There are dozens of wonderful things
associated with the holiday season, but where
do they come from?
Christmas carols have mostly been written
by untrained musicians and little-known
poets. However, two of today’s most popular
tunes were created by famous composers:
“Hark the Herald Angels Sing” is the product
of Felix Mendelssohn’s time in England and
“Joy to the World” was written by George
Frederick Handel as piece for men to sing.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas first
appeared in print two days before Christmas
in 1823. Originally titled “A Visit from St.
Nicholas,” the author (Clement Moore)
published the poem anonymously in the Troy,
New York newspaper – some say he was
afraid of rebuke thanks to his professorship at
Columbia College (now University), famous
at the time for its seminary program.
Christmas cards were introduced by Sir
Henry Cole around 1843, when he sold a
design by John Horsley in a shop in the
famous commercial district of Bond Street
in London. The idea took another decade to
catch on, though, as the cost of postage and
printing were both too high for most people.
(By comparison, estimates say more than 2
billion cards are sent in the United Kingdom
alone now).
Electric tree lights first appeared in 1882,
just three years after Thomas Edison debuted
his lighting system in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
Credit for the idea of putting the bulbs strands
together to string on the branches of trees
goes to his assistant, Edward Johnson.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first
appeared as part of an advertising campaign
for Montgomery Ward. Robert May wrote the
original poem, first suggesting the names
Rollo and Reginald when the character was
introduced to children via a booklet handed
out in the Chicago stores during the 1939
shopping season.
It’s a Wonderful Life was released just a
few days before Christmas in 1946 and fell
well short of its break-even point. For studio
executives, it signaled the end of director
Frank Capra’s ability to captivate an audience
and, despite five Oscar nominations, it did not
become a Christmas favorite until the 1980s.
Существует много замечательных традиций, связанных с праздничным сезоном, но откуда они берутся?
Рождественские песни в основном были написаны как неподготовленными музыкантами, так и
малоизвестными поэтами. Тем не менее, две самые
популярные современные мелодии создали знаменит