MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BEATLES

Merry Christmas From the Beatles

50 years ago this month, the Beatles released their first annual Christmas record.
While the recordings are a relatively little-known part of the group’s discography, the Beatles marked the holidays every year by mailing short Christmas records to members of their fan club. 50 years ago this December, at the dawn of Beatlemania in the U.K., the band released the first such collection, simply titled The Beatles’ Christmas Record.

The first installment is representative of the series in its early years: One by one, the Beatles introduce themselves, thank the “Beatle people” for their support (the series was conceived in part due to the difficulty of keeping up with fan letters), and sing a song. (In later years, as they drifted apart, the four recorded their parts separately.) There’s also lots of general merriment and impromptu goofiness: The band had a taste for nonsense lyrics long before they started dropping acid. (They also demonstrate the German-language skills they picked up during their time in Hamburg.)
Paul puts it toward the end, using the group’s own language, “Happy Crimble, and a Merry New Year.”