Tomorrow is projected to be the busiest day of the year for the U.S. Postal Service.
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Gene Autry (1907-1998) was inspired to write the song "Here Comes Santa Claus” (1947) while riding his horse down Hollywood Boulevard during a Christmas parade in 1946.
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Santa comes down Santa Claus Lane in the song "Here Comes Santa Claus.”
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The movie "A Christmas Story” (1983) is about Ralphie, a 9-year old that desperately wants an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model BB rifle for Christmas. His mother, teacher and even Santa Claus all tell him he will shoot his eye out, but ultimately he receives the gift.
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The most recorded holiday song is "White Christmas.” There are more than 500 versions of the song recorded in several languages.
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The same poet that wrote "America the Beautiful” (1904) is credited with creating Mrs. Claus. Can you name the poet? See answer at end.
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The snowman becomes Parson Brown and a circus clown in the Christmas carol "Winter Wonderland.”
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The poem "The Night Before Christmas,” by Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863), was first published on Dec. 23, 1823 in the Troy Sentinel, a New York newspaper. Father Christmas is never referred to as Santa Claus in the poem. He is called St. Nicholas.
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Elmo Shropshire is Dr. Elmo, the singer and songwriter of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” (1979). Shropshire is a veterinarian. He established an animal clinic in San Francisco and currently lives in Marin County.
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In the Netherlands, Santa Claus has a helper named Black Peter who judges which children were bad during the year. Peter leaves bad children sticks and salt.
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A Christmas tree has been lit at Rockefeller Center in New York since 1931. The tree is usually a Norway Spruce, and is between 75 and 90 feet tall. More than five miles of lights are used to decorate the tree.
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Early in his presidency, one of President Theodore Roosevelt’s (1858-1919) platforms was forest conservation. He did not allow Christmas trees in the White House because he thought they depleted the forests.
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The first piece of music ever broadcast on radio was "O Holy Night.” On Christmas Eve 1906, Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden (1866-1931) used a new type of generator to broadcast over the airwaves. He read from the Bible and played O Holy Night on his violin.
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Elvis Presley (1935-1977) recorded "Blue Christmas” in 1957 for his first Christmas album. The song was originally recorded in 1950 by country artist Ernest Tubb (1914-1984).
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Sweden celebrates the Festive Day of Santa Lucia on Dec. 13, to mark the beginning of the Christmas season. In the fourth century, Santa Lucia delivered food to needy Christians. She wore a wreath of candles on her head to light her way.
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Answer: Katherine Lee Bates (1859-1929). The Maine native wrote the poem "Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride” (1889) in which Mrs. Claus helps her husband get ready for Christmas. Her many responsibilities include mending stockings, baking cookies and tending to the reindeer. Bates, a professor at Wellesley College, was so awed by a visit to Pikes Peak in Colorado that she wrote "America the Beautiful.”
Know It All is by Kerry McArdle. It runs in the weekend and Wednesday editions of the Daily Journal. Questions? Comments? E-mail knowitall@smdailyjournal.com or call 344-5200 x114.
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