Some More Notables at West Laurel Hill: RCA, Comic Strips and Throat Lozenges

ANNA JARVIS  (1864-1948)--  Originator of Mother's Day.

ELDRIDGE R. JOHNSON  ( 1867-1945)--  Founder of Victor Talking Machine Company predecessor of RCA Records.

WILLAIM J. KIRKPATRICK (1838-1921)--  Wrote "Away in a Manger."

HAROLD HERING KNER  (1882-1949)--  Writer-artist of "Katzenjammer Kids" for 35 years.  Considered one of earliest comic strips.

WILLIAM H. LUDEN  (1859-1949)--  Developer of the menthol  throat lozenge.

--Cooter

A Chicago Christmas-- Part 4: 'Suzy Snowflake'

If you grew up in Chicago back in the 50s and 60s, you definitely can remember hearing and seeing this song on the TV.  It wouldn't be Christmas without her.

Suzy Sbowflake is a happy snowflake who sings and dances the joys of wintertime and taps on window panes across Chicago every holiday season.

Suzy first appeared in a song made famous by Rosemary Clooney in 1951.  WGN-TV has screened the stop-motion animated short "Suzy Snowflake" every holiday season since 1953.

Go to YouTube and check it out.

--CootFlake

How 25 Christmas Traditions Started-- Part 5: Saint Nicholas, Luminaras, Twelve Days, Poinsettias, Salvation Army

Again, for more information, go to the site (listed in Part 1.)

21.  A VISIT FROM SAINT NICHOLAS

Best known as "The Night Before Christmas."  The classic by poet Clement Moore was written on Christmas Eve 1822.  He was embarrassed by it and it wasn't released until the following year.

22.  LUMINARIAS

Simple, folded brown bags filled with sand and lit by votive candles.  One of my favorite things to see, but very rare.

23.  TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

This spans the 12 days between the birth of Jesus and the visit of the Magi, December 2 to January 6.  The cost to do this in 2019 would be $38, 993.59.

24.  POINSETTIAS

America's Christmas flower.  They were brought to America by our first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinset.  (I have two big ones that are now 25 years old.)

25.  SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGERS

What would the holidays be without these folks.  This started in  San Francisco in 1891.  

--RoadMas

31 Things About Christmas-- Part 6: "Hark! How the Welken Rings"

26.  "SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN" is actually has a depressing back story.  Songwriter James "Haven" Gillespie was broke and jobless and his brother had just died when he was asked to write a Christmas song.  he was originally too overcome with grief but eventually found inspiration in his brother's death and the Christmas memories they had together.  "Hence "You better not cry, You better not pout.")

27.  The original lyrics to "HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING"  was "Hark! How the Welkin Rings."  Welken is an old Englishe term for heaven.

28.  "JINGLE BELLS" was originally supposed to be a Thanksgiving song.

29.  Boston church leaders tried to have the song "I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS" banned in 1950 because they thought it promoted "physical intimacy.  Singer Jimmy Boyd had to fly to Boston to explain why it wasn't obscene.

30.  Mariah Carey's "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU" is considered the most popular of the newer Christmas songs.

31.  The highest grossing Christmas movie of all time is "HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS," the Jim Carrey version.

Who'd have Figured That?  --DaChristmasCoot

31 Things About Christmas-- Part 5: Noggin' That Egg

21.  Over the years there have been OTHER REINDEERon Santa Claus' team named Flossie, Glossie, Racer, Pacer, Scratcher, Feckless, Ready, Steady and Fireball.  (What, no GO?)

22.  The first batch of EGGNOG in America was crafted by Captain John Smith's Jamestown settlers in 1607.  The name eggnog comes from "grog" which means any drink made with rum.

23.  "SILENT NIGHT" is the most recorded Christmas song in history with 733 different versions copyrighted since 1978.

24.  Legend has "SILENT NIGHT" as being written by Father Joseph Mohr in Austria who was determined to have music at his Christmas service after his organ broke.  In reality, a priest wrote it while stationed in a pilgrim church in Austria.

25.  "WHITE CHRISTMAS" is the best-selling song of all time.

Jingle My Coot.  --Cooter

The Golden Age of Holiday Music-- Part 2

What can be referred to as the modern golden age of holiday music began in 1932 when a couple of songwriters named J. Fred Coors and Haven Gillespie wrote "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town."    During the next two decades we got "Winter Wonderland" (1934),
"The Little Drummer Boy" (1941),
"White Christmas" (1942),
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" (1943),
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (1944),
"Let it Snow! Let it Snow, Let it Snow" (1945),
"Here Comes Santa Claus" (1946),
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1949), and
"Frosty the Snowman" (1950)

After Last Winter, DON'T Let It Snow.  ----Cooter

The Golden Age of Holiday Music (Christmas That Is)-- Part 1

From the December 15, 2013, Chicago Tribune "Christmas sings of our shared humanity" by Rick Kogan.

Never too soon to start your Christmas shopping (just ask any retailer) and, hey, it is just over six months away.  Just saying.

The Apollo Chorus is Chicago's oldest musical organization was founded in 1872, only two years after President Grant (one-time resident of Galena, Illinois) signed a resolution that made Christmas an official national holiday.  (I didn't know that.)

In 1879, they began preforming Handel's "Messiah."  Always one of my favorites.

"OK, perhaps 'I Saw  Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' is more to your taste.  It doesn't matter.  Most of us never tire of holiday tunes. (and we might get to start hearing full-time Christmas music stations the day after Halloween, even Labor Day, in their wild variety.

"There are many theories about why that is....   And you will hear from others that 'music in some ways helps prepare us for the harshness of winter's arrival."

More to Come.  --Cooter

Ten Things You Might Not Know About Christmas Songs-- Part 5

2. A VETERINARIAN SINGS "GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER." The song was written in 1978 by Randy Brooks as a joke. Since then, that "joke" has sold over 40 million copies. (I even have a battery-operated moose that sings it.) He asked the husband and wife team of Elmo and Patsy to perform it (the folks credited on the 45 cover).

Patsy actually doesn't sing or play on the track as they got a divorce. Elmo is actually Elmo Shropshire, a veterinarian and graduate of Auburn University. I have to wonder if he's ever had a reindeer as a patient?

1. EVERYONE LOVES CHRISTMAS SONGS. "There are two types of people in the world, those who like Christmas songs and filthy liars." Some people are upset about all those radio stations who go all Christmas music before the holiday, but all who do see their ratings double. That means, somebody is listening.

In 2011, 100 Clear Channel stations (the largest owner) went 24-hour Christmas music. But some stations are really pushing that start time. In 2013, a Syracuse station began its Christmas programming on October 5th.

Hey, I Like Those Christmas Stations Every So Often. --Cooter

Ten Things you Might Not Know About Christmas Songs-- Part 4

4. "O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL" IS REALLY OLD. It gained popularity in the 18th century, but was penned in the 9th century and originally sung in Latin.

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS SONG TO MENTION SANTA was "Up n a House Top" written by Benjamin Hanby in 1864 and mentioned St. Nick, better known today as Santa Claus. He drew his inspiration from Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit From St. Nick."

Ho, Ho, Ho.  --CootSanta

Ten Things You Might Not Know About Christmas Songs-- Part 3

7. JEWISH MEN WROTE SOME OF THE CHRISTMAS CLASSICS.

Johnny Marks wrote "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "Holly Jolly Christmas." His brother-in-law wrote the original story of Rudolph.

Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas. Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn wrote "Let It Snow." Mel Torme wrote "The Christmas Song."

6. "DOMINICK THE DONKEY" by Lou Monte was financed by the Mob in 1960. Monte received support from the Gambino crime family.

7. "DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR" was inspired by nuclear war. It was written in 1962 by the husband and wife team of Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne after the Cuban Missile Crisis as a prayer for peace. The line about a star "with a tail as big as a kite" referred to a missile.

--Okay, Everyone Make Like a Donkey and Bray, Wise Guys. --DaCoot

Ten Things You Might Not Know About Christmas Songs-- Part 2

8. "JINGLE BELLS" WAS THE FIRST SONG PERFORMED IN SPACE.

On Dec. 16, 1965, astronauts Wally Schirra Jr and Thomas P. Stafford were orbitting earth in Gemini 6 and approaching Gemini 7 for a historic space meeting. At one point, they were just a few feet away from each other.

Afterwards, just before their re-entry to earth, they reported: "We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, probably a polar orbit... Looks like he might be going to re-enter soon... You just might let me pick up that thing... I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit."

Then, they produced a harmonica and bells which they had secretly stowed on board and played "Jingle Bells." The first song to be performed in space. The two had practiced it on earth and Mission Control had no idea they were going to do it.

You can hear what they said at the site. Well, one way not to get coal in their stockings.

Jingle Bells All Over Space. --Cooter

Ten Things You Might Not Know About Christmas Songs-- Part 1

From the Dec. 22, 2013, Listverse "10 Hidden Facts About Christmas Songs" by Jake Vigliotti.

This was one great group of info, along with pictures and song videos of each thing listed. Well worth checking out the site.

10. TONY THE TIGER SANG "YOU'RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH."

Boris Karloff narrated the Dr. Seuss story, but couldn't sing a lick. The services of one Thurl Ravenscroft were enlisted, but generally unknown because he was not credited.

He voiced many characters on Walt Disney rides and shows, but his voice is best-known as that of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes' Tony the Tiger saying, "They're Grrrrrrreat!!"

9. JINGLE BELLS STARTED OUT AS A THANKSGIVING SONG.

Would That have Been Great If the Grinch Said, "They're Grrrreat!" Would Have Brought Down the House, But Imagine It Might Have Been Copyright Infringement. --Cooter