This was originally published on the Inside the Envelope DVD Netflix blog, which was shuttered after the service ended in Sept. 2023.

The holiday season isn’t complete without listening to some Christmas tunes and watching a cozy film. But what about the times those two go hand-in-hand? There are holiday music staples that originated from films or TV versions:

White Christmas:
At one time, the Guinness Book of World Records listed Bing Crosby’s recording of “White Christmas” as both the bestselling Christmas single and best-selling single of all-time.

This hit song was introduced in the film HOLIDAY INN (1942), starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds and Virginia Dale. Crosby sings “White Christmas” in the film with Marjorie Reynolds, who is dubbed by singer Martha Mears.

Written by Irving Berlin, the song lyrics describe longing for a Christmas of another time.

Berlin said in a 1954 interview that the song was originally written for a stage revue he was producing but decided to tuck it away for a later date. “White Christmas” also later became the title song of another Bing Crosby film, WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954.).

“When the song first became popular, I attributed it to the war and the fact that Christmas means peace,” Berlin said in the 1954 interview.

Berlin was also surprised that “White Christmas” was the hit of HOLIDAY INN, according to a Dec. 1953 interview with Earl Wilson. He thought “Be Careful, It’s My Heart,” the Valentine’s Day song, was going to be the hit.

Happy Holiday:
Another holiday standard came from HOLIDAY INN (1942): “Happy Holiday.” Sometimes referred to as “Happy Holidays,” the Irving Berlin song was introduced by Bing Crosby with The Music Maids and Hal singing with Crosby.

In the film, it is paired with a second portion, “Holiday Inn,” about leaving your troubles and coming to Holiday Inn (not the hotel chain). Later, “Happy Holiday” was paired with the Kay Thompson song “The Holiday Season,” which was popularized by singer Andy Williams.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas:
The song has been recorded by everyone from Frank Sinatra to The Carpenters.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944). Introduced by Judy Garland, she sings the song to a distraught Margaret O’Brien. The song reflects on how they may currently have troubles, next year they will be “miles away.”

The song initially was more downtrodden including the lines, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas, It may be your last. Next year, we will all be living in the past,” according to Garland’s biographer John Fricke.

With those lyrics in the song, Judy Garland refused to sing the song, telling Martin and Blane that audiences would think she was a monster for singing that to Margaret O’Brien, said Hugh Martin, quoted by Fricke.

Later, the some of the lyrics were changed. The line “Until then, we’ll have to muddle through some how” was changed to “Hang a shining star upon the highest bough” when Frank Sinatra later recorded the song. Most subsequent recordings have kept this lyric edit.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside:
The often discussed and debated “Baby It’s Cold Outside” lived many lives before becoming a pop standard of the holidays.

Written by songwriter Frank Loesser in 1944, Loesser and his wife Lynn would perform the duet at the end of parties to signify the party over; it’s time to go home, according to his daughter and biographer, Susan Loesser.

Loesser finally sold the song to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1948, who used it in the swimming musical film, NEPTUNE’S DAUGHTER (1949), starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Betty Garrett and Red Skelton. In the film, Williams plays a champion swimmer and swimsuit designer and Montalban plays a polo player. Williams and Montalban first perform the song, with Montalban in pursuit and Williams rolling her eyes at him.

The song is reprised in a comedic manner with Garrett and Skelton, with Garrett in pursuit of Skelton.

The song won Loesser his only Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song. I go in-depth on this song and it’s history here. 

Silver Bells:
Originally titled “Tinkle Bells,” the Jay Livingston and Ray Evans song “Silver Bells” was introduced in the 1951 film THE LEMON DROP KID.

A gruff, comedic version song is first performed in the film by William Frawley, who is dressed as Santa Claus. Then the full song is performed by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell.

“Silver Bells” was originally going to be staged with Hope and Maxwell performing the song in a gambling parlor with gamblers singing. Hope didn’t feel this was effective and the song wouldn’t be a hit. Hope worked to get it restaged, with Hope and Maxwell walking down a snowy street and performing the song, according to his biographer Richard Zoglin.

Christmas Time is Here:
The music from the television special A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (1965) has become as synonymous with the holiday season as the cartoon itself.

With a jazz score by Vince Guaraldi, the song “Christmas Time is Here” was co-written by Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson and is performed by the skating Peanuts gang. The children’s singing voices you hear are the choristers from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

The song initially was instrumental, and Mendelson felt it needed lyrics.

“I called all my Hollywood friends who were songwriters, but nobody took the assignment. So I sat down and in about 10 minutes wrote the words to ‘Christmas Time Is Here’ on an envelope,” Mendelson said, according to Guaraldi’s biographer, Derrick Bang.

You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Dr. Seuss’s story of HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (1966) was adapted as a cartoon television special in 1966, narrated by Boris Karloff.

To go along with the film, Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel wrote the lyrics to the song “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” with music composed by Albert Hague. The song is performed by deep-voiced Thurl Ravenscroft, who was best known for voicing Tony the Tiger of Frosted Flakes.

While this 1966 song is the most famous, Jim Carrey sang it in the 2000 live-action version, and Tyler, the Creator sang an updated version in the 2018 animated CGI Grinch film.

Where Are You Christmas?
In 2000, a live-action version of Dr. Seuss’s HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS was released starring Jim Carrey in the title role.

The film’s soundtrack was filled with songs performed by popular bands of the time, from *NSYNC to Smash Mouth. But one song from this film became a hit and is still a holiday pop standard: “Where Are You Christmas?” performed by Faith Hill.

The song was written by James Horner, Will Jennings, and Mariah Carey.

Believe
Chris Van Allsburg’s classic 1985 book, “The Polar Express,” was adapted into a musical animated film in 2004.

With multiple songs in the film’s soundtrack, “Believe” has become a Christmas mainstay. Written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, Josh Groban performs the song on the film’s soundtrack.

Ballard and Silvestri were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song. “Believe” also received a Grammy Award Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

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