[2] The recording features Hank Garland and Harold Bradley on guitar, Floyd Cramer on piano, Boots Randolph on saxophone, Bob Moore on double bass, and veteran session player Buddy Harman on drums.

The song was also used in the 1990 film Home Alone during a scene when Kevin McCallister pretends that there is a holiday party taking place in his house, and discourages the burglars from robbing it.

[8] In October 2024, Universal Music Group released “Noche Buena y Navidad,” a Spanish adaptation of the song that features an AI version of Lee’s vocals.

To create “Noche Buena y Navidad,” after rewriting the song, Baquiero brought in Chilean vocalist Leyla Hoyle to record a Spanish language guide track while mimicking the pitch and phrasings of the original.

“To have this out now is pretty incredible, and I’m happy to introduce the song to fans in a new way.”[9][10] Although Decca released the single in both 1958 and again in 1959, it did not sell well until Lee became a popular star in 1960.

It has since turned into a perennial holiday favorite, and due to rule changes in 2014[13] has returned annually to the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching No.

By attaining the Hot 100's top spot 65 years after its original release, the song broke the record for the longest amount of time for a single to make the number-one position.

[16] With the achievement and her celebrating her 79th birthday at the same time, Lee also became the senior-most recording artist to top the Hot 100 chart, surpassing Louis Armstrong, who was 62 years old when "Hello, Dolly!"

[33] On December 9, 2024, the Recording Industry Association of America certified "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" 7× Platinum for US sales of 7 million copies of the digital single.

In 2013, due to downloads, it became one of a number of songs to re-enter the UK Singles Chart near Christmastime each holiday season.

Its accompanying video featured the two hosting a Christmas party with guests including The Mekon and an appearance from Smith's comedy partner Griff Rhys Jones, carol singers played by the band Curiosity Killed the Cat and Spitting Image puppets of Bette Midler and Tina Turner.

Rolf Harris' cover of "Two Little Boys" (the Christmas number one single of 1969) was referred to in the song lyrics and at this point a photo of him was shown in the video - however, since Harris was disgraced for sexual offence crimes, this reference has been cropped out of airplay, except in Australia where the clip is played in full.

American country singer Kacey Musgraves released a cover version of the song featuring Cuban-born American pop singer Camila Cabello as a track on her soundtrack album The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show on November 28, 2019.

Canadian singer Justin Bieber released a cover version of the song as a promotional single on November 12, 2020, exclusively on Amazon Music.

[126][127] Talking about the cover, Bieber said: "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" has always been one of my favourite songs to celebrate the holidays and I'm excited to team up with Amazon Music to share my own version, with my fans.

I'm so thankful to be able to spend the season with loved ones, and to also use this opportunity to give back to LIFT, Inner-City Arts and Alexandria House: three incredible organizations that I've supported in the past.