The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting...)
Christmas Carols Explained, #23
Merry Christmas Adam!
Nat King Cole performed this classic in 1946, composed by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. The latter made a list of seasonal memories associated with Christmas, while the former made them fit with a melody. Toss in Cole’s vocals and you’ve got an all-timer.
Personally I don’t remember having chestnuts until I served my mission in Spain, where there are street vendors selling them in cones late in the autumn. The smell of roasted chestnuts is unmistakable and I love it. Twice I’ve tried to get them and roast them here and home but it’s just not the same. There’s a woody, earthy smell to it, and that scent memory is attached very powerfully to the experience of a Mediterranean Christmas.
Just one of the things that Bob Wells got right when he listed things attached to Christmas. Great song.