You know it really is Christmas when you hear the first Christmas song or carols at your local department store.

It’s funny isn’t it how our retailers are happy to bring out their stock of Christmas trees and decorations as early as October, but you really don’t get that holiday feel to the music starts playing (generally in late November).

But where did many of our favourite carols and Christmas songs originate?

Well I can tell you, in the mind of a man named Johnny Marks.

This week marks the birthday of a man who gave the world wonderful Christmas classics such as “Rudolph the red nosed reindeer”, “I heard the bells on Christmas Day”, “Rockin’ around the Christmas tree” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas”.

An interesting fact is that Johnny Marks was Jewish, as was other great song writers Irving Berlin and Mel Torme`.

Berlin of course penned “White Christmas” which went on to become the biggest selling single of all time and Torme` gave us the "The Christmas Song" (also known as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire").

We thank them for their contribution and for showing this wonderful season belongs to all religions, races, colors and creeds.

The more recent Christmas standards coming to a department store near you include Jose` Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad”, Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas” and how could we forget Band Aid’s “Do they know it’s Christmas”?

But for me there is one clear leader of the Christmas music pack and it comes from the 1970’s.

It was a song penned in protest at the peak of the Vietnam War.

I am of course referring to the John Lennon masterpiece “Happy Xmas (War is over)”.

The song sends tingles through the body, it is dripping in emotion, and brings a tear to the eye like few songs ever have and ever will.

Stop and listen to the message this Christmas.

Thank you John Lennon.