When many people think of Christmas television variety specials, Bing Crosby or Andy Williams might come to mind, but the all-time champion when it came to Christmas television specials may well have been Perry Como. Perry Como not only did Christmas specials on television before Bing Crosby and Andy Williams, but he did more of them for a longer period of time.
Like Bing Crosby before him, Perry Como's career began on radio. He was the host of The Chesterfield Supper Club five times a week. It would be through The Chesterfield Supper Club that Perry Como would host his first Christmas show. On Christmas Eve, 1948 The Chesterfield Supper Club was simulcast on both radio and television. Perry Como hosted The Chesterfield Supper Club on television until it ended its run, hosting a Christmas episode of the show each year. Afterwards he hosted The Perry Como Show from 1955 to 1959 and then Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall from 1959 to 1967. Like The Chesterfield Supper Club, both The Perry Como Show and Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall featured Christmas episodes.
While Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall ended its run in 1967, Perry Como would continue to appear on American's television screens each Christmas for literally decades. It was in 1968 that he hosted his first Christmas special that was not part of a regularly scheduled program, although it was still called The Perry Como Show. In 1969 Perry Como hosted the Christmas edition of The Hollywood Palace. It was in 1971 that he hosted Perry Como's Winter Show. He would host The Perry Como Winter Show in 1972 and 1973. In 1974 the name of Perry Como'sYuletide special would be The Perry Como Christmas Show.
It was in 1975 that Perry Como hosted the first of his Christmas specials set in a specific location, Perry Como's Lake Tahoe Holiday, Over the next 19 years Perry Como would host Christmas specials in Mexico, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Austria, the Bahams, Paris, England, and yet other locations. His final Christmas special was set in Ireland and was called Irish Christmas. It aired in 1994, 46 years after Perry Como first hosted a Christmas show.
Starting with The Chesterfield Supper Club in 1948, Perry Como very nearly hosted a Christmas show either a Christmas edition of a regularly scheduled programme or a Christmas special, every single year. From 1948 to 1994 it were only few times he did not do so. What makes this even more remarkable is that for much of this time he also hosted specials at other times of year, such as Easter and summer. While Bing Crosby might be better known for his Christmas television specials, Perry Como did far more of them and for a longer period of time.
