In a remarkable feat of spontaneous creativity, the beloved Christmas song 'Christmastime is Here' was composed in just five minutes. This timeless tune became the heart of the iconic 1965 animated special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and its origin story is as charming as the programme itself.
The Last-Minute Lyrical Emergency
The special's producer, Lee Mendelson, faced a pressing problem. The beautiful, jazzy score by composer Vince Guaraldi was complete, but the opening waltz felt a little slow. It needed lyrics to give it voice. As recalled by Mendelson's son, Jason, in a new interview, his father called everyone in Los Angeles who might help, but to no avail. 'Nobody could do it. Nobody responded or could do it,' Jason told People magazine.
With time running out, Lee Mendelson took matters into his own hands. He sat down and, on the back of an envelope, scribbled the now-famous lines: 'Christmastime is here, happiness and cheer, fun for all, what the children call their favorite time of year.' The entire process took a mere five minutes. This hurried, unplanned act of writing in an emergency birthed the lead song for the entire show.
A Rushed Recording for Posterity
Immediately after drafting the lyrics, Mendelson sent them to Vince Guaraldi. The pair then rushed to a local church, gathered a choir of children, and recorded the vocal version. 'It was done in a rush, with no plan, in an emergency, and that became the lead song for the whole show and has lasted forever,' Jason Mendelson explained, noting the lyrics were famously written 'on a napkin in five minutes.'
Guaraldi was instantly enamoured, writing to Mendelson, 'It's beautiful, it's wonderful.' The song's dual nature is captured on the album, where it appears twice: once as an instrumental and once with the 'wonderful kids' singing the lyrics Mendelson penned so hastily.
The Enduring Legacy of a Christmas Classic
A Charlie Brown Christmas was the collaborative masterpiece of Lee Mendelson, Vince Guaraldi, director Bill Melendez, and the legendary Charles M. Schulz, creator of Peanuts. It first aired in 1965 and the four men continued their partnership throughout their lives.
The creative team behind the special has since passed away. Vince Guaraldi died in 1976 aged 46, Charles Schulz in 2000 at 77, Bill Melendez in 2008 at 91, and Lee Mendelson on Christmas Day in 2019, at the age of 86. Jason Mendelson, who now produces for Peanuts records with his brother Sean, believes his father and the others knew the impact their work would have. He feels they understood the special 'was going to outlive all of them', leaving behind a great legacy of art for the world.
For Jason, the song is a personal touchstone. Whenever 'Christmastime is Here' plays, 'I hear my father's voice again,' he says. What began as a five-minute solution to a production problem has become an indelible part of the holiday season for generations, proving that sometimes, the most enduring art is born from inspired, last-minute genius.
