What’s Up With These Songs? – “It’s the Holiday Season”

What’s Up With These Songs? originally appeared on Rusty’s site.

Andy Williams initially ropes us in here with Irving Berlin’s classic “Happy Holiday” from Holiday Inn. But does he keep going? No. Instead, he takes a sharp right at Cheesy Street, and the song quickly shifts to the second tune in the medley, Kay Thompson’s “It’s the Holiday Season.”

“It’s the Holiday Season” is very focused on Santa Claus and all the stuff he’s bringing us. At first, Williams tells us that Santa has “a toy” for each girl and boy. One toy. But then he says Santa is bringing “lots of goodies for you and for me.” Which is it, Andy? Am I getting one toy or lots of goodies? I kind of need to prepare myself and know what to leave the big guy as a token of thanks.

Speaking of which, I won’t be taking Andy’s suggestion when he tells me to “leave a peppermint stick for old St. Nick.” Sure, Mr. Williams. Sally next door is baking double chocolate chip cookies as we speak and will be leaving Santa a plate full of them along with a tall glass of ice cold milk. And I’m gonna leave him a candy cane I got in a 12-pack at the Dollar Tree? Furthermore, you want me to leave it “hangin’ on the Christmas tree”?! What kind of Where’s Waldo shenanigans am I pulling here? I want to thank Santa, not leave him a puzzle. “Thanks for all the goodies, Santa. Good luck finding the one candy cane I left just for you on my Christmas tree.”

Still, at least all of those lines contain actual lyrics. But what about the line where Andy says, “It’s the holiday season / so whoop-de-doo and dickory-dock”? I think Thompson honestly forgot to finish the song. She knew she wanted to remind us to hang up our socks, and she also knew that she wanted to pinpoint the time of Santa’s arrival as “just exactly at 12 o’clock.” (I do have to add that it seems physically impossible for him to appear at every single residence in the world at midnight. Plus, I’ve tracked him on NORAD.) Look, I have no problem with using gibberish as a lyric placeholder in a rough draft. But come on. At some point in the process someone had to think, “Hey wait. What about the missing lyrics in that one line where we’re just babbling nonsense and plagiarizing nursery rhymes?”

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a catchy song, and my kids seem to like it. But I’m definitely happy when we return to Berlin’s part of the medley.

– Mike