It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
It’s a Christmas song written in 1963 by Edward Pola and George Wyle. Andy Williams recorded it for his Christmas album, but the US label promoted another song as the single that year. A UK CD single was released in 2007 because of a Marks & Spencer ad.
The song describes the fun, festive things people do at Christmas—getting together with friends and family, telling ghost stories, hosting parties, dropping by to visit, sledding, roasting marshmallows, sharing stories about past Christmases, and singing carols.
Over time, it became a Christmas standard. Williams later said it has become one of the top 10 Christmas songs of all time.
In recent years the song has done well on charts around the world. It reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2020 and No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart in 2021. It has appeared on Billboard’s holiday charts since 2011 and has kept coming back every year.
The song has been used in various ads and campaigns, including Christmas Seals in several years and Staples ads since 1994. The UK retailer On the Beach has used it since 2021. It was also used in a McDonald’s Netherlands 2025 AI commercial, which was later pulled after negative reception.
Overall, it’s considered a favorite Christmas song that continues to be played and remembered during the holiday season.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:45 (CET).