Fitzgerald’s “Jingle Bells,” from the 1960 album Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas, is best heard with a holiday cocktail in hand and tap shoes on your feet.

In 1970, the “Jingle Bells” track was re-released by RCA Records as a standalone single. This time, it received even more widespread attention, cementing its status as a holiday classic.

James Lord Pierpont, a Boston native, penned the renowned holiday classic song "Jingle Bells" in the 1850s. The original song was more revealing than it appears today.

The holiday classic "Jingle Bells" may have you dashing through the snow and longing for a ride on a horse-drawn sleigh, but the 19th-century song was never intended to celebrate the Christmas season.

The holiday classic "Jingle Bells" may have you dashing through the snow and longing for a ride on a horse-drawn sleigh, but the 19th-century song was never intended to celebrate the Christmas season.

It's true that "Jingle Bells" songwriter James Pierpont did not have Christmas in mind when he penned the tune — which does not mention the holiday in its lyrics — in the 1850s.

This article was originally published on November 30, 2022. We’re rerunning it now in honor of the season. “Jingle Bells” doesn’t get more cringe than this. Momager, MasterClass instructor ...

It was re-copyrighted as “Jingle Bells, or the One Horse Open Sleigh” in 1859, the university said. Hamill also points out the timing for Georgia doesn’t match up.

There’s only one problem: “Jingle Bells” doesn’t mention the word Christmas. And according to the checkered history of the song and its composer, it was written for Thanksgiving.