Remembering George Michael's beautiful forgotten Christmas track 'December Song' 14 years later

20 December 2023, 11:45 | Updated: 20 December 2023, 11:47

Everyone knows and loves a certain Christmas song written by George Michael.

Yes, 'Last Christmas' is one of the greatest Christmas songs ever made, but it wasn't the only festive track that George Michael recorded.

14 years ago, George scored a top 20 hit with 'December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas)', and unless you're a huge George fan, you might not remember it.

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This is a shame, as it's a fantastic nostalgic ballad looking back at what Christmas was like growing up, with both happy and melancholic memories.

George Michael - December Song (I Dreamed Of Christmas) 2010

'December Song' was actually written with the Spice Girls in mind, if you can believe that. It was then going to be offered to Michael Bublé, before George decided to keep it for himself.

The song also features a sample from the Frank Sinatra song 'The Christmas Waltz' (the "Merry Christmas' parts at the start and end of the song).

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George performed the song live during the final of the 2009 series of The X Factor. The day after, physical copies of the song were sold out in one day, forcing his record label to print new copies.

Fans said at the time that they were not able to buy a physical copy, potentially denting its chances of a much higher chart entry. In the end, it peaked at number 14.

George Michael - December Song on The X Factor Final 2009

The song perfectly sums up children's views of Christmas, and the magic that surrounds it when growing up. It also had a cute and emotional animated music video, showing a young George and his pet hamster entering a world panda bears and Christmas trees made of TVs.

It's a massive shame that last year's Last Christmas movie - featuring the music of George Michael - didn't include the song in the soundtrack, as it would have made for a fitting tribute to the late star.