'If only in my dreams.' The sad story behind ‘White Christmas’

The most popular Christmas carol in America stands apart from the others in a number of ways.

It’s not upbeat, there are no fanciful characters and it isn’t religious. Instead, it’s melancholy and wistful — full of longing for bygone days.

A version of this story originally appeared on kuow.org on Dec. 22, 2015. It has since been updated and republished.

Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” was first heard on a radio show sponsored by the Kraft Company on Christmas Day, 1941. Bing Crosby and Kraft Music Hall mainly appealed to young people — the average listener age was 21 — so it’s possible that the younger generation embraced “White Christmas” first.

But the longing and coziness of the song had a deeper meaning that day. Families tuning in to that broadcast were thinking about the tragic event that happened just 18 days before: the Pearl Harbor attack.