It's the Most Wonderful Time

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year was written in 1963 by Edward Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that year by pop singer Andy Williams for his first Christmas album, The Andy Williams Christmas Album. The song has consistently made it onto pop singles charts around the world in the 2010s and 2020s. The song is a celebration and description of activities associated with the Christmas season, focusing primarily on get-togethers between friends and families. Among the activities included in the song is the telling of scary ghost stories, a Victorian Christmas tradition that has mostly fallen into disuse, but survives in the seasonal popularity of numerous adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Other activities mentioned include hosting parties, spontaneous visits from friends, universal social gaiety, spending time with loved ones, sledding for children, roasting marshmallows, sharing stories about previous Christmases, and singing Christmas carols in winter weather. Although Andy Williams recorded multiple other versions throughout his life, the original 1963 version remains the most popular and well-known. Other notable versions were recorded by Johnny Mathis, Garth Brooks and Harry Connick Jr. The UK travel retailer On the Beach has used the song in its advertising since 2021.

Edward Pola (June 1907 – November 1995) was an American actor, radio/television producer, and songwriter. In the 1920s, Pola began to write songs. He scored one of England's first sound films, Harmony Heaven (1930). Toward the end of the decade, he moved to the United States. He produced the radio comedy The Alan Young Show, as well as dramatic radio programs. He continued as a producer, moving to television in the 1950s. In the 1980s, Pola taught Creative Writing to elementary school students at Smiley Elementary School in Redlands, California.

George Wyle (March 1916 – May 2003) was an American orchestra leader and composer best known for having written the theme song to 1960s television sitcom Gilligan's Island. He also co-wrote the Christmas song It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year and more than 400 other songs. His chief musical collaborator was Eddie Pola. Wyle served as the musical director for The Flip Wilson Show during the early 1970s and also served as music director and arranger for John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together.

Jock McKenzie studied trumpet at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester where he was a joint recipient of the college’s concerto prize. Since 1987 Jock has based his musical career in Hampshire, working as a freelance trumpeter, conductor, composer, arranger and brass teacher. Currently Jock holds the position of Professional Leader (Brass) for Hampshire Music Service and is the Director of the Hampshire County Youth Band. It is the mix of all of these musical roles that has led to Jock establishing a reputation as a leading creator of brass music resources, particularly in the field of education and brass ensemble music.

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