And by “popular,” we don’t just mean contemporary.
While Christmas carols, on the whole, are perfectly charming,they don’t always make much sense.
Sleighing songs are so not relatable
Take all the songs about sleigh rides, for example.
How many people can relate to them?
According to theWisconsin State Journal, they were on their way out by the 1920s.
And even then, it’s only if the weather cooperated, since sleighs are pretty useless sans snow.
The tintinnabulation in this quintessential urban carol comes from the bells rung bySalvation Army Santas.
One of them went home and told his wife, and much Yuletide merriment ensued.
Once she was able to stop laughing, she pointed out just what made that title so pants-wettingly funny.
Needless to say, a change of name (and undies) was in order.
For all we know, they take place during a freakish cold snap in May.
“Walking in a Winter Wonderland” is just about winter, period.
A close read of the lyrics, however, reveals something downright disturbing.
Who knew magic-hatted snowmen could be so irresponsible?
In the 20thcentury, the more secular songs really came into their own.
Umm, wait, what?
This has got to be the best-known, if not the first, secular/sacred Christmas carol mashup.
In the 70s, though, things started changing.
The floodgates really opened in 1985 when Wham!
released “Last Christmas,” thus establishing re-gifting of hearts as a new holiday tradition.
Well, it’s been a year, it doesn’t surprise me," anyway?
And if this was the case, you should have known that giving your heart would be ill-advised.
No wonder her ubiquitous hit is many people’smost hated Christmas song!
