Of the many Christmas classics, there is one that has stuck in our minds like chewing gum for 54 years. Feliz Navidad is one of those Christmas hymns that – in its simplicity – is perfect.

Written by José Feliciano on Christmas 1970, when he was in Los Angeles missing his family, on the other side of the country, in New York. In festive and nostalgic times, it’s not unusual, right? Well, Feliciano was alone in the studio on December 24th remembering what it was like to celebrate the holiday with his brothers, eating traditional Puerto Rican food, drinking rum, and singing Christmas carols. And he immediately felt happy.

It took only 10 minutes from thinking about his family to writing Feliz Navidad. That’s because it’s simple and direct, with only 19 words and no metaphors or poetry: Feliz Navidad. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart. As the musician said many years later: a song for the masses.

In the original version, José Feliciano plays an acoustic guitar and a Puerto Rican cuatro, and the mix of English and Spanish was thought out: he wanted it to be played on the radio, and if not in the local language. Smart, right? More than five decades later, his work is still one of the most downloaded and broadcast Christmas songs in the United States and Canada, as well as one of the 25 most played and recorded Christmas songs around the world.

But this did not happen immediately. It was only in the late 1990s that Feliz Navidad gained momentum until it reached its current popularity. In 2018, Feliciano reached the top 40 for the first time since 1968 and, during the pandemic, it was among the 10 most played at Christmas.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, here are our wishes for a Merry Christmas!

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