The holiday season is in full swing. Black Friday is history, and without sounding like Scrooge, December will be a memory before we know it. While you’re in the midst of your gift-giving gallop, I’ve rounded up a little collection of “this, that and the other thing” tidbits to cheer you on your way.
Seasonal songs are the first thing that come to mind when I think about this time of year. Even though I’m a native Southern California gal, I’ve always loved Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” Originally written for an unproduced Broadway musical, it was eventually used for a movie musical, “Holiday Inn,” and earned Berlin an Oscar for best original song.
Another winter-weather favorite of mine was written during a heatwave in 1944. It’s Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song,” commonly referred to as “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.”
CNN recently announced that a longtime favorite just made a bit of history for Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” This popular tune that debuted in 1958 has topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time. Fans are celebrating “that sentimental feeling,” a popular lyric in the song.
While I love line dancing to the hits “Last Christmas” by Wham and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You,” I was happy to see that Andy Williams rounded out the top 10 Billboard list with his classic “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”
Now, I may be a little late to the party with this information, but I just learned about Christmas Eve boxes. At first glance, the idea strikes me as a combo of “stockings hung by the chimney with care” and making sure there is food left out for Santa and his reindeer.
The boxes are said to be a takeoff on the German tradition of opening gifts on Christmas Eve, and I love the idea of families gathering around a creatively decorated “box” filled with wrapped goodies for kiddos, adults and even the family pet. Without breaking the bank, items such as small toys, ornaments, books, hot chocolate mix, candy and games sound like festive ingredients for a fun evening.
Before getting back into my own Christmas happenings, I couldn’t resist mentioning a little holiday trivia about how Santa can make his rounds on Christmas Eve. A theory by U.S. scientists calculated that “he would logistically have to visit 822 houses at 650 miles a second.”
On that note, I’d like to wish everyone a season filled with joyous celebrations and to have the best new year ever.
Speaker, writer and editor Cheryl Russell is a Laguna Woods Village resident. Contact her at Cheryl@starheart.com.
