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.

In 1857, James Pierpont, while living in Georgia, copyrighted "Jingle Bells." The lyrics of the song tell of the sleigh rides held on Salem Street in the early 1800s.

♪ ♪ jingle bells, jingle bells, ♪ ♪ jingle all the way ♪ ♪ oh, what fun it is to ride ♪ ♪ in a one-horse open sleigh ♪ ♪ hey! ♪ [LAUGHTER] Support for PBS provided by: ...

The Christmas staple "Jingle Bells," has been the subject of many arguments about its provenance. Researcher Kyna Hamill, who did some more digging, talks with NPR's Ailsa Chang.

‘Jingle Bells’ was the first song broadcast from space Ten days before Christmas 1965, astronauts Walter M. “Wally” Schirra Jr. and Thomas P. Stafford, orbiting aboard Gemini 6, met Gemini ...

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.

Screen print, 1910. ... Pierpont wrote the music and lyrics to "Jingle Bells" in the 1850s, sometime amid his daring deeds on land and sea. It was published in Boston in 1857, ...