I wonder as I wander

Christmasy things I wonder about:

When did ugly sweaters (of the ugly sweater party variety) become ugly? Like, what year did they turn from cool to ugly? A friend thinks 1994-1995ish.

When did Christmas carols stop being written? It seems to me there are just the good ole classic carols and at some point new ones weren’t produced anymore. When was that? (No, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” is not a carol)

I spend time looking all over at multiple stores trying to find the best deal on something. Then I finally find the place that sells this thing for $2 less. I get up to the register and the cashier asks if I’d like to donate $2 to such-and-such organization. Uh...yes. So, I broke even money-wise, but lost time. What's worth more?

Where is mistletoe? You know...when you’re out hiking people always say, "oh there’s poison ivy" or "that’s a pretty fern." No one has ever pointed out mistletoe to me.

Who thought a song about a hippo would be perfect for the season?
"I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy..."

What kind of containers did the three wisemen carry their frankincense, gold and myrrh in?

Who thinks it’s a great idea to play "Feliz Navidad" over and over and over?

And a friend used to always chastise people for using the adjective Oriental in reference to people. "Oriental’s for rugs," he’d say. And I agree with this, but there’s the song, "We three kings of Orient Are..."

How did sugar cookies with frosting become a uniquely Christmas treat? Why not turkey-shaped cookies with frosting at Thanksgiving? And same with fruitcake, or red hots, and gingerbread. When and who decided that these should be reserved for Christmas?

I don't think Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins should have a Christmas song.

Is the game "Chinese Gift Exchange" somehow derogatory? I don’t know, but I feel bad and uncomfortable saying it.