In 1973, Elton John had just released two No. 1 albums—Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Then, he capped off the year by releasing his first holiday single “Step Into Christmas.”
“Let’s do a Christmas record! we thought” said Elton recounting how he and longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin wrote the song. “In those days we made records all the time. Bernie absolutely loves Christmas songs, so he was all for it.”
Released as a one-off single the day after Thanksgiving on November 23, 1973, “Step Into Christmas” went to No. 1 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart and peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles chart, where it remained for seven weeks.
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The Meaning
In the song, John invites listeners to fully step into the holiday season. Send Christmas cards. Watch the snow falling— forever and ever. Eat drink and be merry.
Welcome to my Christmas song
I’d like to thank you for the year
So I’m sending you this Christmas card
To say it’s nice to have you here
I’d like to sing about all the things
Your eyes and mind can see
So hop aboard the turntable
Oh step into Christmas with me
Step into Christmas
Let’s join together
We can watch the snow fall forever and ever
Eat, drink and be merry
Come along with me
Step into Christmas
The admission’s free
[RELATED: 6 Songs You Didn’t Know Bernie Taupin Wrote for Artists Outside of Elton John]
The lyrics also suggest carrying the holiday spirit of wonderment and joy into the new year and the days that follow.
Take care in all you do next year
And keep smiling through the days
If we can help to entertain you
Oh we will find the ways
So merry Christmas one and all
There’s no place I’d rather be
Than asking you if you’d oblige
Stepping into Christmas with me
More Steps Into Christmas
Taupin and John didn’t stop writing yuletide songs after “Step Into Christmas.” In 1983, he released “Cold As Christmas (In The Middle Of The Year)” on his 17th album Too Low for Zero.
John also released the compilation, Elton John’s Christmas Party, in 2005, a compilation of some of his favorite holiday songs by other artists, including Jimmy Buffett‘s “Christmas Island,” José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” by El Vez, Bruce Springsteen‘s version of “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” U2‘s “New Year’s Day,” and more.
In 2021, John and Ed Sheeran collaborated on their duet “Merry Christmas,” a song capturing the holiday spirit—gathering around the tree and kissing underneath the mistletoe—while honoring those who have passed. That year, John and Sheeran also collaborated on LadBaby’s Christmas single “Sausage Rolls for Everyone.”
Written and Recorded in One Day
John wrote “Step Into Christmas” with Taupin on Sunday, November 11, 1973, and recorded it that same afternoon at Trident Studios in London, England. “It was written and recorded on Sunday and will be in the shops this week,” said John around the swift production of the song around the time of its release.
The song was released as a standalone single with the B-side “Ho, Ho, Ho (Who’d Be a Turkey at Christmas)” a tongue-in-cheek ditty about an encounter with Santa Claus after a brandy-fueled night.
“Step Into Christmas” was later featured on John’s 1990 box set, To Be Continued…, the closing track on his 2023 deluxe version of his greatest hits album Diamonds, and continues to re-emerge and climb the U.K. charts each holiday season.
[RELATED: 15 of Elton John’s Favorite Songs of 2023]
50 Years of “Step Into Christmas”
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of “Step into Christmas,” John has released a digital compilation featuring the track along with several other holiday songs.
The seven-track Step into Christmas EP features the original version of the 1973 single and its B-side, “Ho Ho Ho (Who’d Be a Turkey at Christmas),” along with John’s 1982 song “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Cold as Christmas (in the Middle of the Year),” from 1983, and a 2004 holiday duet with Joss Stone, “Calling It Christmas.”
Photo: Rogers/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
