6 Christmas Songs That Have Nothing to Do with Christmas
Every December, you're belting out "Jingle Bells" at the grocery store like it's your job. But half the songs on your Christmas playlist weren't written about Christmas at all.
"Jingle Bells" was originally about sleigh races, not Santa.
It was first performed in a minstrel theater in Boston and had zero holiday intentions.
According to the Google-box, some historians think it was actually a Thanksgiving song, but mostly it was just about dudes racing sleds and having a good time.
"Winter Wonderland" was written by a guy dying of tuberculosis in a sanatorium.
He looked out the window, saw snow, got nostalgic, and wrote a song about winter.
No mention of Christmas anywhere. Just snow, romance, and pretending a snowman is a parson.
"Let It Snow" was written in July during a California heatwave by two guys dreaming about cooler weather.
It became a Christmas song only because someone recorded it in December. That's it. That's the whole origin story.
"Sleigh Ride" was composed during a heatwave on the East Coast in 1946.
It started as an orchestral piece with no words and didn't get lyrics until four years later. Still no mention of Christmas, just vibes and sleigh bells.
"Good King Wenceslas" is technically about the Feast of Saint Stephen.
Which happens on December 26, the day after Christmas.
Close, but no cigar.
"Joy to the World" started as a poem about Psalms and Genesis, not the birth of Jesus.
It didn't even become a song until over a century later when someone decided to set it to music.
So next time you're humming along to your "Christmas" playlist, just know you're celebrating sleigh races, heatwaves, tuberculosis daydreams, and the day after Christmas. Merry something.
