Jose Mari Chan's 'Christmas in Our Hearts' turns 30

Jose Mari Chan's iconic, timeless hit “Christmas in our Hearts” turns 30 this year. It has become a huge part of the Filipino Christmas celebration for decades, that it has gained Jose Mari Chan the title “Father of Philippine Christmas Music.”

Jose Mari Chan during his 'Mars Pa More' guest appearance / Source: Mars Pa More

But, did you know, that it was an unexpected hit? The OPM hitmaker revealed this during his recent interview with Mars Pa More hosts Camille Prats and Iya Villania.

Jose Mari Chan recounted, “Sabi ng producer ko, 'That song, Christmas in our Hearts, sounds too much like a Christian song.

“Radio (stations) will not play that. They're going to play something romantic.' which is what I was known for.

“Thank God nga, as you said, (for) 30 years, God has been good. It's a blessing. It's a gift.”

He even joked about his status as a Filipino Christmas icon by saying, “At least I'm not associated with Halloween. (laughs)”

Jose Mari Chan also treated Kapuso viewers to a performance of his new Christmas song aptly titled, “A Christmas Song for You.”

It's a love song he had written for his wife, that Filipino parents with grown-up kids will definitely relate to and add to their Christmas playlist.

“I composed that about six years ago, a Christmas song dedicated to my wife. You know, describing all the happy years that we've had, and now all our kids are all grown up. It's a romantic song.”

You can watch Jose Mari Chan's interview about “Christmas in our Hearts” in the 'Mars Pa More' video above, and you can watch him perform his newest Christmas song below.

If the video above is not loading properly, you may watch it HERE instead.

For more celebrity features like this, tune in to Mars Pa More from Monday to Friday, at 8:45 a.m. on GMA-7.

And for more lifestyle content, head out to GMA's Lifestyle page.

You might also want to take a sneak peek at Manilyn Reynes' Christmas village collection.