title: I Wish I Was Santa Claus
text: # I Wish I Was Santa Claus
  
  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..."
  
  ## 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
  