Jingle Bells: “Christmas” Song?
The Debate:
(7:31:18 PM) Bill: i was going to the bar the other day
(7:31:22 PM) Bill: errr the arcade
(7:31:26 PM) Bill: well, the arcades a bar
(7:31:36 PM) Bill: anyway this group of like 20 people piled onto the train and started singing goddamn christmas carols
(7:31:53 PM) Christ: haha
(7:31:55 PM) Bill: and i stood up and got off at the next stop
(7:32:04 PM) Bill: i was so fucking pissed off
(7:32:11 PM) Christ: scrooge
(7:32:27 PM) Bill: look i dont mind christmas
(7:32:31 PM) Bill: but the FUCKING music
(7:32:37 PM) Christ: gotcha
(7:32:37 PM) Bill: jesus CHRIST the fucking music
(7:32:39 PM) Bill: UGGHALGKAHLGH
(7:32:42 PM) Christ: haha
(7:32:57 PM) Bill: DASHING THROUGH THE SNOOWWWWWW
(7:32:58 PM) Bill: HONK! BOINK!
(7:33:06 PM) Bill: fucking idiots
(7:33:14 PM) Christ: technically, jingle bells isn’t a christmas song
(7:33:30 PM) Christ: don’t know why everyone sings it at christmas
(7:33:39 PM) Bill: its a christmas song
(7:33:42 PM) Christ: no
(7:33:45 PM) Bill: if you ask anybody to name a christmas song
(7:33:51 PM) Christ: doesn’t matter
(7:33:55 PM) Bill: just because it doesnt specifically mention christmas, jesus or santa
(7:33:59 PM) Christ: no
(7:34:07 PM) Bill: its a fucking christmas song
(7:34:09 PM) Christ: no
(7:34:10 PM) Bill: if you went on the street and asked 10 people to name a christmas song
(7:34:12 PM) Christ: no
(7:34:18 PM) Bill: off the top of their head
(7:34:21 PM) Christ: they’d be wrong
(7:34:24 PM) Bill: i bet you 7 would say jingle bells
(7:34:30 PM) Christ: no
(7:34:52 PM) Christ: it was on jeopardy or something
(7:35:06 PM) Christ: some credible source like that
The Experiment:
(7:34:31 PM) Bill: name a christmas song
(7:34:32 PM) Bill: dont think
(7:34:34 PM) Bill: name it
(7:34:34 PM) Bill: quick
(7:34:36 PM) Bill: go
(7:34:37 PM) Bill: HURRY!
(7:34:38 PM) Bill: jesus!
(7:34:42 PM) Bill: CHRISTMAS SONG
(7:34:50 PM) Bill: STOP THINKING START TYPING
(7:34:54 PM) Chris: jingle bells
(7:34:56 PM) Bill: bingo
(7:34:58 PM) Chris: sorry
(7:35:00 PM) Chris: was reading something else
(7:35:37 PM) Chris: did i prove your hypothesis correct?
(7:37:14 PM) Bill: yes thank you
(7:36:00 PM) Bill: name a christmas song
(7:36:00 PM) Bill: quick
(7:36:06 PM) Bill: TYPE
(7:36:12 PM) Tim: otannenbaum
(7:36:17 PM) Bill: what the fuck?
(7:36:23 PM) Tim: haha
(7:36:27 PM) Tim: you dont know it?
(7:36:31 PM) Tim: ummm yeah
(7:37:12 PM) Tim: thats all i know
(7:39:02 PM) Bill: okay pretend youre not in ukraine
(7:39:09 PM) Bill: and name the first christmas song that comes to your head
(7:39:21 PM) Tim: jingle bells
(7:39:25 PM) Bill: okay fucking thank you
(7:39:25 PM) Tim: thats all i can think of
(7:39:32 PM) Bill: im trying to prove a point here
(7:40:21 PM) Caleb: yeah, what’s up?
(7:40:25 PM) Bill: without thinking
(7:40:33 PM) Bill: name the first christmas song that comes to your head
(7:40:35 PM) Bill: GO!
(7:40:42 PM) Caleb: santa claus is coming to town
(7:40:44 PM) Bill: oh christ
(7:40:48 PM) Bill: alright thank you
(7:40:49 PM) Caleb: the bruce springsteen version
(7:40:52 PM) Bill: HAHAHHA
(10:16:24 PM) Bill: name a christmas song
(10:16:27 PM) Bill: first thing that comes to your head
(10:16:28 PM) Bill: go
(10:16:45 PM) Corey: Silent Night
(10:16:55 PM) Bill: uggghhhh
(10:16:57 PM) Bill: alright that is all
(10:16:58 PM) Bill: thank you
(10:17:02 PM) Corey: …?
(10:17:07 PM) Bill: you just cost me a lot of money
(10:17:09 PM) Bill: and my dignity
Afterwards:
Corey: What was that with the Christmas music thing?
Bill: Oh, it’s just an experiment
Nick: You didn’t say what he wanted you to say.
Corey: What, Bruce Springsteen?
(10:04:53 PM) Bill: without thinking
(10:04:55 PM) Bill: name a christmas song
(10:04:56 PM) Bill: go
(10:04:59 PM) Bill: first thing that comes to your head
(10:05:02 PM) Nick: Deck the Halls
(10:05:04 PM) Bill: jesus christ
(10:08:10 PM) Bill: RAY!
(10:08:25 PM) Ray: greetings
(10:08:40 PM) Bill: first thing that comes to your head
(10:08:43 PM) Bill: name a christmas song
(10:08:43 PM) Bill: go
(10:08:51 PM) Ray: ummm
(10:08:53 PM) Ray: silent night
(10:09:02 PM) Bill: …
(10:09:08 PM) Bill: alright, fair enough
(10:09:09 PM) Ray: away in a manger?
(10:09:16 PM) Ray: fur elise?
(10:09:23 PM) Ray: wait
(10:09:26 PM) Bill: look just stop while youre ahead
(10:03:31 PM) Bill: SOCH!
(10:03:31 PM) Socheata: BILU!
(10:03:36 PM) Bill: quick!
(10:03:40 PM) Bill: name a christmas song
(10:03:43 PM) Bill: without thinking
(10:03:47 PM) Socheata: Hark how the bells.
(10:03:48 PM) Socheata: err..
(10:03:53 PM) Bill: what the…
(10:04:04 PM) Bill: okay think a LITTLE bit
(10:04:06 PM) Socheata: Carol of the Bells.
(10:04:09 PM) Bill: what?
(10:04:18 PM) Socheata: 
(10:33:18 PM) Leslie: MERRY CHRISTMAS
(10:33:23 PM) Bill: hey
(10:33:25 PM) Bill: speaking of which
(10:33:29 PM) Bill: name a christmas song
(10:33:32 PM) Bill: first thing that comes to mind
(10:33:33 PM) Bill: quick
(10:33:46 PM) Leslie: walking in a winter wonderland
(10:33:48 PM) Bill: …
(10:33:54 PM) Bill: okay, that still kinda proves my point
(10:33:55 PM) Bill: thanks
(10:45:24 PM) Bill: em
(10:45:36 PM) Bill: real quick
(10:45:40 PM) Bill: name a christmas song
(10:45:42 PM) Bill: first one that comes to mind
(10:45:48 PM) Eighmileigh: we wish you a merry christmas
(10:45:51 PM) Eighmileigh: it’s been in my head all day
(10:45:55 PM) Bill: oh pff
(10:45:58 PM) Bill: so you heard it earlier?
(10:46:01 PM) Bill: if it hadnt been in your head
(10:46:06 PM) Bill: what would you have said?
(10:46:07 PM) Eighmileigh: we three kings would have been it
(10:46:12 PM) Bill: you people
(10:46:16 PM) Bill: so RANDOM!!@#
(11:11:16 PM) Mei has signed on.
(11:11:26 PM) Bill: yes!!!
(11:11:30 PM) Bill: youre my tenth person!
(11:11:35 PM) Mei: what’s up?
(11:11:42 PM) Bill: i need you to name a christmas song
(11:11:46 PM) Bill: first one that comes to mind
(11:11:48 PM) Mei: joy to the world
(11:11:56 PM) Bill: mei mei mei
(11:11:58 PM) Bill: you break my heart
(11:12:09 PM) Mei: porquoi?
(11:12:20 PM) Bill: would you say jingle bells is a christmas song?
(11:12:46 PM) Mei: well, yes…but there are 2 kinds of christmas songs
(11:12:56 PM) Bill: alright dont get all philosophical
(11:44:45 PM) Señor el Cameron: hello?
(11:44:49 PM) Bill: hey
(11:44:59 PM) Bill: cameron
(11:45:03 PM) Bill: name a christmas song
(11:45:05 PM) Bill: off the top of your head
(11:45:12 PM) Señor el Cameron: o come emmanuel
(11:45:25 PM) Bill: where the fuck do you people come up with this shit?
The Conclusion:
Okay, okay, so maybe Jingle Bells isn’t the FIRST song that comes to peoples’ minds when they think “Christmas,” but it’s still a goddamn Christmas song. I think Caleb put it best:
(7:42:07 PM) Bill: chris and i have a friendly wager going
(7:42:14 PM) Bill: that if you ask 10 people to name a christmas song, 7 will say jingle bells
(7:42:23 PM) Caleb: hahahaha
(7:42:31 PM) Bill: even though jingle bells technically isnt a christmas song he says
(7:42:44 PM) Caleb: haha
(7:42:47 PM) Caleb: what else is it?
(7:42:52 PM) Caleb: a winter song?
(7:42:58 PM) Bill: exactly!
(7:43:03 PM) Bill: its like winter wonderland
(7:43:07 PM) Bill: just because it doesnt specifically mention christmas, santa or jesus
(7:43:12 PM) Bill: its still a christmas song
(7:43:12 PM) Caleb: nobody plays jingle bells and winter wonderland during january
(7:43:20 PM) Bill: exactly!
(7:43:23 PM) Bill: its a fucking christmas song
(7:43:30 PM) Caleb: there’s no question
(7:43:34 PM) Bill: well thank you
(7:43:46 PM) Caleb: if it WAS played anytime between january and march EVER, you might have an argument
(7:43:48 PM) Caleb: but it’s not
(7:44:16 PM) Bill: goddammit
(7:44:17 PM) Bill: beautiful
December 26th, 2007 at 9:18 am
You may have lost the battle, but you still won the war. Says my infallible logic.
December 26th, 2007 at 11:18 am
It was a delight to participate in your experiment. Reading through your “research,” I realized how much I really like the Bruce Springsteen version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” It’s like dance party at a bar. Haha, I’ve got nothing.
December 26th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Believe it or not Jingle Bells, one of the most famous American Christmas songs, was originally written for Thanksgiving! The author and composer of Jingle Bells was a minister called James Pierpoint who composed the song in 1857 for children celebrating his Boston Sunday School Thanksgiving. The song was so popular that it was repeated at Christmas, and indeed Jingle Bells has been reprised ever since. The essence of a traditional Christmas is captured in the lyrics of Jingle Bells and the sound effects using the bells have become synonymous with the arrival of Father Christmas or Santa Claus to the delight of children of all ages!”
Also…
“Various stories of the song’s origins give the place of composition as Savannah, Georgia, Boston or Medford, Massachusetts.[1] An oft-repeated story is that he wrote it to be sung at a Thanksgiving program at his church in Savannah or Boston, but because of its instant popularity, it was sung again at the Christmas program. The copyright was granted in 1857, when Pierpont was serving as the organist for a Unitarian congregation in Savannah.”
So there you go, it’s like common usage changing the meaning of the word “momentarily” to encompass people who use it the wrong way. I guess what I’m trying to say is, fuck you, I’m right.
December 26th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
i have to agree with Mei the boss’s version of santa claus is coming to town is good now it will ALLways make me think of you bill and Caleb and cortney cox
December 26th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Look, just because the song wasn’t originally written with Christmas in mind, it’s a Christmas song now. That’s like saying handing out candy isn’t a Halloween tradition just because they didn’t do it 300 years ago. Nobody goes fucking Thanksgiving caroling.
December 26th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Oh, and how CONVENIENT that you quote part of the Wiki entry on Jingle Bells, but didn’t include the FIRST LINE:
(Emphasis mine)
December 27th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
I leave out the inconsequential details.
December 28th, 2007 at 6:44 am
oh snap
December 29th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
wikipedia battles!