"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is a popular Christmas song written in 1963 by Edward Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that year by pop singer Andy Williams for his first Christmas album, The Andy Williams Christmas Album. However, the song was not released as a promotional single by Williams' record label (Columbia Records) that year, as they instead opted to promote his cover of "White Christmas" as the official promo single from the album.^[1] "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" has consistently made it onto pop singles charts around the world in the 2010s and 2020s. It peaked at No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 2020 and at No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart in 2021.

• 1986: Johnny Mathis, for his album Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis. This recording later made both the Billboard Holiday 100 and Holiday Airplay charts during the 2000s and 2010s.^[11][12]
• 1999: Garth Brooks, for his album Garth Brooks and the Magic of Christmas. Brooks also became the first artist to chart a version of the song in North America, as his remake peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart on the week ending January 8, 2000.^[13]
• 2003/2004: Andy Williams, in a shorter, more upbeat version for the 2004 film Surviving Christmas.^[6]
• 2008: Harry Connick Jr., for his album What a Night! A Christmas Album. This recording peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart on the week ending December 20, 2008.^[14]
• 2008: BarlowGirl, for their album, Home for Christmas. This recording peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart and at No. 25 on the Billboard Christian AC Songs charts (both on the week ending January 3, 2009).^[15][16]
• 2020: Stevie Mackey, Jennifer Lopez and The Eleven for Mackey's album, The Most Wonderful Time. This recording peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart on the week ending December 19, 2021.^[17]

Since 1995, the song was used humorously in the Staples office supply retail chain's annual back to school advertising campaign. In the commercials, the parents joyously shop for school supplies to this song in anticipation of the upcoming school year while their children sullenly follow.^[18]

The UK travel retailer On the Beach has used the song in its advertising since 2021.^[19]

In the issue of Billboard magazine dated November 28, 2009, the list of the "Top 10 Holiday Songs (Since 2001)" places the Williams recording of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" at number five.^[20] 2001 also marked the first year in which the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) started compiling data regarding the radio airplay of holiday songs, and although the Williams classic started out at number 25 of twenty-five songs that were ranked that year,^[21] it gained steam over the next ten years, reaching number 18 in 2002,^[22] number 13 in 2003,^[23] and eventually getting to number four in 2010.^[24]

Because of its use in an advertisement for Marks & Spencer, a CD single of the Williams recording was released in the UK in 2007 and gave the song its first of many annual appearances on the UK singles chart.^[25] In December 2011, Billboard returned to the practice of publishing a seasonal Christmas singles chart, and the Williams song debuted at number eight on the newly christened Holiday 100,^[26] where it has reappeared every year since. In December 2016, Williams' original version began a series of annual chart runs on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching the top 10 for the first time in December 2018. On the Hot 100 chart from the 2020 holiday season dated January 2, 2021, it reached an all-time peak position of No. 5.^[27]