Hi. My Name is Gwen, and I’m an Avoider. Also known as Procrastinator, Put-Off-er, and I’ve-Got-Better-Things-To-Doer. I woke up this morning, certain that I would tackle today’s list of chores.
#1. Cleaning the bathrooms that so desperately need cleaning.
#2. Wading through and organizing my list of things to do in December, Christmas presents to purchase, holiday activities, and all the details of the season that feel overwhelming at times; getting it all in front of me, so I can plan my time and energy accordingly.
#3. Compiling bank, tax, and investment information to tackle and complete my college kid’s FAFSA financial aid forms for 2021, with all of the tangled pages and confusing rhetoric.
That was the plan. But, instead, I found myself immersed in research on my computer, trying to get to the bottom of things, in search of an answer to the age-old question: was “Frosty the Snowman” a song before the TV cartoon was made, or was it written for the TV special? Inquiring minds want to know.
For years, I have told my class of preschool children, “There’s always something new to learn.” It is, for me, both a blessing and a curse is that I love to search out and learn things for the sake of learning them. Many times, the things I learn about are very obscure. But, once an idea takes hold, I sink my teeth into it and do whatever I can to gather information to help me understand it. Often, one thing leads to another, and, as SpongeBob Squarepants cartoons say, “Three Hours Later….”, I finally have a pretty good understanding of the original topic and peripheral topics. That's how I avoid doing things that really need to be done, things in which I have no interest. The bathrooms remain scummy, my December schedule is all over the place, FASFA forms sit blank and ignored, but I’ve got some great Christmas Trivia to share with you. Mind you, these are just a few random facts of the many I discovered. I thought these were fun to know.
Good King Wenceslaus
Good King Wenceslaus lived in the early 900s AD. OK, he’s not that important, but how did I not know that there was a Bohemian Prince in our Christmas traditions? How cool is that? After taking the crown, Wenceslaus was assassinated by his brother. Then, he became a saint, revered for his kindness to the poor. The Christmas carol about him was written 1000 years later, and an original woodcut manuscript from 1895 is on display at The Met in NYC. Getting my Boho spirit on…paging Phoebe Buffay.
Christmas Carols
Way back in 129 AD, “Angels Hymn” was the first Christmas carol, as Christian themed songs began replacing Winter Solstice songs. From the Middle Ages, some of the oldest carols were “Boar’s Head Carol”; “Coventry Carol”; “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, and “While Shepherd Watched Their Flocks by Night”, although they don’t sound exactly like today’s versions. Early carols were often written in Latin and only popular with the educated class. Most people couldn’t understand the language.
Things changed in 1223, when St Francis of Assisi (love that guy!) started hosting Nativity Plays in Italy, using language that that the audience could understand. Carols sung in those plays became popular among the masses, spreading throughout Europe. Puritans, in 1600s, banned the singing and other celebrations of Christmas. But, people persisted in private to keep the traditions alive, until they saw a resurgence during Victorian times in the 1800s. That's when groups began singing Christmas carols, called wassailing or waiting.
The Nutcracker
In 1892, Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” ballet (adapted from an earlier story) was performed in Europe. The ballet was slow to gain a following, but, it renewed interest in the German Nutcracker devise which had been created as a tool in the 14th century. Decorative nutcrackers were carved from wood. In the 1940s during WWII, American soldiers brought home German carved nutcrackers which they bought in European Christmas markets. The ballet had just arrived in the US, became widely popular, and The Nutcracker became a staple of Christmas tradition.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
In 1939, Robert L May created the character of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for Montgomery Ward Department Store’s holiday advertising campaign. He kept the copyright for the character. In 1949, his brother-in-law Johnny Marks, a prolific songwriter, wrote the iconic song. The stop motion TV Christmas special came out in 1964. Johnny Marks also wrote “Holly Jolly Christmas”, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, and “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”. How’s that for someone who has his finger on the pulse of the holiday?
The Grinch
In 1957, Dr. Seuss introduced The Grinch character in a poem in Redbook magazine, then developed and published the book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” The cartoon TV special was produced in 1966. Boris Karloff, famous from horror movies, such as Frankenstein, narrated and voiced The Grinch. He won the only performance award of his career, for Best Recording for Children. Another interesting tidbit is that the song “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” was actually sung by a man named Thurl Ravenscroft, who remained uncredited in the show. He’s the guy who said “They’re Grrrrrreat!!” as Tony the Tiger for Frosted Flakes. How ‘bout that for unnecessary trivia?
Good Ole Santy Claus
In 343 AD, Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, in the region of Turkey, died. He was sainted, recognizing his life’s work of helping those who suffered, especially children. The story describes his wealthy family and his determination to help the poor and sick; using his wealth to secretly leave gifts and hide gold for others to find. Traditions of St Nicholas spread to countries around the world. In 1823, Clement Clarke Moore’s “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (‘Twas the Night Before Christmas) recrafted the image of St Nick as a small elf with a fur suit and a jelly belly. This was the first appearance of named flying reindeer, a sleigh, and chimney access.
Starting in 1866, Thomas Nast published political cartoon drawings of Santa Claus in Harper’s Weekly, sometimes as part of Civil War propaganda. His drawings steered towards the Santa look that we see today. He also introduced the North Pole as Santa’s home, where he and the reindeer could live away from civilization. Interestingly, Saint Nicholas of Myra actually lived on the coast in what is now modern-day Turkey. His remains are housed in Venice and another Italian city called Bari. I wonder what the beach boy St Nicholas would think of being relocated to the frozen arctic?
Moving on, significant influence on Santa’s persona came from Norman Rockwell, who settled on red for the color of Santa’s suit and added busy elves in his paintings. Coca-Cola launched a commercial endorsement campaign in the 1920s and 30s, defining Santa’s look. . The German Kris Kringle, a gift-giver, was intertwined with the Santa character, a message emphasized in the 1947 movie “Miracle on 34th Street.”
In unrelated news, when I was growing up, we never left milk and cookies out for Santa Claus. We always left cookies and a bottle of Coke. It was common knowledge that my dad was obsessed with Coke, and we knew that whatever my dad liked would be good for Santa, too. See, marketing really does work.
So, now I have answered questions that no one asked. After my vigorous research, I have lots of information about Christmas traditions that I never knew before. And, you have some, too. Maybe it will help during the next Team Trivia night at your local bar. This is just the tip of the iceberg—call me if you want to know more. It warms my heart to seek knowledge for knowledge’s sake. Oh, by the way, back to the original question….Which came first, the song or the show? The song “Frosty the Snowman” was written by Walter Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson in 1950, as a follow-up to their modestly successful song “Peter Cottontail” which had been released for Easter that year. Wildly successful, "Frosty" sold a million copies. The animated TV special was then released in 1969.
You're welcome. BTW, I’ve rescheduled my chores for tomorrow. No need to get started on those now.
Web Sources: (this is what I do, folks) metroparent, elle, indobase, smithsonianmag, groovyhistory, slate, npr, seeker, classicfm, whychristmas, time, dailyartmagazine, libraryofcongress