I'll have a Blue Christmas without you
I'll be so blue thinking about you
Decorations of red on a green Christmastree
Won't mean a think if you're not here with me

I'll have a Blue Christmas that's certain
And when that blue heartache starts hurtin'
You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white,
But I'll have a blue, blue Christmas

RCA LOC-1035, 1957, Elvis' Christmas Album

Studio Session For RCA Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, September 5, 1957

Blue Christmas was written by Billy Hayes and Jay Johnson. In 1949 there were three big hits with the song. Russ Morgan (Decca 24766) and Hugo Winterhalter (Columbia 38635) had pop hits, reaching #11 and #21 on Billboard's Best-Selling Singles chart, respectively. Ernest Tubb had a #2 country hit with blue Christmas (Decca 46186). In 1950 Billy Eckstein made a popular recording of the song (MGM 10796).

Elvis recorded Blue Christmas on September 5, 1957, at Radio Recorders. Take #3 was chosen for release. It wasn't until seven years later that Blue Christmas was released as a single, reaching the top of Billboard's special Christmas Singles chart. Elvis sang the song in his 1968 TV special, Elvis. Blue Christmas was replaced in the 1969 repeat of the show with Tiger Man.