Many things over the years have been associated with Christmas. Music is perhaps one of the focal points of the holiday season, and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas is sure to be a repeat. The man who sang the song—better known as Chairman, nicknamed Ol’ Blue Eyes—Frank Sinatra, has made himself a Christmas legend.
Many argue that his personality might challenge this: he was seen as sluggish and steely, known as much for his hard-drinking endeavors as for his musical talent.
Throughout his career, the singer, who died in 1998, released numerous songs and albums with Christmas in their heart, including the 1948 release, Sinatra’s Christmas Songs.
There were eight traditional holiday tracks, including The Legendary White Christmas, a song he first recorded four years earlier, and “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, said to be Chairman’s favorite song.
His daughter, Nancy, who has made an impressive music career of her own, noted how much her father loves the holiday season during an interview with Variety magazine in 2017.
She noted how “nobody embraced Christmas as it is [Sinatra] He did”, describing how all his friends “would come in late on Christmas Eve, after a wild night, and they would throw tinsel on the tree”.
And she continued, “And my mother and I would take it back after that and make it what you see in those pictures.”
Sinatra’s youngest daughter, Tina, discussed the tradition as well, adding, “It went a little wrong. But that tree was my mother’s pride and joy. She and Nancy, like fools, stood there for I don’t know how many hours, adding a few strands at a time.”
“It just amazed me that they were patient, but they did. My dad would often be there Christmas Eve at night, with (songwriter) Jimmy Van Heusen or some friends, and that was also usually when my name would be the mischievous elves. In the morning Next they were still there.”
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Later, he signed a multi-million dollar deal with ABC to host The Frank Sinatra Show, a drama and variety series, and when Christmas came around, things got festive.
The deal was struck in 1957, and when Sinatra stepped up to direct the show, he made sure to include a holiday special episode. The show’s producer, William Self, discussed the singer’s influence at the Museum of Television and Radio in 2003.
Mr Self continued: “He was a gangster, if he wanted to direct, [he would direct]. It was Frank’s idea to do a Christmas show with Bing [Crosby]. He had a lot of respect for Bing… They were getting on well, and Frank just said, “I’m going to channel it,” and I said, “Yes, sir!”
Crosby is another Hollywood and music legend who is remembered as one of the godfathers of Christmas, thanks to his version of White Christmas.
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Released in 1942, this iconic classic not only won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, but it has gone on to sell around 50 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling single in history.
Tina also mentioned how much Christmas meant to her father, and discussed it further with her sister, Nancy.
After Nancy showed her a photo of her dad on a special holiday, Tina said, “I think it epitomizes that he loved this time of year.”
Even after Sinatra divorced his first wife, and children’s mother Nancy, in 1951, the My Way hitmaker continued to always put Christmas at the center of his family’s festive plans.
Nancy continued, “We’d spend Christmas Eve and spend the morning with LA and drive there [Palm Springs] Afternoon and Christmas Eve there. Divorced families generally have this kind of tradition.”
“My mum would often come (to the desert) too and she was always very friendly and homely,” Tina added.
But Nancy remembered one “Las Vegas Christmas” when she and her husband, dancer and choreographer Hugh Lambert, were in town for two shows on Christmas Eve.
She added, “Dad sent his plane up for us. The last show was at midnight, so by the time we got to Palm Springs it was probably 3, and we were really tired. And when we got to the airport, we saw a little crowd on the runway. It turned out to be my mom.” And my dad and a group of mariachis singing “Jingle Bells” as we got off the plane.”
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