December 1973.

I just love Roy Wood and Wizzard and this has to be my favourite Christmas song of all time. It’s a huge surprise then to find that this is the first time I’ve ever woken up with the song in my head!

Written and produced by Roy Wood the recording included backing vocals from the Stockland Green School Choir, credited on the sleeve as “Miss Snob and Class 3C” with “Additional noises”. It was originally arranged for members of the school choir to appear on Top of the Pops with the band but at the last minute they were replaced by students of a London stage school.

Despite the song’s popularity over the years it never made it to the Christmas number one spot. On its release it battled with Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody but lost out, spending four consecutive weeks at number four and nine weeks on the chart in total. Slade meanwhile spent five weeks at number one.

In 1981 Wood decided to re-release the song but the original recordings had been lost. It was re-recorded with the Kempsey Primary School choir this time and this is the version we all listen to today.