“Christmas Time Is Here” is a Christmas standard written by Vince Guaraldi with lyrics by Lee Mendelson. The tune was written for the opening of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the first animated special on network TV. It was originally going to be an instrumental, but producer Mendelson thought the song needed lyrics. Unable to find a lyricist in time to complete production, Mendelson wrote the lyrics himself on an envelope in about 10 minutes. Guaraldi got a bunch of kids from a local church choir and recorded the tune. (They were paid $15 each.) Some notable covers: David Benoit; Rosemary Clooney; Patti Austin; Mel Torme; and Stone Temple Pilots.