Step Into Christmas

A Turkey-Free Festive Classic

Released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the UK on November 26, 1973, on DJM Records (catalogue: DJS 290), Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas” was his first original Christmas song. Backed with “Ho, Ho, Ho (Who'd Be A Turkey At Christmas?),” this Bernie Taupin co-write — produced by Gus Dudgeon — became an instant festive staple, peaking at No. 8 on the Official Singles Chart for 7 weeks. Pressed by Tranco Limited with solid centre and pop-out centre variants, lacquer cut by DB, with worldwide releases. A perennial Christmas No. 1 contender in re-entry years.

Single Overview

Release Details

Label: DJM Records.

Formats: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single (solid centre / pop-out centre).

Full Track Listing

Side A

Step Into Christmas (4:32) – Written-By: E. John/B. Taupin – Producer: Gus Dudgeon

Side B

Ho, Ho, Ho (Who'd Be A Turkey At Christmas?) (4:03) – Written-By: E. John/B. Taupin – Producer: Gus Dudgeon

Global Variants

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – DJM DJS 290 – UK – 1973

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – MCA – Canada – 1973

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – DJM – Germany – 1973

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – DJM – Ireland – 1973

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – DJM – Netherlands – 1973

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – DJM – Portugal – 1973

- 7", 45 RPM, Single – MCA – USA – 1973

Production and Context

Produced by Gus Dudgeon. Written by Elton John & Bernie Taupin. Published Dick James Music Ltd. Elton’s first Christmas single — a glam-rock festive anthem.

Official Singles Chart Data

Peak position: 8

7 weeks – 08/12/1973 to 19/01/1974

42 → 25 → 26 → 26 → 24 → 26 → 44

Singles Released and Chart Performance

UK Official Singles Chart: 8 (7 weeks) – entry 8 Dec 1973

Legacy and Collectibility

“Step Into Christmas” is Elton John’s ultimate festive glam classic. Original UK DJM pressings (solid/pop-out centre) Verify catalogue DJS 290.

Streams on Spotify make it a perennial Christmas chart re-entry. This single is a must-have for Elton and Christmas collectors.

Do you have Step Into Christmas in your vinyl stack? Is it turkey time yet? Share in the comments!

Sources

Information is drawn from my personal knowledge and supplemented by web sources, including Discogs, 45cat, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts Company, Billboard Chart History and YouTube