Louis Armstrong recorded 6 Christmas songs for Decca in three sessions between 1952 and 1955. The first two sides, a couple of standards, “White Christmas” backed with “Winter Wonderland”, were recorded in 1952 with Gordon Jenkins’ and His Orchestra. The next year, Satchmo took to recording less traditional songs and we were introduced to “Zat You, Santa Clause?” backed with Steve Allen’s “Cool Yule” on a release by Louis Armstrong With The Commanders. Then in 1955 it was “Christmas In New Orleans” backed with “Christmas Night In Harlem” as Louis Armstrong With Benny Carter’s Orchestra. All are available on the compilation album What a Wonderful Christmas and the second two sessions produced some of my favorite Christmas songs.  I chose “Zat You, Santa Clause?” because of the menacing groove The Commanders lay down coupled with Jack Fox’s fantastic lyric that has the singer going back and forth between anticipation of a visit from everyone’s favorite fat man and a sense of paranoia that someone is creeping around outside his house

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsCB0-dDa60