This holiday classic about a yuletide dance party was written by Johnny Marks, a very prolific Christmas songwriter who was Jewish. His other songs include "Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer."

"Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" has lyrics that are rather dated, but that hasn't dulled the appeal of the song. It takes place at the "Christmas party hop," a festive "sock hop" where teenagers would take off their shoes and dance. Sock hops were big in the '50s, and in 1957 Danny & the Juniors had a huge hit with "At The Hop." The song also evokes quaint traditions like caroling and mistletoe, but it all comes off in a good old-fashioned way.

Brenda Lee was just 13 years old when she recorded this song. Known as "Little Miss Dynamite," she stood 4'9".
First released in 1958, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" didn't dent the charts that year or the next, but in 1960, after Brenda Lee scored a few hits, it caught on and went to #14 in the US. It charted again in 1961 and 1962 and went on to become a Christmas classic.

In a 2006 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Lee explained that she recorded this in July with Nashville producer Owen Bradley. Said Lee: "Owen had the studio all freezing cold with the air conditioning, and he had a Christmas tree all set up to kind of get in the mood just a little bit. We had a lot of fun."

Kelly Clarkson performed this song when she played Lee on the TV series American Dreams in 2004.

In 2014, NPR asked Brenda Lee what the correct direction was to rock around the Christmas tree. Her response: South.