Eddy Arnold Christmas Music: His Holiday Albums, Songs and Recordings
From his earliest holiday singles in the 1940s to two full-length Christmas albums, Eddy Arnold built a Christmas catalog that stretched across nearly five decades.
Written by Amanda Tempel
Published: August 19, 2026
Country Music Hall of Fame member Eddy Arnold began recording Christmas songs in 1949, released his first full-length Christmas album in 1962 and returned more than three decades later with another collection of holiday recordings.
Along the way, Arnold’s Christmas music appeared on singles, various-artists albums and later compilations that have helped keep many of his earliest recordings available to new generations of listeners.
Christmas with Eddy Arnold — 1962
Arnold released his first Christmas album, Christmas with Eddy Arnold, on RCA Victor in 1962. Produced by Chet Atkins, the 12-song collection mixed traditional Christmas standards with songs that had already become associated with Arnold.
The album included:
“Christmas Can't Be Far Away”
“Will Santy Come to Shanty Town”
“Jingle Bell Rock”
“White Christmas”
“Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town”
“C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S”
“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
“Winter Wonderland”
“Up on the Housetop”
“It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”
“Jolly Old Saint Nicholas”
“O Little Town of Bethlehem”
The album was reissued numerous times in the years that followed, sometimes with different artwork. A 1967 RCA reissue was released as part of the label’s Country Music Hall of Fame series, while a 1982 Reader’s Digest edition used a different cover and replaced “Will Santy Come to Shanty Town” with Arnold’s recording of “Silent Night.” CD reissues followed in 1991 and 2005.
Eddy Arnold Was Recording Christmas Music Before His First Album
Arnold’s holiday catalog began more than a decade before Christmas with Eddy Arnold.
In 1949, he recorded “C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S,” a song he co-wrote with Jenny Lou Carson, along with “Will Santy Come to Shanty Town.” Another version of “C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S” followed in 1950, along with recordings of “White Christmas” and “Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town.”
Arnold continued adding Christmas songs to his catalog in 1954 with recordings including “Christmas Can't Be Far Away,” “I'm Your Private Santa Claus,” “A Present for Santa Claus” and “Sittin' on Santa Claus' Lap.”
Christmas Time — 1997
Thirty-five years after the release of Christmas with Eddy Arnold, Arnold released another full-length holiday album.
Christmas Time arrived through Curb Records in 1997 and featured a new collection of recordings rather than simply repackaging his 1962 RCA album.
The 12-song album included:
“Put a Ribbon in Your Hair”
“The Christmas Song”
“Christmas Can't Be Far Away”
“Joy to the World”
“One Christmas Eve Long Ago”
“Oh Christmas Tree/Jingle Bells”
“Away in a Manger”
“I'll Be Home for Christmas”
“Just Like Christmas”
“Here Comes Santa Claus”
“Oh Come All Ye Faithful”
“Silent Night”
The project gave Arnold the opportunity to revisit “Christmas Can't Be Far Away” decades after his earlier recordings of the song while also adding standards including “The Christmas Song,” “I'll Be Home for Christmas” and “Here Comes Santa Claus” to his catalog.
Unlike his 1962 album, Christmas Time remains available digitally.
Eddy Arnold on Other Christmas Albums and Compilations
Not all of Arnold’s holiday recordings appeared on one of his own Christmas albums. He also recorded seasonal songs for various-artists releases, while later compilations brought together music from across his Christmas catalog.
1954 — To Wish You a Merry Christmas: The RCA Victor Family — Arnold appears with “C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S” on the RCA Victor various-artists collection.
1962 — Nashville Christmas Party — Includes Arnold’s recording of “Silent Night,” which was not part of the original Christmas with Eddy Arnold track list.
1966 — “The Angel and the Stranger” — Arnold added another seasonal recording to his RCA catalog.
1967 — “This World of Ours (Cette nuit-là)” — Another holiday recording that would later be included on collections of his RCA Christmas music.
1974 — Christmas with Henry Mancini/Christmas with Eddy Arnold — An RCA Special Products split release featuring Christmas selections from Arnold and Henry Mancini.
1990 — Billboard Greatest Country Christmas Hits — Features Arnold’s “Will Santy Come to Shanty Town” and “C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S.”
2016 — The Complete RCA Victor Christmas Recordings — The 26-track collection brought together Arnold’s RCA holiday recordings from 1949 through 1967, including the complete Christmas with Eddy Arnold album, early Christmas singles, “Silent Night” from Nashville Christmas Party and later seasonal recordings.
2018 — RCA Christmas Recordings (1949–1967) — Arnold’s RCA holiday catalog was made available digitally, giving listeners access to many of the recordings from his early Christmas career.
Listen to Eddy Arnold’s Christmas Music
Looking for a place to start? Across The Country has put together a collection of Eddy Arnold Christmas favorites, from early holiday recordings like “C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S” and “Will Santy Come to Shanty Town” to seasonal standards from Christmas with Eddy Arnold and Christmas Time.
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music
Where Can You Stream Eddy Arnold's Christmas Music?
Although Christmas with Eddy Arnold is not currently presented on major digital services in the same way as the original 1962 RCA album, much of the music itself remains available.
The 26-track RCA Christmas Recordings (1949–1967) collection includes songs from the 1962 album along with Arnold’s early Christmas singles and other seasonal recordings.
His 1997 album, Christmas Time, is also available digitally through Curb Records.
Together, the releases make much of Arnold’s Christmas catalog accessible today, from his earliest holiday recordings of the late 1940s to Christmas Time nearly five decades later. Songs including “C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S,” “Will Santy Come to Shanty Town” and “Christmas Can't Be Far Away” remain among the most distinctive entries in his holiday catalog.