Christmas Song Histories

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It's been a long time since I've posted anything, but with school, cross country, and (lack of) time and sleep, I had to keep my priorities straight! Well, as straight as I could manage, still not doing so well in that area. However, I was busy to say the least. There are so many good things I wanted to share along the way, so I will whenever I get a chance.

For December, I squeezed in two articles for Tennessee Health & Wellness. These were not only "jobs," for me, but they were also an enjoyable activity. In the midst of preparing for projects and finals, I was able to do some Christmas celebrating in researching and writing these articles. This first one I'll share is about some of the top Christmas songs, history and fun facts. Short and sweet but interesting nonetheless!

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This time of year, whether you are in your car, watching TV, or in a store, Christmas music is sure to be heard. There are new songs and remakes that come out, but there is no beating the classics. While we may know the lyrics to these songs by heart, it is unlikely that we know the stories behind them. See if you knew the backgrounds of these ten holiday chart-toppers.

Jingle Bells was originally written by JP Morgan’s uncle, who was not a very cheery man himself, as he left his family multiple times and enlisted in the Georgia cavalry. The song was first performed in blackface. It was issued under the name “One Horse Open Sleigh,” and it was not written as a Christmas song, but rather Thanksgiving. Jingles Bells is also the first song broadcast from space on Gemini 6 on December 16, 1965.

Little Drummer Boy is a parallel to the Bible story of Jesus’s birth and an encouragement to people that no matter what they have, their gift to God is enough. Though there was no real drummer boy in the Bible story, it gives perspective of people visiting young Jesus with no gifts worthy of a King. Due to the repetition of “pa rum pum pump um,” it was originally called “Carol of the Drums.”

Oh Christmas Tree, aka O Tannenbaum, is a German carol dating back to the 1500s. “Tannen” is the word for fir, but most trees today are spruce. In translation, the first written lyrics come out roughly as, “Oh pine tree, you’re a noble twig! You greet us in the winter, the dear summer time.” The song is about acknowledging life of the evergreen tree year-round rather than how we now decorate them at Christmas.

Silent Night is another German song coming from a slightly unfortunate event of some actors traveling across the Austrian Alps to reenact the story of Jesus’s birth. The organ of one church they were scheduled at did not have a working organ at the time, so they moved the drama to a home. Following the show, one audience member took a peaceful walk home, remembering the words of a poem he had written a few years before. He decided it would be perfectly fitting for the congregation at the Christmas Eve service, where the organ was not missed as they embraced the beauty of the “silent night.”

Bing Crosby’s version of White Christmas holds claim to the best-selling Christmas song of all time. It already has a sad sound, but it’s first airing was also only weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The composer Irving Berlin (also behind “God Bless America”) was a Russian Immigrant and Jewish, so he did not celebrate Christmas. Possibly the most sad part of the story is that he wrote the song in memory of his three-year-old son who had died on Christmas Day. The song still brings up nostalgia with people today.

Blue Christmas, another color, another sad theme, was a hit no one expected. Elvis and many others in his recording industry, thought it would fail, and he almost refused to do it. Many others have since recorded the song, including (ironically) the Beach Boys, but Elvis’s version leads the way.

Santa Baby was actually written in majority by a man, and he still doesn’t really like the song himself. He did not know how he was going to complete such a task as writing a “sexy” Christmas song for icon of the time, Eartha Kitt. After her recording in 1953, it was banned in several states for being such a scandalous turn from the norm in those days.

Feliz Navidad is only made up of 20 words in English and Spanish, but it is one of the most heartfelt carols sung today. Puerto Rican musician Jose Feliciano decided to include English lyrics because he knew that if it was only Spanish, American stations wouldn’t play it. Feliciano leads his audiences in celebration with his heart for dancing, even though he is blind and can’t see them.

The song most would recognize from “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Christmas Time is Here by the Vince Guaraldi Trio was first sung by the children’s choir of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in 1965. The song originated as part of the Peanuts story, but it was assumed the show would only last once or twice. Little did they know the big impact the song and show would have on future generations. Lee Mendelson, producer of the show and recruiter of Guaraldi, says, “Those children’s voices will likely outlive all of us, meaning something different and something sadly wonderfully the same with every passing year.”

While “Joy to the World” can be found on Christmas-related products left and right, the song was not written about Christmas. Isaac Watts wrote this song about Jesus’s second coming. In comparing the lyrics to scripture, it is obvious to see the differences between the first and second coming. For example, when Jesus was born, the world did not accept Him, but with the song and the story of the second coming, heaven and earth both sing in praise of His return. Beyond the religious realm, it has been sung by many secular artists including Moriah Carrey and is even referenced in “Jeremiah was a Bullfrog” by Hoyt-Axton.

As you deck the halls with these Christmas classics, take a moment to think about what the words mean to you and your life during the holidays.

Journey Magazine

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This summer I decided to take on a little project of creating my own magazine! I did it by hand kind of like a scrapbook to make it more fun and make use of some materials I had on hand, and it turned out way better than I thought! With a little help of some friends, in about a week I put together "Journey" magazine and want to share it with more people, too! 

Fresh to Order

Mojo Burrito

Lil Holler Farm

Kittens in Cups Cat Cafe

Goat Yoga Nashville

If you know me fairly well, you can only imagine how much I want to go to a goat yoga class. I would be in childlike euphoria.

Dance Tonight

Canada by Design Travel

The Body Issue (ESPN Magazine Feature)

I am in a communications major class right now called Cross Cultural Communication, and each week we have a paper to write on a given subject. This week was a "cultural moment" which could be a huge variety of things! I chose ESPN's Body Issue magazine. I wanted to share my paper with you all because this was an assignment I found very interesting!

The Body Issue

            This title of an annual edition of ESPN magazine could be taken in two ways: one as in an issue of a magazine, the other as an enticing topic. People are self-conscious about their bodies and observant of those around them, much more now than in the past due to the increasing use of social media, societal standards, and comparison issues that so many people develop, especially women. Since 2009, ESPN has produced an issue of their magazine focusing on athletes from all varieties of sports’ bodies by using basically nude photos staged to look “attractive” and reflect their sport as well as each athlete’s confidence as a person.

            The first Body Issue was released on October 9, 2009, featuring three male and three female athletes posing on and off the field in their respective sports. They were either naked with their private body parts strategically covered or in minimal clothing. The magazine still contained the usual sports coverage, but also added another section of more athletes in their birthday suits. Many of the athletes who were asked to participate did so willingly, while some even reached out to ESPN hoping to be included. Different covers were sold, but the magazine featuring Serena Williams was the top seller. The reasoning behind this new feature for the ESPN magazine was an attempt to regain revenue after the financial crises of the previous years which had decreased their ad revenue by 24 percent. It was also intended to rival the highly popular Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and showcase all body types. The outcome was a huge success, bringing in double sales. Ever since this year, they have continued to produce an annual Body Issue. Throughout the years, some of the most prominent athletes in their respective sports have participated including Dwight Howard (NBA), Lolo Jones (track), Shawn Johnson (Olympic gymnastics), Ryan Hall (Olympic marathon), Ron Gronkowski (NFL), Candace Parker (WNBA), and Emma Coburn (team USA running) among many others.

            These highly revealing photos of some of the most talented, respected, and/or looked up to athletes can be highly controversial. Though the private areas are covered, the photos reveal much more skin and body than is usually displayed, even in swimsuits. The pictures are intended to draw attention to their bodies, which can make both the athlete posing and those looking at it uncomfortable. Over the years, body image has become an increasingly touchy subject as eating disorders, self-harm, self-esteem, and the like have become a dark cloud behind the scenes of social media. Although the athletes who posed agreed to do so, this could still lead them to feel like they have to look a certain way, especially if millions of people are going to see almost every square inch of their body. From the perspective of the readers, they will see these athletes who are the most elite, ornamented, and successful at what they do, and think that that is the ideal way to look. The problem with that is that they are the most elite, ornamented, and successful in their field, and their lives revolve around their fitness and sport. This is a tiny percentage of the population, and they have these body types by very specific training by professionals. They are in this shape for seasons, but know they cannot maintain that forever. Bodies need a break, and these elites are elite; that’s what most people overlook. Seeing the Body Issue has potential to give people body issues.

            On the other hand, not all the athletes pictured are like those elite runners, swimmers, gymnasts, etc. who have super lean and thin frames. Other athletes such as some football and baseball players and wrestlers, etc. have larger body frames, which can be beneficial in what they do. These people who posed for the magazine embraced their bodies and showed off what they had along with those athletes of smaller size. It did not matter to them if they carried around a little extra weight; sometimes it even helped them with their success! They were proud of who they were and did not feel pressure to change to show themselves to the world. These people could be admired for their confidence in who they are rather than what they look like. This could be a great influence to others in the world who feel insecure in their bodies and like they need to change to be a success. Seeing the most successful athletes happy with their bodies the way they are can encourage people in the audience to feel confident in themselves, too.

            The most recent edition of The Body Issue (2016) brought NBC to do an interview with the athletes on how they felt about participating. These athletes shared things about their lives to be an encouragement to others. Dwayne Wade from the Chicago Bulls admitted that he has struggled with insecurity his whole life, especially about his outie belly button, until just recently. Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers has always been small and judged for his size at his position of wide receiver, but uses this as greater motivation to work hard and stay healthy. Nzingha Prescod, an Olympic fencer, is self-conscious yet proud about her curves and muscles and wants to inspire other women to feel the same way (http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/athletes-share-insecurities-inspiration-espn-body-issue-n605251).  In another interview, Wade also acknowledged that situations like this cause athletes and others in the world to experience more fear and insecurity from being judged by people (https://mic.com/articles/147977/espn-body-issue-2016-celebrates-all-athletic-body-types-here-are-the-photos#.N3TO0w7FQ). ESPN also posted a blog addressing some of the photos and videos that were released on their website from the Body Issue that were taken offensively and considered to have gone too far. People are supportive of the fact that ESPN is seeking to celebrate all forms of athletes’ bodies, but they are not okay with the amount of nudity that has come out to the public recently (http://www.espn.com/blog/ombudsman/post/_/id/723/espn-loosens-standards-with-treatment-of-body-issue-photos).

            Over the past year, especially coming to college and places where people are more open and honest, I have seen that there are many more people affected by body image, comparison, social media, communication, self-esteem, and so many more emotional and mental problems that can greatly hamper the enjoyment of life. Seeing so many things released on the internet, television, and print that would not be considered acceptable in previous years (and not easily accessible if they were there) has shown me just how fast society is changing and accepting more and more things that would have previously been rejected. All these things now brought to light can make people very uncomfortable and set unrealistic expectations for themselves and the world. Sometimes this greater exposure provides great encouragement to the people in the world who are not living the lives of fame, but I can also see the negative and disturbances that can come from any event that begins with a positive idea. As the body issue began as a way to promote ESPN and athletes of all varieties, it can also bring insecurity to those in and reading the magazine.

Great Reads

One thing I love to do every day is read.  Some days it may be a lot, or on others just a little, but I love to read!  I like to read sports stories and devotionals the most because I feel like they apply to me.  These are some of my favorites!  Of course, the Bible is what I read first in my days, but I follow up with these for reading in free time.  I get Runners World magazine in the mail each month and it always entertains me with stories, tips, and recipes.