Friday, 19 March 2021

FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS SONG # 40 JINGLE BELLS

 

Despite the general awfulness of the Christmas song there are however always exceptions to the rule, and I have a short list of personal favorites.

Without exception all my choices not only include the song but the best performer of that song and so in no particular order here is my fortieth selection.

 

“Jingle Bells”
Written by James Pierpont

Performed by Rosemary Clooney

 

Dashing through the snow
Over the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bobtail ring'
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight!

Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

A day or two ago
I thought I'd take a ride
And soon, Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side,
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
He got into a drifted bank
And then we got upsot.

A day or two ago,
The story I must tell
I went out on the snow,
And on my back I fell;
A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh,
He laughed as there I sprawling lie,
But quickly drove away.

Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young,
Take the girls tonight
and sing this sleighing song;
Just get a bobtailed bay
Two forty as his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! You'll take the lead.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – SECRET SANTA (2001)

 

10-year-old, Jackson Mayhew (Rory Culkin) moves in with his Aunt (Sherilyn Fenn) after the death of his parents.

Aunt Patty works the bar at the Coconut Grotto hotel in Florida and it’s at the Hotel where Jackson befriends an elderly man Sam Clausner (Hume Cronyn) and he begins to suspect that the old man is actually Santa Claus,

The wonderful Hume Cronyn's is brilliant and plays his role with panache and it will be remembered as a holiday classic.

His flawless performance was given despite the fact he was almost 90 years old.

REINDEER NAMES

 

According to Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem the names of Santa's Reindeers are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

 

People have different perceptions as to the custom of The exchanging of Christmas presents some say it can be traced back to an ancient Roman custom of gift-giving which was practiced at the festival of Saturnalia.

It would certainly appear easy to make the transition from making an offering to a pagan deity to giving a gift.

Others believe that when the custom was Christianized the reason for gift-giving was attributed to represent the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh that the Magi brought from the East when they sought out the newborn Jesus Christ.

But the most popular belief by far is that the custom is derived from the greatest gift-giver of all St Nicholas.

SANTA HAS TO WORK HARDER THIS YEAR

Santa has to work harder this year

At the North Pole I fear

Since the jackpot of Euromillions

Was one by Santa minions

THE BOARS HEAD

 

Serving a roasted boar's head was for many years associated with Christmas feasting in England.

It probably harks back to the Norse custom of sacrificing a boar at Yuletide in honor of the Norse god Freyr.

A more amusing telling of the story relates to a student at Oxford's Queen’s College who was attacked one Christmas Day by a wild boar.

As the Boar charged the poor student was armed with nothing more lethal than a copy of Aristotle, so with all his strength he thrust the book down the boar's throat killing it in its tracks.

The student however wanted his book back, so he cut off the animal's head which he took back to the college where it was served for Christmas dinner amidst much pomp and ceremony.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS (2015)

 

Jamie Patterson Mason Douglas is jealous of his rich friend Blake Matthews (Juliocesar Chavez) so when he gets annoyed at his parents (Antonio Sabato Jr and Shannen Doherty) he makes a wish to swap families with his wealthy best friend at Christmas.

To his delight his wish comes true, and he finds himself living the extravagant lifestyle he always dreamed of true However despite having everything he ever wanted, his new mother and father have little time for him, and her grandmother has been dumped in a home and so he ends up trying to put things back the way they were.