Christmas

Background

The rhyme is an old one, and it’s stayed in English tradition for hundreds of years. It teaches a simple idea: Christmas is special because it doesn’t happen often, so make the most of it.
The earliest known form of the phrase appears in 1573 in Thomas Tusser’s book Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. In his longer poem about seasonal customs, Tusser writes:
“At Christmas play and make good cheere,
For Christmas comes but once a yeere.”

His line wasn’t meant as a children’s rhyme at the time. It was more of a cheerful reminder — almost a toast — encouraging people to feast, celebrate, and be generous during the holiday season.

Over time, the saying slipped from adult culture into children’s verse. By the Victorian period, the short two-line version had become a familiar nursery rhyme and appeared in printed collections, often used as a festive greeting poem during the holidays:
Christmas comes but once a year,
And when it comes it brings good cheer.

In the 20th century, the rhyme grew into a longer sing-along version, especially after the release of the 1936 Fleischer Studios animated short Christmas Comes But Once a Year. That adaptation introduced a more playful tune, references to Santa Claus, and the lilting refrain “Tra-la-la-la-la.” Many children’s songbooks continued printing this expanded form, making it the version some people remember today.