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Finally!! The #1 Christmas song according to The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson (1948) and Mitchell Parish (1950) • Anderson came up with his idea during a July heat wave and drought while in Connecticut in 1946, but didn’t finish it until February, 1948, when living in NYC • The original recordings were instrumental only, with lyrics about riding in a sleigh were added by Parish in 1950 • The first orchestral version was recorded in 1949 by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. The piece includes the sounds of horses clopping and the snap of a whip. A trumpet adds a long whinny at the end of the piece when it’s tradition to present not flowers for the performance, but carrots • The Andrew Sisters recorded the first lyrical version in 1950 • The Ronettes recorded a successful version in 1963, but it’s Johnny Mathis’s 1958 version that’s considered most popular • Not only did we have a green Christmas outside, it was just as green inside, specifically deep inside of my Christmas stocking where I found this squishy little frog and an avocado potholder • Shall we name the frog?