This Christmas, many of our bravest Americans will spend the holiday away from their families. As the classic Christmas song says, they’ll be home for the holidays only in their dreams. It’s important that we remember our soldiers and their families who are sacrificing so much so that we can gather around the Christmas tree in peace each year.
During World War II, megastar Bing Crosby took a chance on the song “I'll Be Home for Christmas.” While materialistic music executives thought the song was not cheery enough, Crosby and the songwriters understood something that many Americans have forgotten and should relearn today — at Christmastime, a soldier can’t help remembering his loved ones at home. And just as the Americans of World War II rallied together to support their troops, we should do the same today.
WISN 1130 explains that Kim Gannon and Walter Kent wrote “I'll Be Home for Christmas” in the early 1940s, as World War II was in its opening stages. But they found that they could not get anyone to record their song until they reached the most popular star of them all, the singer known as the “Voice of America.”Bing Crosby had made Irving Berlin’s wistful and nostalgic song “White Christmas” a hit that resonated with millions of soldiers. And he did the same with the song that has now become one of the most iconic holiday tunes of World War II.
Music executives felt that with so many soldiers fighting in World War II, the line "I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams" was too sad for families at what's supposed to be a joyous time of year.
But one man disagreed. Bing Crosby had Gannon sing him the song while the two were playing golf together in 1943, and Crosby loved it--recording it later that year and releasing it as the B-side to his monster hit "White Christmas."
And instead of making soldiers overseas sad, it filled them with hope, so much so that whenever Bing Crosby played a holiday show for the troops, "I'll Be Home For Christmas" was his most requested song.
One of the reasons Bing was the most popular entertainer for troops then was that he brought the emotion and understanding to his entertainment that allowed him to connect and relate with these young men so far from home and happiness. He wrote countless letters to soldiers and their families and found himself tearing up as he sang for men who would face death a few days later. It was this compassion and comradery that brought “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” to life.
Related: Bing Crosby in WWII: A Star’s Heartfelt Letters to Soldiers and Families
There are many opportunities now to support our troops at Christmastime. Initiatives like Hero Box and the USO collect donations to send presents and care packages to our troops during the holiday season. Other groups put together goodie packages or accept letters and cards for soldiers overseas.
If you know someone whose loved one is in the military, help out in some way this Christmas. Some military bases and charities collect toys for children whose fathers or mothers are overseas at Christmas. And there is something all of us can certainly do — pray.
For, after all, every man and woman is home for Christmas, even if it is only in his heart and in his dreams.
