New York school cites 19th century reason for banning 'Jingle Bells' over Christmas

Council Rock Primary School in Brighton, New York, removed "Jingle Bells" from its repertoire of Christmas songs after linking the popular tune's origins to minstrel shows in the 19th century, according to a local report.

The paper reported that Tappon and other staff confirmed in emails that the decision to stop singing the song was due, in part, to a 2017 article written by professor Kyna Hamill, director of Boston University’s Core Curriculum. 

In her article, Hamill researched the origins of "Jingle Bells," its composer, James L. Pierpont, and other songs about sleighs that appeared during the mid-1800s. She wrote that the first performance of "Jingle Bells" in public may have been in Boston in 1857 during a minstrel show, where White performers wore blackface.