Many folks are not aware of how this holiday favorite came to be.
Here is some info from Wikipedia:
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent and recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby, who scored a top ten hit with the song. Originally written to honor soldiers overseas who longed to be home at Christmas time, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" has since gone on to become a Christmas standard. The song is sung from the point of view of a soldier stationed overseas during World War II, writing a letter to his family. In the message, he tells the family he will be coming home and to prepare the holiday for him, and requests snow, mistletoe, and presents on the tree. The song ends on a melancholy note, with the soldier saying, "I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams".The flip side of the original recording (Decca 18570B) was "Danny Boy"
So, this holiday season please take a minute and think about our troops, some overseas, some stateside, who will not be home for Christmas.......but "only in their dreams".
Personal memories, Long Binh, 1967.
The video below is from 2019
