Our 2020 Christmas Singalong
Due to the restrictions and protocols to be followed at school I opted to create a singalong that everyone can access whether at school or at home. I miss the opportunity for all staff and students to gather but am glad that we can still organize some of our annual events to boost our Nelson school spirit.
Here is the order of the songs selected:
1) The Christmas Song
2) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
3) Last Christmas
4) Jingle Bells
5) Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
6) Feliz Navidad
7) Frosty the Snowman
8) I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
9) Jingle Bell Rock
10) We Wish You a Merry Christmas
11) Auld Lang Syne
We begin our selections with The Christmas Song chosen by Division 3. This song was written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Torme and was made popular in 1946 by the Nat King Cole Trio.
Divisions 8, 9 & 10 chose another holiday favourite – Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The song was written by Johnny Marks and was recorded by Gene Autry in 1949 making it an instant hit.
Last Christmas – chosen by Division 2 – was released by the English pop duo Wham! in 1984 and was written and produced by George Michael. As of February 2020 Last Christmas has sold 1.9 million copies and is the biggest selling single to not reach No. 1 in United Kingdom chart history.
Divisions 12, 13 and 14 chose Jingle Bells as their singalong selection. Jingle Bells was written by American composer James Lord Pierpont and was originally released in 1857 as “One Horse Open Sleigh.”
Division 6 chose a more modern favourite – Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. This song was written by Randy Brooks and was originally performed by Elmo and Patsy Trigg Shropshire in 1979.
Division 4 chose Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas) – was written in 1970 by Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Jose Feliciano. This song became an instant popular favourite for the holiday season.
Division 11 chose the song – Frosty the Snowman as their selection. This song was the inspiration for the 1969 animated TV special and was sung by Jimmy Durante. Frosty the Snowman was written by Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson and was originally recorded by Gene Autry in 1950.
Our next selection was chosen by Division 5 and 7. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas was written by John Rox and was performed by 10 year old child star, Gayla Peevey in 1953. This song was linked to her hometown, Oklahoma City when their zoo acquired a baby hippo named Matilda.
Division 1 chose Jingle Bell Rock as their favourite Christmas song. This song was first released by Bobby Helms in 1957 and was written by Joe Beal, Jim Boothe and James Ross Boothe. The song lyrics are actually an extension of the traditional Winter song, Jingle Bells.
We will finish with two traditional songs that usually conclude our annual Christmas Singalong. Merry Christmas is usually sung by all Intermediate students to conclude their portion of the Winter Celebration Concert. I was fortunate to find a version that is similar to the lyrics we sing.
Auld Lang Syne was written in 1788 by Scottish poet Robert Burns. It means “old long since” or “days long past” and is traditionally sung to celebrate the coming of the New Year. Primary students usually sing this song to conclude their portion of the Winter Celebration Concert.
May your Winter Break be restful and 2021 be a year to remember. On behalf of the staff of Nelson Elementary have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a wonderful Holiday season.