Let’s face it – Bing Crosby is the king of the holiday song. Because before him, there really weren’t any holiday songs. Sure, there were traditional carols like Silent Night and Joy to the World that you would sing around the piano. But with songs like Mele Kalikimaka and It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Bing ushered in a completely new class of music. And that’s not even counting a little ditty of his called White Christmas.
While Bing may not hold the record – pun intended – for the most holiday releases (that title belongs to Johnny Mathis), he did essentially create the entire genre. But for a new release this holiday season, I decided to look to a different “King” for inspiration.
Nat King Cole
Throughout his musical career, all Nat King Cole did was succeed – in spite of the challenges he faced as a black man in the 1950s. He started with a jazz trio and rose to completely dominate that genre. Then he broke out as a solo artist and quickly moved to the top of the popular charts, eventually becoming the first African American entertainer to host his own national network television variety show. Not too bad for a kid who dropped out of school at 15 to pursue a music career.
There’s actually a direct connection between Crosby and Cole. After hearing the Nat Cole Trio perform in an L.A. hotel, Crosby brought them on his Kraft Music Hall radio program and encouraged Capital Records to sign them to an exclusive contract. Crosby and Cole became fast friends, with Crosby calling Cole “the best thing that ever happened to a song.”
Mrs. Santa Claus
I’ve always been a great admirer of Nat King Cole’s music and the way he brought such ease and joy to the songs he sang. That’s one reason I included both Mona Lisa and Walking My Baby Back Home on my earlier albums. And while The Christmas Song is the undisputed champion of his holiday catalog, I wanted to go in a slightly different direction for a new holiday release this year. Leading me to the delightful Mrs. Santa Claus, which he recorded in 1953.
I hope you enjoy this tribute to the one person who keeps the North Pole running like clockwork.
Mrs. Santa Claus will be available November 5, 2026 on all major streaming platforms.