odd christmas

The Guardian's Dave Simpson picks the 12 oddest Christmas hits... ever! (via J walk)

(Although The Cast of "Bonanza": "Christmas on the Ponderosa" sounds like it coodabeen a contender)

googling round this theme had a wonderful outcome. Among my father's 78 collection is a favourite not heard since childhood.
Does Santa Claus Sleep with his whiskers...
These are the things that never get played anymore, but used to do the rounds on our stereogram. Raucous sibling chorus in kitchen. The nostalgic hit was rather strong and almost had me weepin'.

see also dinosaur discs Christmas where there's a nice O Come All Ye Faithful 1905

think I'm getting more and more dinosaur.

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Comments: odd christmas

How did I turn into a lefty? Christian education and too many Away In a Mangers when I was young and impressionable. Gee, the infant baby Jesus was homeless..

Song still upsets me, along with Woodsman Spare That Tree ground out on the HMV emotaphone. Which accounts for the rest of my politics..

Maybe I would have been a hot plutocrat if my family had played Wagner.
Posted by David at December 1, 2003 04:26 PM

I guess Emerson, Lake and Palmer's "I Believe In Father Christmas" only came in at 11 out of 10.
Posted by Gummo Trotsky at December 1, 2003 06:38 PM

I remember having to do that "in a cottage, in a wood" as a young child at school, where the "happy as can be" rabbit goes:
"help me help me help me he said
before the huntsman shoots me dead..."

made me side with the rabbits agains the guns, (and even more frightened of hunstmen)
Posted by boynton at December 1, 2003 06:42 PM

you got me googlin' there Gummo, and yes - I don't know how that one missed out.
An early exposure to that one may have encouraged me to read philosophy. Also missed out on
"Grandma got run over by a reindeer" - which may have only encouraged my infantile fatalism.
I've never herad the Singing Dogs Jingle Bells but suspect I would tolerate it. Although Silent Night may have been a better choice.
Posted by boynton at December 1, 2003 06:57 PM

As a wee lad there was a radio programme on 3YB (I think) in to which doting parents/relatives sent letters containing birthday messages which would be read out to kiddies glued to their ACME crystal sets (purchased from the back cover of a comic with a shiny crisp postal note).

Point being? Well, along with the greeting, each apple-cheeked birthdayee had played a 78 rpm record of their choice. Each year mine was the Singing Dogs version of Happy Birthday. My choice was not based in the ineffable beauty of the performance (and ineffable it was), but rather because it sent our dog into a high pitched howling, barking frenzy.

Heartless woman that she is, my mother pulled the pin on my birthday light entertainment when I was about 50. She also brought to my attention that our dog had died some 25 years ago. Like I said, heartless!

Posted by Sedgwick at December 1, 2003 07:48 PM

A great story there, Mr S.
'Singing dogs' sounds like it would be one of the very few acceptable versions of that tune.
Victor would be listening to "His Voice"
Bronte has the same reaction to hearing her kin sing, and really was crooning along to the Beatles link of a week or so ago.
And 3YB?...sounds rather distant.
Posted by boynton at December 2, 2003 11:13 AM

3YB. Warrnambool
Posted by Sedgwick at December 2, 2003 11:48 AM

aah...Why be the Y? W was taken I guess.

3LO. London. Sounds distant now too.
Posted by boynton at December 2, 2003 11:52 AM