I Wish I Was Santa Claus is the fifty-sixth studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Merle Haggard. It was released on October 26, 2004 on the Smith Music Group label.

Reception

The AllMusic review states "It sounds pretty much as you'd expect, especially given the cover art, but this collision of Bakersfield country music and traditional Christmas material has a certain charm..."

I Wish I Was Santa Claus

Track listing

"El Niño" (Moore, Willie Nelson) – 2:36

"I Wish I Were Santa Claus" (Raymond McDonald) – 2:33

"Christmas in Cabo San Lucas" (Colosio, Dyer, Joss, Williams) – 3:15

"White Christmas" (Irving Berlin) – 3:18

"Jingle Bells" (James Lord Pierpont) – 2:16

"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (John Frederick Coots, Haven Gillespie) – 2:15

"Blue Christmas" (Billy Hayes, Jay Johnson) – 2:46

"I'll Be Home for Christmas" (Kent Gannon, James Gannon, Buck Ram) – 2:58

"Santa Claus & Popcorn" (Haggard) – 2:06

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Johnny Marks) – 2:34

"Silver Bells" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston) – 3:37

"If We Make It Through December" (Haggard) – 2:41

Personnel

Merle Haggard – vocals, guitar

Don Markham – horn, trumpet, background vocals

April Anderson – background vocals

Theresa Lane Haggard – background vocals

Johnnie Barber – drums

Doug Colosio – piano, background vocals

Scott Joss – fiddle, guitar, background vocals

Abe Manuel Jr. – guitar

Joe Manuel – guitar

Randy Mason – guitar

Norman Stevens – guitar, background vocals

Kevin Williams – bass, background vocals

References

Merle Haggard albums

2004 Christmas albums

Christmas albums by American artists

Country Christmas albums

I Wish I Was Santa Claus