Hi, Folks -

Wikipedia says:

The original recording by Jimmy Boyd, recorded on July 15, 1952 when he was 13 years old,[1] reached No. 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart in December 1952, and on the Cash Box chart at the beginning of the following year. The song was commissioned by Saks Fifth Avenue to promote the store's Christmas card for the year, which featured an original sketch by artist Perry Barlow, who drew for The New Yorker for many decades.

The song describes a scene where a child walks downstairs from his bedroom on Christmas Eve to see his mother kissing "Santa Claus" (presumably his father in a Santa Claus costume) under the mistletoe.

Boyd's record was condemned by the Roman Catholic Church in Boston when it was released on the grounds that it mixed kissing with Christmas, ignoring the fact that mistletoe, under which many couples kiss, is traditionally hung in many homes during the Christmas season. Boyd was photographed meeting with the Archdiocese to explain the song. After the meeting, the ban was lifted.

From 1952, here's 13-year old Jimmy Boyd (1939-2009) with "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by Tommie connor, which sold 2-1/2 million copies in the first week of its release, baffling Columbia Records executives. :) It's estimated to have sold over 60 million copies to date.

Thanks to YouTuber ScrambledEggs1969.

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http://youtu.be/e7t8YTbQSQc

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--hobie