According to information available from Billboard Magazine, there have been a total of 446 Christmas-themed songs that have cracked the top 100 on the Billboard charts since 1955.

Courtesy of Distejon





I'm in no way ashamed to admit that my personal favorite has always been "Snoopy's Christmas" by the Royal Guardsmen, first released in 1967 as a follow-up to their hit "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" the previous year. The problem is, I rarely - if ever -- hear it on the radio stations that play non-stop Christmas music from Halloween clear through New Year's Day.



Thankfully, I can drag out an old 45-rpm record player, drop the record on the turntable and listen to it. Playing that song is a Christmas tradition that I enjoy year after year.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey



In my opinion, it's tradition that makes this "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" (FYI: that song was written by Edward Pola and George Wyle in 1963 and was released that year by Andy Williams).



I'll leave you with what I must say was the most memorable Christmas, for me, of all time.

Courtesy of NASA





It didn't involve the music, the presents or the decorations or even the annual homemade ravioli. It was 1968; we had attended midnight Mass, which I served as an altar boy, and returned home just in time to turn on the television for reports on the Apollo 8 astronauts, the first human beings to travel to orbit another celestial body. And we heard the three men (three wise men? Who'd traveled from afar? I'd say the symbolism was far too much for me to grasp at the time) read from the Book of Genesis.



At the time, it was the most-watched telecast in the history of television. And after they finished reading, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders finished with "and from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas - and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth."



I still get chills thinking about it. And I and writers all over the world could sit at a keyboard for decades and not come up with a better wish for Christmases past, present and future than that.



Here's a gallery of vintage photos of people celebrating Christmas in New Jersey. Be sure you've clicked on the caption button to read more about these classic photos.

Still in the holiday spirit? Here's a link to last year's gallery.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.