Penned by Irving Berlin in early 1940 and released as a mammoth hit single two years later for singer and entertainer Bing Crosby. In 1942 the single spent eleven weeks on top of the charts. It was re -released in 1945 and 1946/7 hitting the seasonal top spot again on each occasion.

In 1947, Crosby re-recorded White Christmas as a result of damage to the original 1942 master, and this is the version most known and loved today - almost identical to the original, using the same studios and musicians.

The song was also the title theme for the 1954 musical "White Christmas", which featured some big stars of the day Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen and Crosby himself of course. This turned out to be the biggest-grossing film of that year.

The 2007 Guinness Book of Records lists Crosby's recording of White Christmas as the biggest selling single of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold in singles and 100 million in total on various compilations, CDs etc.

White Christmas has also been recorded by the following artists: