Part 1 of this two part blog installment focused on the process that was undertaken in creating our Holiday Favorites by The Decade infographic as well as some of the favorites that didnΓÇÖt make the cut. But those favorites werenΓÇÖt the only information left off of our infographic. There was other information that we would have liked to include about some of the holiday favorites but due to space restrictions had to keep off. One way we could have included this information is through adding some interactive elements to the page. Dashboard infographics donΓÇÖt have to be static, though in our case we wanted to keep the infographic as simple as possible, at least for this year, so we opted to keep ours static. Interactive elements, such as hover overs or drill through, provide viewers with more context, giving them a better understanding of data, or in our infographicΓÇÖs case, some extra tidbits of information. Check out some of the additional information, and let us know what you would have liked us to include if the dashboard had been interactive. 30ΓÇÖsΓÇó 1934: The song Santa Claus is Coming to Town is first sung on Eddie CantorΓÇÖs radio show in November, becoming an instant hit with more than 400,000 copies of the sheet music sold by Christmas. ΓÇó 1938: The film A Christmas Carol is released (though the first film adaptation of the story was Scrooge, 1935). A Christmas Carol would have several film adaptations (1935, 1938, 1951, 1970, 1988, 1992, and 2009)40ΓÇÖsΓÇó 1942: Freddy Martin, Bing Crosby, and in 1945 Frank Sinatra, all release their versions of the holiday classic White Christmas. Each of their singles would reach gold status and secure spots in the top 30 holiday singles.
ΓÇó 1945: The single Let It Snow is released by Vaughn Monroe reaching No. 1 on the Billboard music chart the following year. It was later covered countless times. Amusingly it was written in California during one of the hottest days on record.
ΓÇó 1946: Hollywood and holiday classic ItΓÇÖs A Wonderful Life is released. Nominated for five Academy Awards, the film is considered one of the most critically acclaimed films ever made. The American Film Institute placed it in the 100 best American movies ever made.
ΓÇó 1947: The film Miracle on 34th Street is released. The film won 3 Academy Awards, including Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and was nominated for Best Picture. The film would later be remade for television in 1955, 1959 and 1973, into a musical in 1963, and another feature film in 1994.50ΓÇÖs
ΓÇó 1954: Holiday classic film White Christmas is released becoming the top moneymaking film that year. Overall, the film would gross $30 million at the domestic box office (over $250 million when adjusted for inflation).
ΓÇó 1957: Both Jingle Bell Rock and Blue Christmas are released this year. The former by Bobby Helms went gold, one of the top 10 holiday digital download sales (2003-2010) and has been covered over 80 times. The latter, a cover by Elvis Priestley, went platinum and would become the highest certified holiday single of all time (RIAA).
ΓÇó 1959: RockinΓÇÖ Around the Christmas Tree is released by Brenda Lee who was 13 at the time. Holding the number 5 spot for holiday digital download sales (2003-2010).60ΓÇÖs
ΓÇó 1963: ItΓÇÖs The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams hits the airwaves and becomes one of the top 30 holiday digital downloads (2003-2010)
ΓÇó 1964: A Holly Jolly Christmas released by Burl Ives, also a top 30 holiday digital download (2003-2010)
ΓÇó 1965: Christmas special A Charlie Brown Christmas debuts on CBS sponsored by Coca-Cola. The special has run every Christmas since. Only Ruldolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer released one year earlier has had a longer continuous run.
ΓÇó 1966: The holiday Kwanzaa is first celebrated. Created by Maulana Karenga as the first specifically African-American holiday it was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage.
ΓÇó 1969: Animated Christmas special Frosty the Snowman debuts, also on CBS. The special has also spurred two sequels, FrostyΓÇÖs Winter Wonderland and Frosty Returns.70ΓÇÖs
ΓÇó 1970: Feliz Navidad is released. It has been recognized by ASCAP as one of the top 25 most played and recorded Christmas songs around the world, holding the #8 spot for digital downloads in the USA (2003-2010).
ΓÇó 1974: Black Christmas is released. The film would go on to help define the slasher movie genre, from Wes CravenΓÇÖs films to the Halloween franchise.
ΓÇó 1975: The Pet Rock is released with a cardboard box and a training manual for care and training. The ΓÇ£Pet Rock FadΓÇ¥ lasted for roughly six months, and over 1.5 million Pet Rocks were sold. 80ΓÇÖs
ΓÇó 1983: A Christmas Story is released; while it didnΓÇÖt receive much box office success, A Christmas Story has become a holiday classic over the years through TV airings, and video sales/rentals. In 2007 AOL raked the film their #1 Christmas movie of all time and IGN raked the film the top holiday-themed movie of all time.
ΓÇó 1989: Saturday Night Live introduces Hanukkah Harry, played by Jon Lotitz, in a sketch titled ΓÇ£The Night Hanukkah Harry Saved ChristmasΓÇ¥. Hanukkah Harry is portrayed on the show as a variation upon the modern-day image of Santa Claus, with a beard characteristic of a male adherent of Haredi Judaism.90ΓÇÖs
ΓÇó 1990: Home Alone is released and becomes the top grossing holiday themed movie of all time bringing in a worldwide gross of $476,684,675. Not too shabby for a production budget of $18,000,000.
ΓÇó 1996: Tickle Me Elmo is released and quickly becomes the top selling toy, causing what was coined as ΓÇ£Elmo-maniaΓÇ¥. Employees and shoppers were injured during stampedes to get the toy and people were reselling the $28.99 toy in classifieds for upwards of $1500.
ΓÇó 1997: ΓÇ£FestivusΓÇ¥ is introduced in an episode of Seinfeld. While it might have been meant simply as a gag for the show, the concept has caught on and is now celebrated by some as a secular holiday on the 23rd of December, serving as an alternative to participating in the pressures and commercialism of the Christmas and holiday season.
ΓÇó 1998: Furby is released and, like Tickle Me Elmo, catapults into top spot for the ΓÇ£must haveΓÇ¥ holiday gift. Resellers were able to make up to ten times what they paid for the toy in stores. 00ΓÇÖs
ΓÇó During the course of this decade the term ΓÇ£ChrismukkahΓÇ¥, a term for those whose families celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah, becomes popularized, in part because of the use of the term on the television show The O.C.
ΓÇó This decade also sees a surge in the number of electronic devices securing the top gift items. Six of ten years witnessed an electronic device as the top gift.
ΓÇó 2000: How the Grinch Stole Christmas is released as a live action film, and becomes one of the top grossing holiday films of all time, earning a worldwide box office gross of $345,141,403.You can view the full version of our Holiday Favorites by the Decade infographic here.