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The Monkees' 1967 acapella Christmas song shows they were incredible singers not just funny

The Monkees have a complicated place in the history of rock music.

via The Monkees/YouTube

The Monkees singing "Riu Chiu."

The Monkees have a complicated place in the history of rock music. On the one hand, they scored some of the biggest hits of the ‘60s with “I’m a Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” and “Daydream Believer.” On the other, they were a band manufactured in 1967 for a TV show that did little more than sing on their earlier records.

All that changed in 1967 when they wrestled control over their musical careers from the executives who kept them out of the studio and began recording their music with the “Headquarters” album. But even though they proved to be talented musicians, The Monkees were still branded as a prefabricated band whose success was owed more to session musicians and top-tier songwriters.

Anyone who doubts the talent of Mickey Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones and Peter Tork, look no further than a performance on The Monkees’ 1967 “Christmas Show” episode. Like every episode of The Monkees' TV show, this one featured a musical number. But this time, instead of a rock tune with a pre-MTV video of the band monkeying around, this featured the band singing an acapella version of “Riu Chiu,” a Spanish villancico that has attained some contemporary fame as a Christmas carol. The song is attributed to Mateo Flecha the Elder, who died in 1553.

The performance highlights the band’s unique vocal abilities that stem from different musical traditions. Before The Monkees, Dolenz was a rock singer, Nesmith was a country singer-songwriter from Texas, Tork was a folk musician and Jones was an English theatrical performer best known for his performance as the Artful Dodger in “Oliver!” But in this performance, their vocals blend perfectly.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The “Christmas Show” episode was memorable for the band’s outstanding vocal performance but also stands as one of the more memorable Christmas specials in TV history. Coming on the heels of the “Summer of Love,” the story is about The Monkees babysitting Melvin Vandersnoot, the hard-hearted child of an affluent family. After numerous attempts to get him into the Christmas spirit, the Monkees warm up his icy heart after showing him love, something all the money in the world can’t buy.

Vandersnoot, was played with incredible maturity by Butch Patrick, best known as Eddie on “The Munsters.”

- YouTube www.youtube.com

The Monkees' television show would be canceled in 1968 and the band’s original run wouldn’t last much longer. But all four band members would remain in the music business. The Monkees would reunite in the late ‘80s after the show became popular in reruns and would continue to tour over the next four decades, although most of the time, it was without Nesmith. Nesmith would pursue a country career in the ‘70s, and even though his work received a lukewarm reception at the time, his innovative mixture of country music, humor and psychedelia has made him a pioneer in the alt-country genre. Nesmith died in 2021, shortly after touring with Dolenz.

Outside his work as the mainstay in Monkee reunions, Dolenz has starred in numerous theatrical productions and recently released an EP of R.E.M covers. He still tours as a solo act.

Davy Jones went on to perform in Monkee reunions and guest star on several TV shows, most notably on an episode of “The Brady Bunch,” where he was the target of Marcia Brady’s affection. He passed away in 2012.

Peter Tork was a mainstay of The Monkees’ live performances through numerous reunions and played in a band called Shoe Suede Blues. Tork died in 2019 after a long battle with cancer.

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Joy

7th graders are asked what 30-year-olds want for Christmas and their answers are hysterical

Who doesn't love soup?

@7thgradechronicles/TikTok

According to 7th graders, 30-year-olds want soup for Christmas.

Seventh grade teacher Mr. Frakes routinely asks his students to give their observations on various aspects of adulthood to post on his TikTok.—everything from “things parents love to say” to reactions to old school songs to guessing the “worst parts about adulting." The answers are always hilarious…if not a little brutal to us olds. His Christmas edition is no different. Mr. Frakes asked his students “what do you buy someone in their 30s for the holidays?” And the adults who saw the video can’t help but commend the accuracy.

The list is as follows, verbatim.

“Measuring cups…bwahaha.”“

"Signs that say ‘Bless The Home.’”

“A Dyson vacuum.”

“A bottle of wine and hip implants.”

“Panera bread gift card. People in their 30s love soup!”

“Bingo cards.”

“You give them Bath & Body Works stuff. That’s what my mom wants!”

“Expensive meats.”

“Hard Candies.”

“Candy Crush Premium.”

“You get them old people candles that smell like ‘home’ or ‘back then.’”

“T.J. Maxx gift card.”

“The wrinkle creams.”

“Heated blanket cause their muscles be hurtin.”

“A coffee mug that says ‘don’t talk to me til I’ve had my coffee’ because they’re all coffee obsessed millennials.”

“A lawyer for the divorce attorney. (fight for the kids).”

@7thgradechronicles Its me. I’m 30s. 😂🫣😬#teachersoftiktok #teacher #teacherlife #teachertok #middleschool #middleschoolteacher #middleschoolteacher #middleschoollife #dyson #panerabread #tjmaxx ♬ Holly Jolly Christmas - Michael Bublé

Obviously, adults who saw this joked about feeling personally attacked. But also seen.

Case and point: one person wrote, “Okay the ‘they’re all coffee obsessed millennials’ was personal” as another admitted, “I watched this while drinking coffee out of my ‘dont’ talk to me til I’ve had my coffee’ mug.”

Meanwhile, another added, “ But are they wrong? Because I honestly love soup and candles. I’m 36.”

Echoing that sentiment, someone commented, “not me thinking all those gifts sound amazing.”

And of course, everyone was eyeing that Dyson vacuum.

Growing older might mean muscles that “be hurtin’” and some judgement from the younger generation, but it clearly also comes with a deep felt appreciation for the simple, practical things in life, as indicated by this list. Nothing wrong with that.

(After all, the young ones might balk now, but it won’t be long til they become coffee obsessed as well.)

May we all get a bit of holiday joy this year, in whatever form we can.


This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Dad uses slick video editing to create indisputable Santa proof for his 8-year-old

"He insisted on setting up a camera... BUT HE DIDN’T COUNT ON DADDY’S FILM DEGREE."

Kris Tapley/X & Tim Mossholder/Unsplash

There is no exact age where kids stop believing in Santa Claus. But some research suggests that it's most common for skepticism to creep in somewhere around age 8. That's just 8 very short years of putting out milk and cookies, leaving carrots for the reindeer, and writing letters to the Big Man. Santa is such a big part of what makes Christmas magical for kids.

Once that illusion is gone, you're only a stone's throw away from everyone just giving each other sweaters and gift cards. So all the parents I know are fighting tooth and nail to keep that magic alive as their children grow older, even if it's just for one more year.

Dad Kris Tapley found he had a skeptic on his hands: His 8-year-old son. This year, he went to extraordinary lengths to keep Christmas alive.

Tapley's son is 8, but has been a Santa skeptic for at least a few years. Though he hasn't quite put all the pieces together yet, he's been spotting inconsistencies and plot holes for a while now. “Reindeer can’t fly! Someone can’t go all over the world in one night! Stop lying, Daddy," Tapley says, quoting his son.

Tapley posted on X and said this about the challenge facing him this year: "My kid has been denying Santa Claus for a few years now but I just haven’t had the heart to give in. He probably thinks I’m insane by this point. Anyway, to shut me up, he insisted on setting up a camera last night."

In the embedded video, we see a crystal clear feed of the Tapleys' Christmas Eve milk and cookies set up. You can even see the Christmas tree, some stockings, and a door into the room. They've got the whole area covered. Nowhere for Santa to hide. If he exists, they're guaranteed to bust him! And if he doesn't show, Tapley's son will have his answer.

But, Tapley added, "HE DIDN'T COUNT ON DADDY'S FILM DEGREE."

As the footage rolls, the door to the room cracks open slowly. A figure begins walking through. But then, the screen goes haywire — static! When the video feed returns, the door to the room is closing, a hand pulling it shut just visible. And now the room is filled with presents. The milk is gone. The cookies have been snacked on.

There was proof alright. Proof that Santa was real, and that his magic would prevent him from ever truly being caught.

"I think he bought it," Tapley says.

He showed his son the footage on Christmas morning and it seemed to have the intended effect. But for how long is another question.

"He’s already poking some holes in my story. 'Why doesn’t it cause a glitch when he’s on camera in other things?' That kind of thing."

Tapley's video went viral on X, racking up over a million views. Commenters loved the commitment to the bit, and the excellent display of dadding.

"As a kid, this would have me convinced until I'm 36," wrote one user.

"Well done! Keep the magic going," said another.

"He'll love you for doing [this] when he gets older," said another.

"A+ parenting!" said another, sharing their own story: "When I started having doubts about Santa, my mom typed a letter from Santa to me, printed it on fancy paper, stamped a signature and some decorations on it and left it in my stocking. I believed in Santa for a few more years, and still have the letter somewhere."

Of course, as the video spread even farther and wider than before, some Grinchy people chimed in with critiques: Of the deception and, weirdly enough, of the quality of the video edit. See what happens to people who lose sight of the fun and magic of make-believe at Christmas?

santa claus sitting with white lights Photo by Srikanta H. U on Unsplash

It's really a tremendously sad day for parents when their kids no longer believe. Playing Santa and keeping the illusion going is fun for us and helps keep us young. Christmas will always be about spending time with the people you love, but let's face it, it loses a little something when the element of magical make-believe goes away.

Tapley knows he doesn't have much time left with his son, when it comes to Elves and the North Pole and Naughty or Nice lists. The trick video might have worked, or his son might just be playing along, but either way, he'll take it.

"I figure I bought myself another year of maintaining some of the magic."

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Grandparents gift their adult children the toys they couldn't afford when they were kids

"I think it healed something in my grandpa, too.”

Photo credit: Canva

Kids are always kids in their parents' eyes.

Parenting can be more than an 18-year-long duty. For many families, it is a combination of a lifelong job and a lifelong relationship. A TikTok video making the rounds is getting folks into the holiday spirit with a message about parenting past the childhood stage.

The video shows grandparents giving childhood toys not to their grandchildren but to their now-adult children. These parents couldn’t afford to get their children toys for Christmas when they were young, but can now give them what they wanted decades ago.

@jessicaca1400

My grandparents gifted my aunts/uncles toys for the first time ever to heal their inner child but in the end i think it healed something in my grandpa too 🥺 #christmas #healinginnerchild

“My grandparents gifted my aunts/uncles toys for the first time ever to heal their inner child,” posted jessicaca1400 on TikTok. “But in the end, I think it healed something in my grandpa, too.”

Commenters on Reddit’s r/MadeMeSmile were also struck by this act of love:

“What's making me cry is knowing that while he was shopping, he had pictures of his little kids in his head––not the adult ones.”

“I love that none of the aunts/uncles looked like they were crying but rather super excited like any other kid on Christmas morning 🥹”

“I think such gifts will be kept as a memory of a good evening.”

One commenter translated the video from Spanish, “At the opening of the doll with curly hair: ‘She’s curly!’ ‘Look, she looks like you, Connie!’ 🥹”

This video has people moved and emotional for a reason. It’s not because of the gifts themselves but the love behind them. The reminder that parents don’t automatically stop being parents once their children have grown and have children of their own.

Being a parent is difficult in general, and even more difficult when you’re experiencing economic hardship. According to a 2022 study by the Brookings Institute economic think-tank, raising a child to adulthood costs the average middle-income parent $310,605. It can be incredibly frustrating to convey the love and desire to tangibly give more to your children when it just isn’t possible due to your budget. Lacking the funds to buy gifts breaks the hearts of the parents who would give their child the world if they could and disappoints the child who doesn't fully understand how the world around them functions.

But, as this video shows, it’s never too late to showcase that love when the opportunity arises.

i.giphy.com

While adult children may not need the type of love, support, gifts, and care that were necessary during their upbringing, gestures like the one demonstrated in this video can help further nurture and strengthen familial bonds. Buying a toy that your young child asks for is a way to make them happy and feel heard. Fulfilling a childhood desire for your adult child is a way to say, “You were heard and I’m still with you.” It’s a time capsule, both making your child feel loved now and retroactively when they were small in your arms. Your adult child might not actually need you, but they get to have you.

We’ve mentioned previously how wonderful and helpful these post-childhood parent bonds can be for everyone involved. Per CNBC, the biggest regret 90-year-olds had was not cultivating closer relationships with their children. Such gestures can help bolster or renew relationships and prevent future regret when looking back on your life in your golden years.

This type of adult parenting doesn’t have to be tied to gifts, nostalgia, or even money at all. If your adult child is still new to the working world, they could want your help coaching for a job interview, just like they needed your help when they were on the debate team. They could use a home cooked meal from you after a tough day at their job, much like they needed it after a tough day at school. It could be as simple as a “text me when you get back so I know you’re home safe” when they leave on a vacation or a work trip. Everyone wants to feel supported and loved whether they are four, fourteen or forty, and providing that support can also set them up for success for when they become parents and grandparents, too.

This video is an example of how enriching it can be to a parent throughout life, how such relationships can showcase love to generations, and how it’s never too late to get your kiddo that toy they always wanted.

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