The Christmas Song

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, 
Jack Frost nipping on your nose, 
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir, 
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe, 
Help to make the season bright. 
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow, 
Will find it hard to sleep tonight. 

They know that Santa’s on his way; 
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh. 
And every mother’s child is going to spy, 
To see if reindeer really know how to fly. 

And so I’m offering this simple phrase, 
To kids from one to ninety-two, 
Although its been said many times, many ways, 
Merry Christmas to you

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire is definitively called the Christmas Song. The music and lyrics were composed by Torme and Wells in 1946. The most popular recording was recorded by Nat King Cole. The strong imagery in the words to this Christmas song are also complimented by such sentiments as reflected in one of its lines “from kids from from one to ninety-two” which encompass the essence of the family Christmas. The notion that a traditional Christmas should be white is also reinforced in the lyric of this Christmas song, Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

The particular a capella arrangement linked to this blog was created by Bob Craig for Carolers of Note – the recording being a bootleg rehearsal version where the mic was a little too close to the bass for perfect balance, but from which you get a sense of the tight harmonies that add a depth of vocal richness to the lush images of the song.

And as I look out my window writing this blog, the world is white, and I would love the idea of buying roasted chestnuts from a street vendor (like when was the last time in my experience that I saw a street vendor in my part of America — that’s right, only at the Renaissance Festival — when participating in a reenactment of days of yore).  I assume I would like the taste, but then again, who knows?