Gaye struggled to get the song released as a single for Vietnam troops with Motown . Eighteen years after its recording and six years after Gaye 's untimely death , the song was reissued on '' The Marvin Gaye Collection '' . It also appeared as a bonus track on a later reissue of the compilation '' A Motown Christmas '' . Hairston would recall he received a royalty check from the song a few years later after the album 's release . Later evaluation of the song by critics labeled it as a " masterpiece " . Ever since 1990 , especially during the Iraq War , Gaye 's song has been played on R&B radio stations during the Christmas season
Gaye 's untimely death
Death of Marvin Gaye
I Want to Come Home for Christmas