Running through the snow – The story of "jingle bells"

Many people are surprised to learn that “Jingle Bells” was actually written for the American Thanksgiving. The song was composed by James Lord Pierpont, and the details surrounding his life and the writing of the song have been disputed over the years. In fact, in some old publications, the author of the song is listed as ‘anonymous’. However, today it is commonly accepted that Pierpont was the writer, although the song was originally released under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh”.

A musician, Pierpont was not famous, at least during his time. In fact, it’s very likely that he never made a cent from “Jingle Bells.” Pierpont, the son of an American minister, struggled at times to make ends meet for his family, especially when he suffered a business loss during the San Francisco Gold Rush. With no money, and a wife and children to support, he headed from California to Savannah, Georgia, to ask his brother John for help. John Pierpont had recently become the minister of a Unitarian church there. With his help, James became the music director and organist of the church.

Pierpont flourished in his position as music director and was highly regarded by his colleagues and parishioners alike. Despite this, his “fame” was mostly confined to Savannah. It is speculated that it was during his posting in the church that he composed “Jingle Bells”. The story goes that Pierpont wrote the song for a Sunday school Thanksgiving show. It had practically no religious content; it was just a cheery little poem about winter and the follies of youth.

The most frequently sung version of “Jingle Bells” today omits all but the song’s first verse and chorus. Recently, more modern artists have started recording the second verse as well. The original version contains four stanzas, with the chorus repeated between stanzas.

The song tells the story of a funny but misguided sleigh ride, whose driver hopes to impress a girl, but ends up being teased by a peer. While most people would think that the word “upsot” in the second verse means that the sleigh tipped over, it is actually an ambiguous word that may have also referred to “drunkenness.” So, perhaps in addition to the fact that the horses weren’t doing well, the sleigh driver may have contributed to his misfortune by being a little drunk. Despite a difficult journey, the song concludes by encouraging listeners to take advantage of the fresh winter snow and enjoy a sleigh ride.

It is said that when the song was performed for the Thanksgiving parade, it was very well received. So much so that it was requested to be sung again in the Christmas parade. And so “One Horse Open Sleigh” forever became synonymous with Christmas.

Unfortunately for Pierpont, he never realized the acclaim that was due him. It took several years for the song to gain more mainstream popularity. These days, there are few who can’t sing at least the first verse of “Jingle Bells.” In fact, no Christmas would be complete without it.