THROWBACK: Merle Haggard Sings His Timeless Tune “If We Make It Through December”
on Feb 19, 2025 • Updated Dec 03, 2025
Merle Haggard’s Original Song “If We Make It Through December” Is One Of His Best
When Merle Haggard released his Christmas album, Merle Haggard’s Christmas Present in 1973, it wasn’t his covers of “White Christmas” or “Winter Wonderland” that soared to the top of the charts, but his original single “If We Make It Through December.”
Written by Haggard himself, “If We Make It Through December” became the album’s first single. It held the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart for four weeks.
RELATED: CODY JOHNSON TIPS HIS HAT TO MERLE HAGGARD WITH COVER OF “IF WE MAKE IT THROUGH DECEMBER”
The song also reached #1 in Canada and became a crossover hit in the U.S. It peaked at the 28th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Watch A Live Performance Of “If We Make It Through December”
The song tells the story of a man trying his best to make it through December after getting laid off from his factory job. Even though he knows he should be happy, he can’t help but feel sad. He knows that he can’t buy his little girl a Christmas gift.
Although Haggard included the song on his Christmas album, it was never considered a true “Christmas” song. As a result, Haggard re-released the song on a non-Christmas album named after it in 1974.
Many artists have since recorded their own versions of “If We Make It Through December.” Joey + Rory‘s rendition features Haggard on background vocals and the final chorus.
Today, “If We Make It Through December” is considered to be one of Haggard’s signature songs. After you watch his live performance in the video below, you’ll understand why.
