Is it "Dominick the Christmas Donkey"? The Chipmunks' "Christmas Don't Be Late"?
No. For me, the song that's become the yuletide equivalent of a dentist's drill is "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" sung by Gayla Peevey. Even her name sounds annoying (I'm sorry, Gayla, if you happen to read this.) This spoiled brat wants Santa to bring her not a dollhouse or a pony--but a hippo, apparently unaware that hippos can charge after humans and snap their body in two (someone get Gayla a hippo pronto!)
Gayla was ten years old when this novelty became a hit in 1953, and she even performed it on The Ed Sullivan Show. Her voice is a little easier to take when she's singing on a variety show set. And guess what? Gayla got her wish. An Oklahoma radio station launched a campaign to raise money to give her a hippopotamus for Christmas. She was presented with a hippo, named Matilda, which she donated to the local zoo.
When Gayla was a little older, she performed under the name Jamie Horton and had a minor hit with "My Little Marine" in 1960.
What holiday song bugs you the most?
