True Stories Behind Christmas Songs & Dangerous Decorations- Bonus Holiday Episode

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• Early 20th-century Christmas decorations sometimes contained radioactive materials like radium, and spider web ornaments are a symbol of good luck in Eastern European traditions like Ukraine.  Copied to clipboard!
• Classic Christmas songs like "White Christmas" and "The Christmas Song" were written during anxious times (WWII era) and provided comfort, with "The Christmas Song" notably being written during a hot summer.  Copied to clipboard!
• The song "The 12 Days of Christmas" traditionally covers the 12 days *after* Christmas, running through January 5th, and the cumulative cost of all the gifts today is estimated to be in the six figures.  Copied to clipboard!

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Planet Visionaries Podcast Plug

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(00:00:00)

• Key Takeaway: Planet Visionaries, hosted by Alex Honneld, features stories of people like Chris Tompkins and Christina Mittermeyer who are actively working to protect the planet.
• Summary: The segment promotes the podcast Planet Visionaries, which focuses on hopeful stories about environmental protection rather than doom and gloom. It highlights individuals like Chris Tompkins, who is rewilding South America, and wildlife photographer Christina Mittermeyer. The show is presented in partnership with Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative.

Christmas Song Backstories Intro

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(00:01:34)

• Key Takeaway: Classic Christmas songs like “White Christmas” and “The Christmas Song” have surprising origins, including being written during hot weather.
• Summary: The episode transitions to discussing the backstories of favorite Christmas songs, including “White Christmas,” “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree,” and Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song.” The latter was written in about 45 minutes during an excessively hot summer day as a way to cool down the writers.

Indeed Sponsorship Read

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(00:02:33)

• Key Takeaway: Indeed sponsored jobs are 90% more likely to result in a hire than non-sponsored jobs by boosting visibility to quality candidates.
• Summary: Hiring requires finding candidates with the right background to move a business forward, making Indeed sponsored jobs valuable. These boosted posts ensure quality candidates see the job sooner, leading to a higher likelihood of making a hire. Listeners can receive a $75 sponsored job credit using the specific podcast URL.

Dangerous Holiday Decorations

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(00:04:39)

• Key Takeaway: Early 1900s Christmas ornaments and artificial snow sometimes contained radioactive radium, and spider web ornaments symbolize good luck in Ukraine.
• Summary: In the early 1900s, some Christmas decorations glowed due to added radium, posing health hazards to homeowners. Conversely, in parts of Eastern Europe, spider web ornaments are considered symbols of good luck, stemming from a folk tale where webs turned to silver.

History of “White Christmas”

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(00:07:37)

• Key Takeaway: “White Christmas,” written by Irving Berlin, was released just after WWII broke out and provided solace and nostalgia for separated families.
• Summary: Irving Berlin wrote “White Christmas” for the 1942 movie Holiday Inn, but it gained prominence in late 1941 when it was shipped to the UK for troops. The wistful, nostalgic song perfectly summed up the anxious mood of the time, offering a beacon of comfort.

Origins of “The Christmas Song”

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(00:09:27)

• Key Takeaway: “The Christmas Song” (Nat King Cole) was written in 45 minutes during a hot summer by Mel Tormay and Robert Wells, who hoped writing a Christmas song would cool them down.
• Summary: The song was written by Mel Tormay and Robert Wells during an excessively hot summer day. Mel Tormay suggested writing a Christmas song to change the mood, and they completed it quickly. Nat King Cole recorded it twice the following year, and it provided comfort as families reunited after WWII.

Story Behind “Blue Christmas”

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(00:11:21)

• Key Takeaway: “Blue Christmas,” famously sung by Elvis, was written by Jay Johnson, a radio scriptwriter, who wondered why no holiday song incorporated the blues after experiencing a gloomy, rainy commute.
• Summary: Elvis Presley’s version of “Blue Christmas” (1957) was not the first recording, but his vocal performance captured the melancholy feeling of having a difficult Christmas. Writer Jay Johnson was inspired to write the song after a rainy commute, seeking to add blues elements to holiday music.

Mariah Carey’s Hit Song Origin

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(00:12:45)

• Key Takeaway: Mariah Carey co-wrote her enduring Christmas hit as a whimsical love song about waiting for a beloved under the mistletoe, utilizing old-fashioned instrumentation.
• Summary: Mariah Carey wrote her massive hit with collaborator Walter Afonisef, leaning into her love for Christmas. The song is a whimsical love song about waiting for a partner during the holidays. Its enduring popularity is attributed to her vocal performance and the classic instrumentation, including sleigh bells and piano.

History of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

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(00:19:06)

• Key Takeaway: The song, featured in the Judy Garland film Meet Me in St. Louis, was almost thrown in the trash by co-writer Hugh Martin before Ralph Blaine convinced him to finish it, and it was nearly cut from the movie for being too dour.
• Summary: The song originated in the 1940s film Meet Me in St. Louis, starring Judy Garland. Songwriter Hugh Martin initially discarded the tune, but Ralph Blaine insisted they retrieve it from the trash to complete it. The song was almost excluded from the movie due to concerns it sounded too gloomy.

Origin of “Merry Christmas, Darling”

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(00:20:15)

• Key Takeaway: The Carpenters’ “Merry Christmas, Darling” originated when lyricist Frank Pooler used lyrics he wrote as a Christmas gift for a crush, later setting them to music with Richard Carpenter after meeting him as a university choral director.
• Summary: Richard Carpenter handled the music while Frank Pooler wrote the lyrics, which were initially intended as a personal Christmas gift. Pooler later met Richard and Karen Carpenter when he was a choral director at Cal State Long Beach. Richard wrote the music for the lyrics, resulting in the tender and dynamic hit.

Facts on “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”

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(00:21:43)

• Key Takeaway: The novelty song “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” sung by 12-year-old Gayla Peavy, was promoted via a successful fundraiser that resulted in a real hippo being donated to the Oklahoma City Zoo.
• Summary: Written by John Rocks, the song was performed by child star Gayla Peavy in the early 1950s, targeting the post-WWII baby boom consumer base. Promotion involved a fundraiser where donations bought a real hippopotamus, Matilda, for the Oklahoma City Zoo, where she lived for decades.

David Seville and The Chipmunks

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(00:23:06)

• Key Takeaway: David Seville created The Chipmunks’ signature high-pitched voices by manipulating tape speed on a cassette recorder, and he almost chose mice or butterflies as the characters instead.
• Summary: David Seville, known for the song “Witch Doctor,” created the Chipmunk voices by manipulating tape speed on a cassette recorder. He considered using characters like butterflies, mice, or rabbits before settling on the chipmunks. The novelty song was geared toward children who were emerging as music consumers.

Theme of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”

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(00:24:00)

• Key Takeaway: “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (1943) is less optimistic than “White Christmas,” as its lyrics hint that returning home for the holidays might only be possible in a dream, reflecting the fraught nature of mid-WWII.
• Summary: Released in 1943 during the height of WWII, this Bing Crosby song is more melancholy than “White Christmas.” The lyrics suggest that coming home might be a fantasy, highlighted by the parenthetical phrase, “If Only In My Dreams.” Despite its downtrodden tone, the song offered comfort by validating feelings of hopelessness during that difficult time.

Rock and Roll Christmas Hits

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(00:25:43)

• Key Takeaway: Rock and roll influenced Christmas music with hits like “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” with the latter gaining renewed popularity after being featured in Home Alone.
• Summary: Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” incorporated country influences into an easygoing rock and roll style, focusing on teenagers dancing at Jingle Bell Square. Brenda Lee recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” when she was only 12 or 13. The song experienced a major resurgence after being featured in the movie Home Alone.

Eagles’ Christmas Song History

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(00:32:40)

• Key Takeaway: The Eagles’ Christmas song cover is based on “Merry Christmas Baby,” originally recorded by Charles Brown, an underrated musician who fronted the Charles Brown trio and played with Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers.
• Summary: The Eagles covered a song originally written and recorded by Charles Brown for King Records in the 1940s. Brown was an influential but underrated musician known for his R&B style. The Eagles applied a soft rock spin, and this recording marked Timothy B. Schmidt’s first contribution of bass to an Eagles track.

Facts on “The 12 Days of Christmas”

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(00:34:38)

• Key Takeaway: The 12 days in the song run from Christmas Day to January 5th (Epiphany Eve), the song originated as a memory game, and the cumulative gifts cost over six figures today.
• Summary: The 12 days referenced are traditionally the period following Christmas Day, not the countdown leading up to it. Historians suggest the song began as a simple memory and forfeit game in 18th-century England and France. The full cumulative cost of all gifts today is estimated to be in the six figures.

Verizon Fios Internet Offer

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(00:37:06)

• Key Takeaway: Verizon is offering Fios 300 Mbps fiber optic home internet for a guaranteed price of $20 a month for three years when bundled with a Verizon mobile plan.
• Summary: The promotion addresses holiday buffering issues by offering 100% fiber optic home internet. The limited-time offer locks in a $20 per month price for three years for the 300 Mbps plan. This price guarantee applies only to the base rate for customers who also have a Verizon mobile plan.