The words Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nibbling on your nose are the beginning of one of the most beloved Christmas carols of all time. Roasted chestnuts and an open fire means everything Christmas means to some people. Everything from the white Christmas to the cold and children’s eyes that sparkle because they know Santa is coming gives everyone who listens a warm feeling during the Christmas season.

The song was originally titled Merry Christmas to you and is often referred to as Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire (The Christmas Song). The song was written in 1944 by vocalist Mel Torm’e and Bob Wells. Ironically, the most beloved Christmas song of the season was written in the midst of a blistering heat wave in the middle of summer. All Torm’e could think about was trying to keep cool in the summer heat wave. He said that when he sat down at the piano he was just trying to think straight to stay calm. 40 minutes later, Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire ended.

Roasting chestnuts on an open fire describes Christmas and the feelings that go with it perfectly. The last verse of the song says:

And so I am offering this simple phrase,

To children from one to ninety-two,

Although it has been said many times, in many ways,

A very Merry Christmas to you.

This verse goes a long way in describing how so many children and adults feel at Christmas that it has become the most popular and loved song of the season.

In early 1946, the Nat King Cole Trio recorded the first version of Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. Cole wanted to record a second version using a small string section. His record label at the time Capitol Records advised against it. Cole got away with it and that version of the song became a huge hit on the pop and R&B charts. Cole remade the song in 1953 and 1961. The 1961 version is the most popular of the song and is most loved by women ages 30-49 during the Christmas season. Mel Torm’e himself recorded his version of the song in 1954, 1965, and again in 1992.

Other notable stars who sang Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire include Trace Adkins, Garth Brooks, James Brown, The Carpenters, Chicago, Alan Jackson in 2007, and Martina McBride. Reba McIntire and Christina Agullenia, whose 1999 version reached No. 15 on the Billboard Top 100 charts, also recorded the song.