An interesting thing about this song: it was written around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis (and, with its exhortation for peace, was very much of its moment), and thus is not nearly as old as I would have thought. As a child of the Sixties, I was surprised to learn that the song we thought was an old standard was actually pretty contemporary.
I have several versions, and like the ones by Pink Martini and St. John's own Rasa. This one is by a lounge act called Rauder and Hobbs, and always seems to get us into the mood for geting the house in order: some nice drinks, a good groove and the decorations pretty much put themselves up.
This is the sixth song in this year's musical advent calendar.
