Norman Rockwell's iconic 1922 "Santa with Elves" was painted for the cover of the Saturday Evening Post, an American magazine published from 1897 to 1963. The post was one of the most widely circulated and influential magazines of its time and was host to numerous Rockwell paintings. His Christmas-themed covers were always iconic and eye-catching, like this one, and a beloved part of his legacy. This original oil on canvas painting appeared on the cover of December 2, 1922 edition of the post. The original painting was owned by Rockwell's eldest son Jarvis, and later by original Star Wars director George Lucas.  It later appeared in the Smithsonian exhibit, Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Rockwell is celebrated today for his ability to capture the essence of American life.

Go to our "Vintage Christmas" archive to see all our vintage holiday photos.

For this holiday spotlight, I let the Christmas Cousins take over and provide us with their favorite holiday tunes. Cousin Seth picked a holiday tune called Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End) from the English hard rock band The Darkness, which I've included above. Cousin Chad picked a seasonal favorite in Johnny Mathis' 1958 version of Winter Wonderland. Both holiday tunes are worthy of a place on your Christmas playlist.

Listen to all our seasonal recommendations
by clicking here: Holiday Song Spotlight archive!

Germantown, Tennessee’s Alexis Luttrell set up a decorative skeleton, and skeleton dog, display in her front yard to celebrate Halloween last year, and then reused them dressed in new costumes for her Christmas display. Much to her surprise, she got an official notice from a Germantown code officer in December that said that she'd violated Ordinance 11-33, which says that yard decorations “shall not be installed or placed more than 45 days before the date of the holiday” and must be removed within “30 days, following the date of the holiday.” If found guilty, she would have been subject to fines and a court order prohibiting her skeletons from appearing in her holiday displays.

All this holiday hubbub came to a halt after Luttrell sued, arguing that her first amendment rights were violated. And, by refusing to acknowledge her Christmas-themed skeletons as Christmas decorations, the city engaged in "viewpoint discrimination" by enforcing an arbitrary and narrow idea of the “right” way to celebrate Christmas. Before her March 13 hearing, the city’s attorneys dropped the charges, meaning Alexis was no longer at immediate risk of being punished for her holiday display.

“I’m beyond pleased that I’m no longer on trial for nothing more than decorating my yard in a way that city hall didn’t like,” she said. “That these charges were ever brought in the first place was utterly surreal, but I’m glad that they’re dead and buried — and my skeletons aren’t.”

Go to our Holiday Highlights section.

In 1965, two astronauts aboard Gemini 6 brought holiday cheer to the universe. They broadcast Jingle Bells, which was the first Christmas song to ever be heard from space. The song was performed by astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford on December 16 using a harmonica and sleigh bells. Their performance was broadcast to Mission Control in Houston, making it the first time a song was ever played in space. Schirra's harmonica is now on display at the Smithsonian. You can hear the broadcast by clicking here.

Go to our "Did you know" archive to see all our fun facts!

The Christmas Cousins have hosted all sorts of special guests on their podcast, including Bran from the popular Christmas Morning podcast. On this episode of the Christmas Cousins podcast, you can hear Bran's seven ways to keep the holiday vibes going.

Go to our Christmas List section to see this list and more!

Our latest review!

Oddly, Love Actually generates a lot of controversy amongst Christmas enthusiasts. There are those that think it's hokey and those that watch it religiously every Christmas and even have Love Actually parties where everyone attending knows all the iconic lines and calls them out during the movie. For me, it's what every Hallmark movie should be and thoroughly enjoyable as a Christmas movie.

Read the full review of this movie, and its accompanying music soundtrack, as well as all our mini movie and soundtrack reviews, by clicking here!