Perspectives: Sam’s Perspective – The Song

Hello, I’m Sam Jones.

Well, we made it through Thanksgiving,… at least some of us did: “Gobble, Gobble, Gobble.”

Of course, Tom and his closest friends can enjoy a little more time eating, strutting around with no worries till next year. Now,… here comes Christmas. Much as they don’t want to, some of the Tulsa radio stations are starting to play Christmas music. Folks are gearing up for this guy,… with his white beard and the red suit. Lots of colored lights and light displays are starting to pop up, all over town.

Some of the decorations are really creative. You’re probably wondering why, in the middle of all the Christmas lights, was there a full grown hippopotamus. Ah, part of the real meaning of Christmas, no doubt. No, actually there is an Oklahoma connection between a hippopotamus and Christmas. And it starts with a songwriter named John Rox. His gift to us came way back in 1953, in the form of a10-year-old girl singing this song on the Ed Sullivan Show:

Her name is Gayla Peevy Henderson and,… she’s from Ponca City, Oklahoma. She was 10-years-old when she sang this song, as Gayla Peevy on network television, and it went to Billboard’s hot list and did pretty well. If you’re old enough you might remember the flip side,… title: “Are My Ears On Straight”. The Oklahoma City Zoo used the song to raise money to buy a Hippo and gave it to Gayla. She met it at the airport and gave it to the Zoo and they named it Matilda. Just thought you’d like to know Oklahoma has a real Christmas connection,…. so would it be inappropriate if I were to add a Hippopotamus to my Christmas decorations?

What would the neighbors think.

And that’s my perspective.