I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Chords + Lyrics
Intro (free time)
||: A | C#m | F#m F#m7 | Aadd9 E :||
Chorus
| A | A | C#m | F#m |
I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus.
| A | A | E7 (E6) | E7 (E6) |
Underneath the mistletoe last night.
| E | E | A | A |
She didn’t see me creep, down the stairs to have a peek.
| B7 | B7 | E | E7 |
She thought that I was tucked up in my bedroom fast asleep.
Verse 1
| A | A | C#m | F#m |
Then, I saw Mommy tickle Santa Claus.
| A | A7 | D A7/C# | Bm7 |
Underneath his beard so snowy white.
| D B7 | G#7 | A F#m7 | Bm7 E7 |
Oh, what a laugh it would have been, if Daddy had only seen.
| A F#m7 | Bm7 E7 | A F#m7 | B7 E7 |
Mommy kissing Santa Claus last night.
Instrumental (as chorus)
| A | A | C#m | F#m |
| A | A | E7 (E6) | E7 (E6) |
| E | E | A | A |
| B7 | B7 | E | E7 |
Verse 2
| A | A | C#m | F#m |
Then, I saw Mommy tickle Santa Claus.
| A | A7 | D A7/C# | Bm7 |
Underneath his beard so snowy white.
| D B7 | G#7 | A F#m7 | Bm7 E7 |
Oh, what a laugh it would have been, if Daddy had only seen.
| A F#m7 | Bm7 E7 | A | A7 |
Mommy kissing Santa Claus last night.
End
| D B7 | G#7 | A F#m7 | Bm7 E7 |
Oh, what a laugh it would have been, if Daddy had only seen.
| A F#m7 | Bm7 | E7 | A |
Mommy kissing Santa Claus, last, night.
| A | D | E7 | A | A6 | A | Amaj7 |
(I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus).
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Chords: Learn the progressions
As this is a Christmas standard and there are many versions out there in all sorts of key signatures (more about this below), it’s a great idea to work out the basic chord structure using Roman Numerals.
The Ronettes’ version, which I chose to focus on is in the key of A, most versions of this tune online are in the key of C.
Here’s the first section, I call this the chorus, it later comes back as an instrumental section.
| A (I) | A | C#m (III) | F#m (VI) |
| A | A | E7 (V) | E7 |
| E | E | A | A |
| B7 (Iix) | B7 | E | E7 |
The first movement, A – C#m is similar to A – Amaj7, do compare the two. From C#m we go to F#m, this is a movement “up a 4th”.
Next, we go back to chord I (A), then to V with a dom7 extension (E7) as well as an E6. This is followed by calming down as we just play E, this is a small but important detail.
After letting E take us back to A, we increase the tension by turning our II chord into dom7 (B7, IIx) before we finish on E and E7. Again, it’s a small detail but using both E and E7 does make a difference.
There’s a nice little chord lick pointing this out, you’ll need TAB for that and all other ideas about how to play I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause’s chords, here’s a link: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
The next section, which I decided to call a verse (most people would probably prefer to say A and B section) starts in the same way but then goes a bit nuts, here’s the first half of the verse progression for I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.
| A (I) | A | C#m (III) | F#m (VI) |
| A (I) | A7 (I7) | D (IV) A7/C# (I7/3) | Bm7 (II) |
The first line is as before. The second line is chord I becoming a dom7 to point to IV, then down chromatically using the 3rd of chord I to a Bm7, not a B7 as we had before.
This intricate blend of minor and major is what makes the chords for this Christmas classic.
Here’s the second half of the verse, this is a great chord exercise for you to engage in during your Christmas gig (check the TAB lesson!).
| D (IV) B7 (IIx) | G#7 (VIIx) | A (I) F#m7 (VI) | Bm7 (II) E7 (V) |
| A (I) F#m7 (VI) | Bm7 (II) E7 (V) | A (I) F#m7 (VI) | B7 (Iix) E7 (V) |
It would be best if you sat with this movement for a while, the G#7 and mix of Bm7 and B7 are what stands out the most.
For best results, practice the chords for I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus in as many positions and keys as you can bear. Here’s a chord chart I made for you.
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
There is one small difference between the chords and lyrics vs the chord chart. It’s the E7 – E6 chord lick. With chords and lyrics, I wrote the E6 in brackets, for the chart as smaller chords.
Should you want to download my chord chart, here’s a PDF: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro. Here’s a link to the file: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus iReal Pro.
Using this and the iRealPro app you can change the key, something I often find very annoying but in this case – I embrace the chord exercise the fast changes would give me on the very long Christmas residency gig!
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – A Christmas Standard!
When I decided to transcribe I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, the main problem was which version to pick. This is a proper Christmas standard, and everyone apart from Michael Bublé seems to have done it.
The list is vast, and I’ve included many of these in the playlist at the top of the page. Here’s a more comprehensive list:
- Paul Anka
- The Beverly Sisters (1953)
- Jimmy Boyd (first release 1952)
- Perry Como
- Franki Valli & The Four Seasons
- The Jackson 5 (1970)
- John Mellencamp
- Dolly Parton
- Jessica Simpson
- Bruce Springsteen
- Amy Winehouse
And of course, millions of musicians who landed a seasonal Christmas gig.
In the end, I went for the Ronettes’ version (1963), which is Phil Spector pulling the strings.
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Chords | Related Pages
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus | Guitar Lesson + TAB
With this guitar lesson, you can learn to play I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by The Ronettes using TAB and chord analysis.
| A | A | C#m | F#m |
I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- All I Want For Christmas Is You
- Build Me Up Buttercup
- Fairytale of New York
- Last Christmas
- Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
The Ronettes tunes
The Ronettes are the 60s vocal group behind one of Phil Spector’s biggest wall of sound hits, Be My Baby.
The lead singer, Veronica Bennett, later known as Ronnie Spector, eventually married the eccentric producer who locked her up in his mansion.
The Ronettes on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not by practising scales or studying theory in isolation.
