Perry Como And The Fontane Sisters With Mitchell Ayres And His Orchestra – It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. Lyrics & Meaning
Perry Como And The Fontane Sisters With Mitchell Ayres And His Orchestra – It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas: Finding the Holiday Spirit in the Smallest Details
Ever have that one moment when it suddenly hits you? It might not even be December yet. Maybe you’re just walking down the street, a sudden cold breeze nips at your nose, and you catch a glimpse of something in a shop window. It’s not a full-blown holiday display, just a hint of glitter or a flash of red and green. But in that tiny instant, a switch flips inside you, and a little voice whispers, “Oh. It’s coming.”
That feeling—that quiet, bubbling excitement of anticipation—is exactly what Perry Como and his crew bottled up in their timeless holiday classic. If that specific, heartwarming feeling had a soundtrack, this would be it. We all know and love this tune, but have you ever stopped to listen to what it’s really telling us? It’s so much more than just a checklist of festive decorations. This song is a beautifully simple guide to how the holiday magic slowly builds, not just around us, but more importantly, right inside of us.
Unwrapping the Timeless Charm of “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” by Perry Como and The Fontane Sisters
The song opens by painting a picture we all recognize. It doesn’t start with a grand, sweeping statement. Instead, it zooms in on the little things, the first tell-tale signs that the season is shifting. Como’s smooth, comforting voice acts like a gentle narrator, pointing out the clues for us.
Everywhere you go
Take a look in the five-and-ten
Glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow
He’s inviting us on a walk, a casual stroll through town. The “five-and-ten,” an old-fashioned variety store, is the first stop. You can almost see it: the warm light spilling onto the cold sidewalk, the shimmer of tinsel, and the bright stripes of candy canes. It’s not about the big, flashy department stores just yet; it’s about the humble, local shop starting to sparkle. The song continues to build this visual world, piece by piece.
Toys in every store
But the prettiest sight to see
Is the holly that will be
On your own front door
See what it did there? It masterfully shifts our focus from the public to the personal. The toys in the store are exciting, for sure, but the song gently reminds us that the “prettiest sight” is the one that’s closest to home. That sprig of holly on your door. It suggests that the true beauty of the season is the one you create for yourself and your family.
A Little Wishful Thinking and a Dash of Parental Humor
Then, the song gets even more specific and personal, giving us a peek into the minds of the children. It’s not just a generic mention of “toys”; we get to hear the actual Christmas wishes of kids with names. It feels so real and charmingly specific.
A pair of hop along boots and a pistol that shoots
Is the wish of Barney and Ben
Dolls that will talk and will go for a walk
Is the hope of Janice and Jen
You can just picture these kids, circling items in a catalog or whispering their hopes for Christmas morning. It’s pure, unfiltered childhood excitement. But what follows is a line of pure comedic gold, a little wink to all the parents listening.
And mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again
It’s hilarious because it’s so true! In the midst of all this magical build-up, there’s a touch of real-life humor. The parents are playing along, filled with love, but they’re also dreaming of the peace and quiet that will come once the holiday break is over. It’s this blend of sweet nostalgia and relatable humor that makes the song feel so grounded and human.
More Than Tinsel: The Real Magic is in Your Heart
As the song progresses, it pulls the camera back out, showing us the festive spirit spreading through the community—a tree in a hotel, another in the park. These are shared symbols of joy. But then, the final verse delivers the song’s most powerful and profound message. It moves completely away from the material and the visual to focus on the internal and the emotional.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Soon the bells will start
And the thing that will make them ring
Is the carol that you sing
Right within your heart
This is the secret, the core of it all. The festive bells don’t just ring on their own. They ring because of something you do. The true source of the Christmas spirit, the “thing that will make them ring,” isn’t something you can buy at the five-and-ten or hang on your door. It’s the joy, the hope, the “carol” that you carry and nurture inside yourself. The decorations are just prompts; the feeling is what’s real.
What this classic song so beautifully reminds us is that the holiday season is a gradual awakening. It starts with small, external cues—the glistening decorations and the toys in the window. But its ultimate destination is an internal one. The true celebration begins when you let that festive carol swell “right within your heart.” It’s a reminder that the magic of Christmas isn’t just something we observe; it’s something we actively create and participate in from the inside out.
So, what do you think? Does this song perfectly capture that build-up to the holidays for you? I’d love to hear what parts of it resonate the most with your own holiday memories. Maybe you have a completely different take on what those ringing bells represent!
