"The One-Horse Open Sleigh" - The Origin of "Jingle Bells" by Jo-Ann Roberts

 

Perhaps no single piece of popular music is more universally recognized during the Christmas holiday season than "Jingle Bells", the jaunty tune about the joys of dashing through snow-covered fields while riding in a one-horse open sleigh.
In my current Christmas WIP (shh, I can't say much about it...yet!), the FMC is encouraging her children to practice the song to divert their attention. Further along in the story, the MMC sings it to the FMC when he takes her on a sleigh ride.
By adding accurate historical tidbits to my books, it gives a layer of richness and authenticity to the stories. Because the story's time frame is between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I researched holiday songs and carols. Much to my delight, I discovered that "The One-Horse Open Sleigh" (a.k.a. 'Jingle Bells") was composed in 1850, some twenty-one years before my story takes place.

Although historians are still debating the when, where, and why of the song's composition, it is accepted the tune was written at the Simpson Tavern in Medford, Massachusetts in 1850 by James Lord Pierpont. A witness, Mrs. Otis Waterman, verified the location of the song's composition. While living in Savannah, Pierpont copyrighted "Jingle Bells." Many Savannah historians believe that Pierpont penned the song about sleigh rides in Medford while in Georgia experiencing his first snowless winter as an ode to his Massachusetts snowy upbringing.

The debate between Savannah and Medford began in 1985 when Savannah erected a historical marker across from the Unitarian Church Pierpont called home.

 A few years later the mayor of Medford sent a letter to the mayor of Savannah stating the song was composed in Medford in 1850. Yet, Savannahians contends that because the song was copyrighted in 1857 while Pierpont in their city, they proclaim Savannah as the home of "Jingle Bells".

Regardless of precisely where and when "Jingle Bells" might have been written, it was clear the tune was not intended as a Christmas song. Some local history narratives claim the song was inspired by Medford's popular sleigh races during the 19th century. Though the song only mentions snow--and not Christmas or December--many believe Pierpont wrote the song for a Thanksgiving program at his father's Sunday school. The song proved so popular the children were asked to sing the song again at Christmastime and has been tied to the latter holiday ever since.  

This version of the story has been disputed by some, however, who believe "Jingle Bells" would have been too racy for a Sunday school in the 1850s.

"The references to courting would not have been allowed in a Sunday school program of that time, such as 'Go it while you're young'".

Instead, it was just a sleighing song. Fast sleighs and pretty girls. Some things never change.

   

The song became so popular in the 1860s and 1870s it was featured in a variety of parlor songs and college anthologies in the 1880s. It was first record in 1889 on an Edison cylinder. This recording, believed to be the first Christmas record is lost, but an 1898 recording also from Edison Records survives.

The two first stanzas and chorus of the original 1857 lyrics differed slightly from those known today. It is unknown who replaced the words with those of the modern version. Underlined lyrics are the removed lyrics from the original version. Bold lyrics are the new lyrics in the current version.

Dashing thro' the snow,
In a one-horse open sleigh,
O'er the hills (fields) we go,
Laughing all the way.
Bells on bob tail ring,
Making spirits bright,
Oh, what sport (What fun it is) to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight.

|: chorus :|
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what joy (fun) it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

A day or two ago
I tho't I'd take a ride
And soon Miss Fannie Bright
Was seated by my side.
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
He got into a drifted bank
And we— (then) we got upsot.

Click Here

Some people come into your life as lessons…
Unexpected fatherhood finds former bank detective, Lucas Harmon desperate for a woman to care for his orphaned nieces. A governess…perhaps? A housekeeper…maybe? A wife…definitely not! Six years ago, the wealthy Chicago socialite he planned to wed, publicly spurned his affections. Despite his determination to guard his feelings, a meddling matchmaking conductor and an encounter with a past acquaintance threatens to upend his heart.
…some come as blessings
Anxious to leave behind the whispers and stares of two jilted love affairs, Boston socialite, Ainsley MacKenzie hopes for solitude on her way to New Hope, Kansas. But when the kindly conductor enlists her help to care for two orphaned girls, she couldn’t say no. Little did she know their uncle and guardian was the one man she couldn’t forget… Lucas Harmon. Taking a chance, Ainsley offers Lucas an unusual (some might say, scandalous!) arrangement. She’ll look after the children, read them stories and cook their meals until Christmas, giving Lucas time to find a permanent replacement. Yet, the longer she cares for the family the more she longs to be part of it—whatever the risk to her heart.

 

A CHILD'S WINTER WONDERLAND

 

This month on Sweethearts of the West, our members are sharing memories of Christmas past. Since this is after the big event, I’d like to share an experience that I remember clearly even though it was (mumble, mumble) years ago.

Do you remember the first time you saw snow? For you folks in the Midwest and Northern part of the country, I’m sure you don’t.

My parents lived in a tiny North Texas town near Childress when I was born. I was only a few months old when we moved to the Bakersfield area of Southern California. How I dreamed of snow for Christmas but none fell on our locale.

My grandparents lived in a small Oklahoma town, Hollis, which is only a few miles from the Texas state line. My grandfather was severely injured in a tractor accident and was told he could no longer farm.  While he was in the hospital, my resilient grandmother sold the farm, bought a house in town, and hired a neighbor to move furniture and belongings to the new home. Not new, but new to them.

My precious grandmother

Each summer my dad would drive us to visit my grandparents. This summer he was particularly busy and couldn’t get away. Mother was anxious about her mother and step-father and their welfare. For Christmas, Mother and I rode the train to visit my grandparents. An adventure for a six-year-old girl!

First of all, my grandmother had an eight-foot Christmas tree in the living room. My parents always had a tiny table-top tree, so I was thrilled to see what—to me—was a huge tree. Of course, there were already presents underneath. But, the best was yet to come.

One day during our visit, four inches of snow fell. Real snow! Mother and I built a lopsided snowman, but he looked grand to me. I wore my grandmother’s too-large rubber boots and clomped in the snow until Mother insisted I come inside.

This is NOT how our snowman looked.

Let me tell you, my friends, that was a magical time for me. So much so that I remember it clearly still. The smells, the sunlight on the snow, the joy.

My hope for you this special season is that you see the world’s magic with the eyes of a child. May you find health, prosperity, and peace in the coming year.  

Caroline Clemmons is an award-winning and Amazon bestselling author. Her latest releases are MURDOCH'S BRIDE  (set in snowy Montana in 1887), WILD WESTERN WOMEN – MISTLETOE, MONTANA (set at a snowy Christmas time in 1890), and ANGEL FOR CHRISTMAS (contemporary). Each title above is clickable in the event you wish to purchase one (hint, hint). Snuggle down with a book to relax and recover from the season's hectic demands. 

Caroline and her husband live in cowboy country of North Central Texas with a menagerie of rescued animals whose numbers seem to grow. Resistance is futile.

My Christmas Memories, WWII V - Mail, and Give A Way by Linda LaRoque

By Linda LaRoque

I have to say the earliest Christmas I remember was 1952. Daddy was in the Air Force and was stationed at Harmon AFB in Newfoundland. He came home to take us back with him. We had Christmas with the grandparents, and I'll always remember the flannel pajamas my grandparents gave me. They had hard candies all over and the words, "sugar and spice." I treasured those until I wore them out. They were precious because my grandparents were very poor and didn't usually give gifts. I'm sure they did then because we would be gone for 2-3 years.

We left Texas and drove for several days. We listened to the radio and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause," played often, as it was new that year. The words set my young head to thinking. Surely my mama didn't kiss Santa Clause. As we got to the northern states, I remember staying at a couple of boarding houses which were foreign to me. They were big two story houses with bathrooms at the end of the hall. We arrived in Nova Scotia where we, car included, boarded a box car air plane to fly across to Stephenville, Newfoundland.

My mother was terrified the entire trip, afraid the car would roll out the back end of the plane, and she set in the car with her foot on the brake. My brother and I visited the cockpit where we met the two young pilots. They teased us about being hung from the flag pole if anything happened to us, as they didn't have orders to transport us. I had visuals for years of these young men hanging from an actual flag pole. I was only seven at the time and didn't realize the comment was a figure of speech.

When we arrived in Newfoundland, it was snowing hard and the wind blowing. You can imagine what these two Texas kids thought of such a sight. For a short while, we lived in a house off base—very primitive—a storm porch where we kept all of our perishable foods, a living/dining /kitchen combination, and two bedrooms. I remember Mama cooking on a hot plate. We didn't have an oven and just a few dishes and utensils. Every day Santa visited on the radio and read letters from boys and girls. He hid chocolate bars behind the radio. My brother and I were thrilled to find ours.

That Christmas, the tree was in our bedroom. It was an exciting Christmas as snow covered everything, something we weren't used to. My brother and I got identical Tonka cranes. I guess to play with  in the snow. We got cap guns with holsters, and I got a doll and a jewelry pop bead design set. We must have eaten at the NCO club as I do not remember a turkey.

Those memories are special. It was a time of innocence and new adventure. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures.

While searching for pictures, I did run across two V-mail greetings from uncles overseas in WWII. One is from Daddy's brother Dean, and the other is from Mama's brother J.W. I'm posting pictures of those, though they're hard to read and the messages are very short, but I've included one I found on Google that are the actual letters.              

V-Mail was first adopted by the British as a result of the Italians closing the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea to Allied forces. Sea traffic had to be rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, a 12,000 mile detour which resulted in delays of 3-6 months. Mail could travel by air, but mail was heavy and required too much space on transport planes. "Microphotography was deemed the best solution to the problem of space."

By "The War Letters' Archive", CC BY-SA 3.0, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17126127 

By Nancy Lamm - http://www.war-letters.com/0010/0007.html, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17125905 

(I'm assuming this letter is from a younger friend or cousin. Haha, asking for jewelry.)

V-mail was in use from June 15, 1942 until April 1, 1945. Up until this time, it had taken a month for mail delivery via ship, but V-mail could take as little as twelves days or less. They lessened the chances of enemy interception and insured that letters would never be lost as each was traceable with serial numbers on file. Of course, the mail was still censored and stamped to indicate such.

There are lots of V-mail letters on the web. Take a look if you're interested.

Reference:  The Smithsonian National Postal Museum
Article written by Cassie Messner, July 2004

I'd love to hear from you so please leave a comment. I'll be giving away 2 E-copies of Wounded Hearts to be chosen from those who comment. Please include your email address. Winners will be  announced here on December 15th at 8:00 pm CST.

Sarah Lawson's fiancé Logan Miller died in Afghanistan. She receives a text from a war buddy, Brandon Perdue, who wants to meet and deliver a message from Logan. 

Physically and emotionally scarred, Brandon values Sarah's friendship. In time Sarah finds herself attracted to him and wants their relationship to deepen, but he fears she's projecting her feelings for Logan on to him. 

http://amzn.to/1JqZst3


Thanks for Reading and Writing!

Linda
www.lindalaroque.com