” was first heard on a radio show sponsored by the Kraft Company on Christmas Day, 1941. The longing and coziness of the song had a deeper meaning that day because families tuning in to that broadcast were thinking about the tragic event that happened just 18 days before: the Pearl Harbor attack. By the following winter, young American troops found themselves overseas during the holidays, and Armed Forces radio played “White Christmas” over and over to remind them of home.

Bing Crosby recorded the song for distribution in 1942. When Crosby traveled overseas to perform for the troops, the carol was always the most requested, despite Crosby’s reservations about performing it. “I hesitated about doing it because invariably it caused such a nostalgic yearning among the men, that it made them sad,” Crosby said in an interview. “Heaven knows, I didn’t come that far to make them sad. For this reason, several times I tried to cut it out of the show, but these guys just hollered for it.”

By the end of the war, “White Christmas” was the bestselling song of all time and held that distinction for 56 years until Elton John’s remake of “Candle in the Wind” when Princess Diana died in 1997. After 72 years, it’s still the bestselling Christmas song of all time, which is interesting because Berlin was Jewish and didn’t even celebrate Christmas. It was also a very sad and solemn day for him. Every year he visited the grave of his son who died on Christmas Day, 1928, at only three weeks old. We honor Berlin for giving us such a beautiful holiday song. May you all have a blessed holiday season.