Frank Pooler wrote the words to “Merry Christmas, Darling” in 1946 when he was 19 years old.

Twenty years later, Pooler was Professor of music at California State University. Richard and Karen Carpenter were in his choir.

When Richard asked Professor Pooler if he knew of any new and different Christmas songs they might sing, Pooler remembered the lyrics he had written at age 19 and asked then-19-year-old Richard if he might write music for them. Fifteen minutes later, Richard Carpenter was done.

His sister, Karen, recorded “Merry Christmas, Darling” in 1970 and it immediately become a gold record.