Leah White & the Magic Mirrors: LISTEN

• MP3 play whole song, hi-fi (broadband)

This was written in 1932 by Haven Gillespie and J. Fred Coots. They had trouble convincing anyone to produce it because it was seen as a kids song, which would have been very hard to sell.

When Eddie Cantor sang this on his radio show in 1934, it became an instant hit. Coots was a writer for Cantor's show. Cantor was going to pass on the song but was convinced by his wife, Ida, to give it a try.

One of the most successful Christmas carols of all time, it was outsold only by "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "White Christmas."