(Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag


" The Man with the Bag" is a Christmas song written in 1950 by Irving Taylor, Dudley Brooks, and Hal Stanley. The "man with the bag" is a reference to Santa Claus, who drops off presents from his sleigh to people who have been "extra special good".
The song was originally made popular by Kay Starr and regularly appeared on Billboard's list of most popular Christmas songs in the early 1950s.
Hal Stanley was Kay Starr's husband at the time. He had an interest in a club in South-Central Los Angeles where Dudley Brooks often performed, and had collaborated with Irving Taylor on several television projects. He brought the two together, took credit as a co-writer, and published it under his and Starr's publishing company StarStan.

Versions

The song has been covered by many artists, including The Brian Setzer Orchestra. The TV show Ally McBeal borrowed the song's title for a December 11, 2000 episode that featured Vonda Shepard singing the song. Her version was included in the holiday album Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas. The album received positive reviews and several critics cited Shephard's version of the song as the album's highlight. Seth MacFarlane recorded the song for his 2014 album Holiday for Swing.
Jessie J covered the song for an advert for Boots during Christmas 2015; this version was later featured on her 2018 album, This Christmas Day.