My Favorite Christmas Song

Do you have a favorite Christmas song? I love Christmas music, but I believe my favorite song is Silver Bells. This song reminds me so much of being a young child and going downtown (not the mall) to shop, happy people bustling down the street, Christmas lights on the sidewalk and streets, ringing bells, and seeing Santa in the windows of Younker's Department store.

Silver Bells, silver bells

It's Christmas time in the city

Ring-a-ling

Year them ring

Soon it will be Christmas Day

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks

Dressed in holiday style

In the air there's a feeling of Christmas

Children laughing

People passing

Meeting smile after smile

And on every street corner you'll hear

Silver bells, silver bells

It's Christmas time in the city

Ring-a-ling

Hear them ring

Soon it will be Christmas day

Strings of streetlights

Even stop lights

Blink a bright red and gree

As the shopper rush

Home with their treasures

Hear the snow crunch

See the kids rush

This is Santa's big day

And above all this bustle you'll hear

Silver bells, silver bells

It's Christmas time in the city

Ring-a-ling

Hear them ring

Soon it will be Christmas day

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks

Dressed in holiday style

In the air

There's a feeling of Christmas

Children laughing

People passing

Meeting smile after smile

Very soon it will be Christmas day.

These are the scenes of my childhood. Department store windows would be all decorated for the season, with Younker's window standing out among all the others. The big corner window at 7th and Walnut would have a real live Santa sitting there and you could visit him and tell him what you wanted for Christmas. It was a very magical time of the year. Please take a minute to listen to Andy Williams sing "Silver Bells."

"Silver Bells" was originally written for a movie called "The Lemon Drop Kid," starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in 1951. Jay Livingston and Ray Evans were reluctant to write a Christmas song as they never made the hit list. The song was based on department store Santas and Salvation Army workers "tinkling" bells on New York street corners. The song became a huge hit when a year later it was re-recorded by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards.