Jingle Bells Was Originally A Thanksgiving Song.
James Lord Pierpont, an organist from Savannah, Georgia, first performed a song he wrote, "The One Horse Open Sleigh" at his church's Thanksgiving concert. The song was re-published in 1857 and given the title of today.
Bonus Fact: It's also the first song broadcast from space. On December 16, 1965, the Gemini 6 crew serenaded Mission Control after they reported seeing a "red-suited" astronaut.