Jingle All the Way: Jingle Bells Books and Music, from James Lord Pierpont to the Astronauts of Gemini 6

Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bobtails ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight!

Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!

Most historians think that James Lord Pierpont was inspired to write Jingle Bells by the sleigh races that were run between the two small towns of Medford and Malden, Massachusetts during the 1850s. Yet from its beginnings on those little-traveled country roads, Jingle Bells grew into a one-horse open sleigh stampede: the song is now sung during the holidays in villages, towns, and cities around the world. In 1965, the song's lyrics, "Jingle all the way," even trotted onto an entirely new frontier, when the astronauts of the Gemini 6 mission used a harmonica and tiny sleigh bells to play the song over the radio to NASA Mission Control, making Jingle Bells the first song played from space!

Add a little jingle to your holiday season: read the song's complete lyrics and surprising history at Wikipedia, download the sheet music for free at Cantorion, and check out these Jingle Bells recordings and books...

* Music: Jingle Bells is one of the most performed songs in history. Since its first release in 1857, thousands of musicians have played and recorded it. If you're looking for a classic rendition, be sure to try the recordings by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Julie Andrews, and Roy Rogers. Or spice up your season with Jimmy Buffett's island-themed tune, The Three Tenors' - Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti's - operatic version, and the rock'n'roll cover on Glee's 2010 Christmas album.

* Jingle Bells: A Pop-Up Holiday Song, by Eren Blanquet Unten: Introduce your young horse-lover to Jingle Bells and sleigh rides with this dazzling pop-up book! The text is simply the first two verses of the song, but the intricate and ingenious pop-up illustrations - most of which star a merry and spirited horse - will whirl young children into the exhilarating fun of the song's sleigh ride.

* Jingle Bells, by Iza Trapani: (Pictured at the top of the post) Illustrated by Trapani's joyful and lively watercolors, this book begins with the first two verses of Jingle Bells, and then adds seven new, singable verses that visit Christmas celebrations in Italy, Kenya, the Philippines, Poland, Spain, and Sweden. At each stop, more children pile into the flying-horse drawn sleigh, and at the end, the horse carries them to a Christmas party they attend together - as new friends. The book closes with sheet music, lyrics, and kid-friendly information about each country's Christmas traditions.

* My Very First Winnie the Pooh: Pooh's Jingle Bells, by Kathleen Zoehfeld: Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin, and all the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood decide to help Santa by delivering presents to their friends on Christmas Eve. Of course, when Owl tells them they will "need some locomotion" for their sleigh, who do they look to but Eeyore for help! Young readers can sing along to Jingle Bells as the characters go dashing through the snow - and they might also find themselves imagining how they, like the characters, can be "Santa's helpers."

* Jingle Jingle, by Nicola Smee: Mr. Horse invites Cat, Dog, Pig, and Duck to ride in his sleigh, but when he jumps in himself, he also discovers how much fun a sleigh ride with friends can be. While this book does not include any of the lyrics from Jingle Bells, it tells a hilarious, playful, and friendly story with huggably adorable illustrations. Whether it's your young horse-lover's first or second jingle-bell season, or whether you'd like a book on hand that will brighten and cheer the spirits of anyone who reads it, Jingle Jingle is a very merry must-have for every horse-lover's library!

Would you like to take a ride in a one-horse open sleigh? Jingle on over to the post Dashing through the Snow: Sleigh Ride Round Up for a list of 2010 holiday sleighing and "snowless sleighing" events.