And we are not talking here about a few Chritmas songs: most of the famous ones that you'll know, and either love or hate, were penned by Jews. I failed to find a definitive list, but songs wholly or partially written by Jews include (Jewish writers in bold):
- White Christmas (Irving Berlin)
- The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting) (Mel Tormé and Robert Wells)
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Johnny Marks)
- Winter Wonderland (Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith)
- The Christmas Waltz (Sammy Cahn and Julie Styne)
- Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish)
- It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (George Wyle and Edward Pola)
- Silver Bells (Jay Livingston and Ray Evans)
- Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (Johnny Marks)
- I'll Be Home for Christmas (Walter Kent and Buck Ram)
- A Holly Jolly Christmas (Johnny Marks)
- There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays (Robert Allen and Al Stillman)
- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin)
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie)
- Let it Snow (Sammy Cahn and Julie Styne)
- Santa Baby (Joan Javits and Philip Springer)
- You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch (Albert Hague)
- Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector)
- Silver and Gold (Johnny Marks)
- Do You Hear What I Hear? (Noël Regny and Gloria Shanyne Baker)
And it's not like these are deeply spiritual Christian songs. With the possible exception of Do You Hear What I Hear (which was actually written during the Cuban missile crisis as a peace song), they do not deal with "the Christmas story". They are not Christmas carols, which is a whole other genre of songs. They are generic songs about the Christmas time of year, as it is lived in America - winter, presents, parties, food, etc.
Which is why they have been taken up with such aplomb by schools in our politically correct, secular, inclusive times. Which I, as a secularist, should welcome. I just wish they were not so schmalzy and schlocky (good Jewish words both). And I wish they were not so ubiquitous and so pervasive.
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