12/20/2023

The Surprising Origins of Popular Christmas Songs

The history behind these ear worms

Christmas may be on Dec. 25, but Christmas music begins playing at stores and restaurants well before to spark holiday cheer.

But several of the songs that are supposed to lift people’s spirits actually have some depressing origins stories. Others were made in homage to family members or inspired by poems or written to plead for peace.

"I was surprised that some songs were born in a time of crisis or war," said Michael Foley, a professor at Baylor University who researched the origins of popular Christmas songs for his book Why We Kiss under the Mistletoe: Christmas Traditions Explained.

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.