A few of my favorite things

Published 6:50 am Saturday, January 5, 2019

Christmas may be over and it may be a new year, but I still have Christmas music floating in and out of my head.

While reflecting on a busy 2018 at the Hormel Historic Home, I can think of many favorite moments which makes the line ‘these are a few of my favorite things’ get stuck in my head. Did you know that the famous song from “A Sound of Music” became a Christmas song by accident?

Composed by Rodgers and Hammerstein for the 1959 Broadway production of “The Sound of Music,” “My Favorite Things” was not intended to be a Christmas song. However, in 1961, Julie Andrews performed the song on the Garry Moore holiday special. Angela Cartwright, the actress who played Brigitta von Trapp in the movie version of “The Sound of Music,” said she could understand why the song became a holiday favorite. “This is the season of good tidings and blessings. Recalling one’s favorite things seems to make it the perfect song for this season.”

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In 1964, Jack Jones was the first artist to include “My Favorite Things” on a holiday album, but many other well-known singers, such as the Supremes, Andy Williams, Barbra Streisand and Kelly Clarkson, have also embraced the song’s sentiment and have included it on their holiday recordings.

So now that the song is running through your head, enjoy my rendition of the accidental Christmas song featuring a few of my favorite things at the Hormel Historic Home.

“The front door that welcomes

The woodwork that glistens

Music that is heard if only you listen

Stories of Hormels reflect many themes

These are a few of my favorite things

Concerts in the garden and lectures in the ballroom

Kids making camp snacks

And chefs creating good food

Recipes from Lillian Belle and artwork by Lizzie

These are a few of my favorite things

Books on the shelves and flowers on the mantle

Hormel golf clubs and dishes

Old floor boards that rattle

Uniforms and dresses from Jay and Germaine

These are a few of my favorite things

When the lights glow

When the music sounds

When I think of the past

I simply consider George’s favorite things

And then I feel pride that lasts”

Forgive me for trying. Happy New Year!


History Happy Hour: Wedding Fashions and Customs from 1900-1960

  • 5:30 p.m. social, 6 p.m. presentation
  • Monday, Jan. 14
  • Presented by Jaimie Timm and featuring clothing from the Mower County Historical Society collection. Free for members of the HHH, Mower County Hist. Soc, and Friends of the Library.

Austin Wedding & Event Showcase

  • Noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20
  • $5 per person