# Christmas songs - so many questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [December 23, 2025, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994 "2025-12-23T22:03:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2025, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/1 "2025-12-23T22:03:50Z")
With Christmas songs on nonstop rotation I can’t help but hear them too many times. When you stop to listen to the words I end up with lots of questions; questions like: - **Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer** - What where the names & rules of the games that Olive, the other reindeer played? - **Snoopy’s Christmas** - Was the Red Baron court martialed for fraternizing with the enemy & then letting him & his Sopwith Camel escape? - **Little Drummer Boy** - Mary, exhausted from giving birth, finally gets Jesus down. Was she really nodding affirmation when the kid asks her if she wanted a _drum solo_ or was she really nodding off? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2025, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/2 "2025-12-23T22:12:33Z")
**Snow** - does anyone really want to wash their hands and face and hair in the stuff? Is it some sort of bizarre fetish? **The Twelve Days of Christmas** - What does one do with all that accumulated crap? And where does one put all that stuff? 12 partridges, 22 doves, 30 hens, 42 geese and 42 swans add up to a lot of bird shit to clean up. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2025, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/3 "2025-12-23T22:12:57Z")
To add: - **Baby It’s Cold Outside** - A bit sexy for Christmas. Some find it disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2025, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/4 "2025-12-23T22:25:27Z")
**You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch -** When the narrator says “The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote: ‘Stink! Stank! Stunk!’,” who is he quoting? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2025, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/5 "2025-12-23T22:30:05Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > **Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer** - What where the names & rules of the games that Olive, the other reindeer played? I can actually answer this. The last day of school before the break, we had a “Christmas community day”, which included Reindeer Games. One game was a ring toss, where you tried to land a ring on your partner’s antlers, and the other was a box-stacking game, except there were enough boxes and they were large enough that you couldn’t just reach up to put the last one on, you had to throw it and hope it stayed up. > [@Spiderman](#): > > **Little Drummer Boy** - Mary, exhausted from giving birth, finally gets Jesus down. Was she really nodding affirmation when the kid asks her if she wanted a _drum solo_ or was she really nodding off? I’ve long said that that song is absolute proof that she really was a saint. ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/6 "2025-12-23T22:43:00Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > **Baby It’s Cold Outside** - A bit sexy for Christmas. Some find it disturbing. Nothing sexy about a young woman worrying that she will get shit at home from her parents if she’s not home from her boyfriend’s house in time from curfew. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2025, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/7 "2025-12-23T22:47:26Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > A bit sexy for Christmas. Some find it disturbing. No more disturbing than Santa baby “coming down the chimney”. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/8 "2025-12-24T11:21:19Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > **The Twelve Days of Christmas** - What does one do with all that accumulated crap? And where does one put all that stuff? 12 partridges, 22 doves, 30 hens, 42 geese and 42 swans add up to a lot of bird shit to clean up. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/C14bjdgaqqs/hqdefault.jpg "Yet Another Partridge in a Pear Tree: Mr Sibley") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C14bjdgaqqs) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/9 "2025-12-24T13:00:39Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > **Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer** - What where the names & rules of the games that Olive, the other reindeer played? If Rudolph is the most famous reindeer of all, why the heck wouldn’t I recall who he was? ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/10 "2025-12-24T13:39:08Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > If Rudolph is the most famous reindeer of all, why the heck wouldn’t I recall who he was? Big fish, small pond. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/11 "2025-12-24T13:55:26Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > **The Twelve Days of Christmas** - What does one do with all that accumulated crap? And where does one put all that stuff? 12 partridges, 22 doves, 30 hens, 42 geese and 42 swans add up to a lot of bird shit to clean up. I asked in a Christmas past song thread, since I had always wondered-- are the presents _actually_ repeated, or is every verse just announcing the next gift, plus just reminding what was already gifted? The overwhelming consensus was the latter- yes, they are repeatedly given. Which is pure insanity. And yeah, what’s with all the avian gifting? More stuff like golden rings, please. Much easier to resell or hock. * * * _ **I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus** _ Isn’t this kid, who believes he sees his father getting cucked by a beloved mythical figure, going to be emotionally scarred for life? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/12 "2025-12-24T13:56:16Z")
There’s some old recording of me, age four, asking my grandpa, “Papa, what did the reindeers play?” Gawd, I was cute. I think I may have been concerned that the reindeer were playing the same silly games the unicorns played with Noah. 😬 ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/13 "2025-12-24T13:57:52Z")
Rudolph’s age is never mentioned in the song. Why can’t we just as easily assume that he is an elderly alcoholic reindeer with an enlarged and quite red nose? It seems probable that Olive won’t let him play shuffleboard or bridge because the nose is so distracting. The other reindeer just mock him and play ding-dong-dash. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/14 "2025-12-24T15:02:45Z")
> [@solost](#): > > And yeah, what’s with all the avian gifting? More stuff like golden rings, please Have you looked at the price of gold? _Five_ rings, more like I can afford ¼ , maybe ½ of _one_ ring. Three French hens, OTOH, are ‘cheep’ ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/15 "2025-12-24T15:15:10Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > **Snoopy’s Christmas** It’s an obvious parallel to the 1914 Christmas truce. And besides, who in the German command is going to know? ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/16 "2025-12-24T16:15:52Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > And besides, who in the German command is going to know? It’s not like a plane taking off is quiet or easy to hide. ATC, refuelers, or just anyone at the airport could have seen it. An enemy plane landing in front of the legendary Red Baron &/or taking off again would be noticed, just for being different. Do cartoon flying beagles use ATC or do they just takeoff/land on their own? :thinking: ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/17 "2025-12-24T16:18:42Z")
**Do You Hear What I Hear?** – if a child, a child, shivers in the cold, you suggest bringing him silver and gold?? Why don’t you bring him, I don’t know, _a blanket_? ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/18 "2025-12-24T16:21:29Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > **Do You Hear What I Hear?** – if a child, a child, shivers in the cold, you suggest bringing him silver and gold?? Why don’t you bring him, I don’t know, _a blanket_? Artistic license with rhyming conventions explain this one. They could have have said something like _we will bring him blankets of gold._ ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/19 "2025-12-24T16:29:55Z")
To me the part that got me many questions is: Really? What would one expect if an animal talked to someone back then? > 🎶 Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy.. > Do you hear what I hear? > … Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king: Do you know how I ran? (Do you know how I ran??) To your palace to warm you king! Do you know how I ran? (Do you know how I ran??) A Sheep, a Sheep, talked! And scold! Let us kill that ewe stone cold! Let us kill that ewe stone cold!! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994/20 "2025-12-24T16:31:43Z")
> [@Ellecram](#): > > Artistic license with rhyming conventions explain this one. Well, yes; most of this thread (including my post) seems to be intended as more tongue-in-cheek. Regardless, cold precious metal is a _terrible_ gift for a shivering newborn. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-so-many-questions/1025994.md?page=2)