Trivia / The Beach Boys' Christmas Album

• Blooper/Throw It In!: On "Auld Lang Syne", Dennis Wilson trips up while delivering his spoken message. They didn't bother doing a retake, apparently deciding the flub added an extra note of sincerity to it.
• Follow the Leader: The album was devised as a response to Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records, which Brian Wilson had attended recording sessions for. He played piano on the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" but was dismissed by Spector due to his substandard piano playing. Especially, the closing message on "Auld Lang Syne" was obviously inspired by Spector's closing message on his album.
• What Could Have Been: "Christmas Eve" (a Brian Wilson original) and "Jingle Bells" were considered for inclusion on the album. Both of these had their instrumental backings recorded but not their vocals; they can be heard on the "copyright extension" digital release Keep an Eye on Summer: The Beach Boys Sessions 1964.

---