Tis the season for holiday music! The Frederick Symphony Orchestra is giving you a few fun facts about your favorite holiday selections, from beautiful religious ballads to singalong novelty songs.

Bonus: We’ve highlighted in red which songs we’ll be performing during our holiday concert.

• O Holy Night (1847): Adolphe Adam wrote this song based on a French poem, and it premiered by opera singer Emily Laurey that year. Since its inception, it’s been covered by Martina McBride (1986), Christina Aguilera (1987), Celine Dion (1998), Josh Groban (2002), Carrie Underwood (2007), and more.

• The Christmas Song (1942): Commonly subtitled Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire, this most-performed song was originally sung by jazz pianist Nat King Cole.

• Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (1944): Written for Meet Me in St. Louis, this song was recorded by Judy Garland, who originally refused to perform it due to its “lugubrious” nature, according to NPR.

• White Christmas (1948): Frank Sinatra flawlessly remade Bing Crosby’s holiday classic.

• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1949): Gene Autry hit No. 1 on the charts with this song about a heroic reindeer at the North Pole.

• Silver Bells (1950): Crosby and Carol Richards recorded this holiday tune alongside John Scott Trotter and his orchestra.

• Frosty The Snowman (1950): After the success of his first single, Autry recorded this classic about a snowman who magically comes to life.

• Santa Baby (1953): Eartha Kitt’s original recording of this song quickly became a radio staple and the choice of pop covers for years to come.

• Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (1958): Brenda Lee was only 13 years old when she provided the vocals for this holiday classic.

• Sleigh Ride (1960): Later covered by the Boston Pops Orchestra, the most popular version of Johnny Mathis’ song was sung by jazz royalty Ella Fitzgerald. 

• Do You Hear What I Hear? (1962): Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker wrote this tune as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Since then, it’s been covered by Whitney Houston (1987), McBride (1998), Mannheim Steamroller (2001), Underwood (2007), and more.

• Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (1963): Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes was supposed to provide the vocals, but the producers said he didn’t have enough emotion. The studio hired Darlene Love, and it became one of her signatures.

• Christmastime Is Here (1965): The Vince Guaraldi Trio sang this tune for A Charlie Brown Christmas.

• What Christmas Means To Me (1967): Stevie Wonder blended soul with holiday spirit in this original song.

• Blue Christmas (1968): Elvis Presley put a bluesy spin on the holiday season.

• Jingle Bell Rock (1970): This recording was rockabilly Bobby Helms’ biggest song with almost 780,000 downloads to date.

• Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (1972): John Lennon performed with The Harlem Community Choir for this uplifting holiday song post-Vietnam War.

• Santa Claus Is Comin To Town (1975): Bruce Springsteen recorded an improvised version of the 1930’s classic at a Long Island, New York, gig.

• Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy (1977): David Bowie and Crosby teamed up to sing a rendition of this holiday tune for a television special.

• Please Come Home For Christmas (1978): The Eagles recorded this song for their album of the same name. Since then, Jon Bon Jovi and Kelly Clarkson have famously covered it in 1992 and 2013, respectively.

• Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (1979): This novelty song about an eggnog-drunk grandmother was performed by husband-and-wife duo Elmo and Patsy Trigg Shropshire.

• Run Rudolph Run (1982): Dave Edmunds covered Chuck Berry’s holiday tune.   

• Last Christmas (1984): Wham!’s version sold more than 750,000 downloads, outpacing the original by George Michael.

• What Child Is This? (1988): Mannheim Steamroller brilliantly tackled the beauty of this piece on their second holiday album, A Fresh Aire Christmas.

• All I Want For Christmas Is You (1994): Pop princess Carey solidified her presence on future holiday charts with this hyper catchy tune.

• Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 (1995): The Trans-Siberian Orchestra formed from a group called Savatage, who gained popularity by creating this instrumental medley of Carol of the Bells and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

• Christmas Canon (1998): The Trans-Siberian Orchestra had the most popular version of Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major.

• Where Are You Christmas? (2000): Country superstar Faith Hill nailed the holiday single of the year with this remake from the blockbuster soundtrack to Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

• Santa Claus Lane (2002): Disney star Hilary Duff sang this original tune for the holiday episode of her television show.

• My Only Wish (This Year) (2008): Britney Spears penned this original holiday song in the wake of the new holiday pop era.

• Santa Tell Me (2014): This year, joining the ranks of yuletide royalty was popstar Ariana Grande with her original song.

If you’d like to check out more holiday classics, grab tickets to our holiday concert on Dec. 10, 2016: