PREVIEW

The History of Popular Christmas Songs. 'Time' recently offered readers a look at some of the most surprising stories behind the most well-known Christmas carols. 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer', This classic character was originally created in 1939 by Chicago copywriter Robert L. May for the retail and catalog company Montgomery Ward. In 1949, May's brother-in-law Johnny Marks wrote the musical version famously sang by Gene Autry. 'Do You Hear What I Hear' , This Christmas classic was written in 1962 by husband-and-wife Nöel Regney and Gloria Shayne amid the Cuban missile crisis. "With the prospect of unspeakable war, my father was walking around New York and saw some babies and was very moved—and wrote the lyrics for ‘Do You Hear What I Hear?", Gabrielle Regney, The duo’s daughter, via GBH News. 'Silent Night' , This famous Christmas carol dates back to 1818, when it was written by Joseph Mohr, an Austrian Catholic priest. According to Michael P. Foley, an author and professor at Baylor University, the song is based on a poem Mohr wrote to celebrate the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Foley researched the origins of popular Christmas songs for his book , 'Why We Kiss under the Mistletoe: Christmas Traditions Explained.'. 'Little Drummer Boy' , This classic was written in 1941 by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis and was originally titled 'Carol of the Drum.'. The song became a global hit in 1957, when it was performed by the Jack Halloran Singers. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT