He remembered celebrating Christmas Eve with his brothers, eating traditional Puerto Rican foods, drinking rum, and going caroling.

"[4] The song was recorded in 10 minutes at RCA Studios on Sunset Boulevard with producer, Rick Jarrard.

'"[5] Feliciano's 1970 recording of "Feliz Navidad" (in which he plays both an acoustic guitar and a Puerto Rican cuatro) is one of the most downloaded and aired Christmas songs in the United States and Canada.

[8][9] Two years later, on the week ending January 8, 2000, the song re-entered the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart at a new peak of No.

[8] Nearly two decades later, "Feliz Navidad" entered the main Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for the first time, specifically on the week ending January 7, 2017 at No.

10), becoming Feliciano's first top 10 hit on the Hot 100 chart since his cover of The Doors' "Light My Fire" peaked at No.

[14] In the United Kingdom, "Feliz Navidad" did not enter the UK Singles Chart until 2016, when it debuted at number 78.

[16] In 2017, Feliciano released a ska version of "Feliz Navidad" in collaboration with English musician Jools Holland.

[70] Although it has never been released as a single in the US, the cover also entered the Billboard Holiday Airplay chart reaching peak position no.

In 2002, the Nick Jr. Channel's animated TV cartoon Dora the Explorer featured a cover of the song in the Christmas-themed episode "A Present for Santa", as sung by Dora, Boots, Santa Claus (voiced by Howie Dorough from Backstreet Boys), and all the elves.

[77] A special version was released as a single on December 8, featuring Turunen's musician friends Michael Monroe, Doro Pesch, Tony Kakko, Elize Ryd, Marko Saaresto, Timo Kotipelto, Simone Simons, Cristina Scabbia, Joe Lynn Turner, Floor Jansen, Hansi Kürsch and Sharon den Adel.

[87] New Zealand comedian Billy T. James recorded "Maori Christmas" for a Radio Hauraki breakfast segment in 1985, which featured a medley based around "Feliz Navidad".

[88] Bob Rivers wrote and recorded a parody called "Police Stop My Car", about driving under the influence, which appeared on his 1997 album More Twisted Christmas.

Feliciano released a statement on December 23 on his official website: This song has always been a bridge to the cultures that are so dear to me, never as a vehicle for a political platform of racism and hate.