A young adult male in a relaxed, slightly oversized green sweater with white and red accents stands indoors under artificial evening lighting. 5:17

When two of NSYNC want in on a Christmas party

David Archuleta is singing "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" at a house party full of Christmas sweaters. Not everyone on the street made the guest list. more

David rose to fame on American Idol, and the song suits that bright voice. "We've been waiting all year for this night," it begins, with the stockings hung by the fireside and everyone waiting for Santa. As the chorus puts it, there's love in the room from the floor to the ceiling.

A man in a patterned sweater smiles while sitting near a brick wall with an appliance behind him. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Early in the song, the house party is warm and easy.

A guy in an argyle sweater dances by the decorated tree. Fans say David hasn't aged a day since his Idol days, and one longtime fan notes that he still closes his eyes when he sings. Plenty of others admit they smiled the whole way through.

A man in an argyle sweater dances near a Christmas tree hung with lights and ornaments. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
The song hits its stride beside the Christmas tree.

Then the music breaks, and two guys are standing there. "Hey, how's it going, guys? We were just down the street, heard some pretty fly music." Someone apologizes and promises to keep it down, which misses the point. "No, no, no. We want to be invited to that." They're Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick of NSYNC, and they're not like cops, they want you to know.

A young adult male in a relaxed, slightly oversized green sweater with white and red accents stands indoors under artificial evening lighting. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
David Archuleta is singing "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" at a house party full of Christmas sweaters.

The answer is a polite no. "The thing is, we're actually at capacity right now." That is a hard sell, since the two can't see anyone in there. They try again. "We're cool, we're fly."

Next they point him to his own sweater. "Look at your sweater. Look at me. Look at your sweater." It doesn't help. He still does not seem to know he is talking to two members of NSYNC, and before long comes the verdict. "That's an ugly sweater." Fans quote this whole exchange, along with a quick "Bye Bye Bye."

A young person with glasses, a green sweater and a white collar talks near a lit Christmas tree at night. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
The sweater exchange is the part fans quote most.

On the song itself, Lance and Chris add their harmony to David's lead. Big Brother's Kathryn Dunn makes an appearance, and so does Broadway actor Austin P. McKenzie.

It closes on the title line, "Merry Christmas, happy holidays." For a party that was "at capacity," it found room for two more voices.

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