1818
“Silent Night” was performed for the first time, at the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorff, Austria.
Tupelo, Mississippi
1935-1948
1935-1940
306 Old Satillo Road, Elvis’ birthplace, is now 306 Elvis Presley Drive.
1937
Vernon in prison
1938
Vernon in prison
1940-41
Reese Street, where the Presleys stayed with Vester and Clettes Presley and their daughter Patsy,
1942
Kelly Street, a rented, small apartment.
December 24, 1945
Berry Street – “Doll” Smith lived here with the Presleys and then Minnie Mae Presley moved in.
1946
Commerce Street, a rental
510 1/2 Maple Street, South Tupelo -the Presleys lived with Glady’s cousin Frank Richards and his wife, Leona.
December 25, 1947
Elvis gets his first bicycle
Mulbery Alley
1010 North Green Street, in the Shakerag section of Tupelo..
1948
The Ravens’ incredible version of “White Christmas” entered the R&B hit registry, reaching #9. It was the standard by which all future R&B versions would be judged, even the legendary Drifters’ version, which was almost a note-for-note copy. The 78’s B-side, a haunting version of “Silent Night,” reached #8.
“The Christmas Song,” one of the season’s most enduring standards, charted, reaching #8, R&B. Though it has long since been credited to Nat King Cole, the original recording was attributed to the King Cole Trio.
Memphis, Tennessee
1948- 1977
Sept. 12, 1948-Sept. 20, 1949
572 Poplar Avenue
Sept 2o 1949 to January 7, 1950
185 Winchester Street, a two- bedroom apartment (number 328)
January 7, 1950 to April 1953
398 Cypress Street
September 21, 1953 to March 19, 1954
Elvis worked at Precision Tool company, operating a drill press for $1.55 an hour.
The Sun Records Rockabilly Era
December 25, 1954
Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’ entered the Billboard Pop chart for the eleventh time. Bing’s rendition has sold over 100 million copies around the world, with at least 50 million sales as singles. It was the largest selling single in music history until it was surpassed by Elton John’s ‘Candle in the Wind 1997’.
Elvis spent Christmas with his parents in the family’s Memphis apartment at 462 Alabama Street.
1955
Again Elvis was home on Christmas Day. The family had moved to a house at 1414 Getwell in Memphis. A month earlier he had signed on with RCA Victor, and his 21st birthday was just two weeks away.
The RCA Victor Atomic Powered Singer
1956
Elvis celebrated Christmas in the Audubon Drive House.
, 1957
For their first Christmas as a married couple, Jerry Lee Lewis gives his thirteen-year-old wife Myra a red Cadillac convertible with a white leather interior. Although she routinely drove it around Coro Lake, Tennessee, she wouldn’t be of age to get her driver’s license for another three years.
Elvis spent Christmas at Graceland with his parents and Anita Wood. The first and only Christmas for Gladys at Graceland and the draft notice cast a pall over the day.
Gladys wanted Elvis to marry and start with the grandchildren, give up fame and buy a business.
Anita Wood was a Memphis celebrity and recorded on the Sun Records label.
Elvis Presley donated thousands of teddy bears to the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.
The Military Service Disruption
1958
Alan Freeds Christmas rock n’ roll spectacular in New York took place with Johnnie Ray, the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Jackie Wilson, Frankie Avalon, Bo Diddley, Ritchie Valens, Eddie Cochran, Jimmy Clanton, the Crests, Dion & the Belmonts, theMoonglows, the Royal Teens, and Baby Washington.
The First Christmas without Gladys: The whole family celebrated Christmas at the Hotel Grunewald with a very special meal and gifts.
Elvis received an electric guitar from Vernon. There was also a card from the Colonel, dressed like Santa.
1959
Richard Starkey, 18, who later would be known as Ringo Starr, received a drum set for Christmas.
In Germany Elvis threw a Christmas party at the Goethestrasse for family and friends.
Priscilla was there too and she gave some bongo drums to Elvis for his Christmas.
https://www.elvispresleymusic.com.au/pi ... go%20drums.
Elvis arranged to have a French poodle delivered to Anita Wood for Christmas.
The Hollywood Decade/The Elvis Establishment
1960
Elvis Presley’s “Are You Lonesome To-night?” was #1 for a fifth week.
Elvis celebrated Christmas at Graceland.
The photo on Colonel Parker’s Christmas card that year featured Elvis sitting on Colonel Santa’s lap. It was taken in November on the set of Wild in the Country.
, 1961
Elvis spent the holidays with friends at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas. It was the last Christmas of his life that he would spend away from Graceland.
1962
Elvis and Priscilla gave a private party for 30 friends. Elvis gave a toy poodle to Priscilla and she gave a wooden cigarette box, playing Surrender, to Elvis.
1963
Elvis spent Christmas with Priscilla at Graceland.
1964
Beach Boys Concert by the Beach Boys was #1 on the Album chart for the fourth consecutive week. Elvis Presley was lined up at #2 with the Soundtrack to “Roustabout” while 12 x 5 from the Rolling Stones came in third. People by Barbra Streisand was #4 while the Supremes moved up with Where Did Our Love Go and the “Mary Poppins” Soundtrack was #6. The rest of the Top 10: The Beatles moved back up to 7 after 24 weeks with the Soundtrack to “A Hard Day’s Night”, The Beatles’ Story moved from 20-8 after three weeks, Dean Martin held on with The Door Is Still Open to My Heart and the Soundtrack to “My Fair Lady” dropped to #10.
At Christmas Elvis received a special gift from all the “boys”. At Marty Lacker’s behest they had bought a special Bible with a “tree of life” on the front page. On each branch of the tree was a name of one of the guys and at the bottom there was Elvis’ favorite quotation: “and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”, written in English. Hebrew and Latin. Elvis noticed that Larry’s name was missing and he did not want to accept the gift until this was corrected. During this same period Elvis started to wear a Jewish “chai” around his neck.
1965
The Elvis Presley single “Puppet On A String” hit #14 in the U.S.
Elvis received a statue of Jesus, which the entourage had bought for $500 from a local artist. (it is still in the Meditation Garden) Priscilla gave Elvis a home slot-car racing set, purchased at the Robert E. Lee Raceway, where they had been spending much time since they returned to Memphis. Elvis liked it very much.
1966
Elvis spent Christmas at Graceland with Priscilla and his family. Christmas dinner was catered by Monte’s Catering Service as always.
1967
Christmas at Graceland. By the end of the year the remaining horses were brought back to Graceland, where Elvis and everybody else continued to ride in the fields behind.
1968
Elvis and Priscilla spent Christmas at Graceland. It was Lisa Marie’s first, and Grandpa Vernon dressed up as Santa.
1969
Christmas was spent at Graceland again. Elvis gave Priscilla a black fox coat, while she gave him a velvet suit and shirts and slacks, designed for his personal use by Bill Belew.
Vernon plays Santa again at the Graceland Christmas party.
The Vegas Artist in Residence and Tour Decade
1970
Elvis spent Christmas quietly at home at Graceland with Priscilla and Lisa Marie. They went to see Little Fauss and Big Halsy, at the Memphian.
1971
Christmas was spent at Graceland. When it was time to hand out the presents Elvis joked around, distributing MacDonald’s gift certificates, before revealing his real presents. Although everything seemed normal, many of the guys recollected that Priscilla and Elvis appeared distant over the Christmas holidays.
1972
Elvis presented to Linda Thompson a mink coat that he had purchased from King Furs in Memphis.
Tupelo friend Janelle McComb, Elvis and Linda Thompson.
1973
Christmas was spent at Graceland. Elvis gives a mink coat and fox coat (with matching purse) to Linda Thompson at today’s Graceland Christmas festivities.
1974
Elvis spent Christmas at Graceland. He had Voice flying in and out during this holiday season.
1975
In the evening Elvis took everyone up in the Lisa Marie and gave out jewelry that he had personally selected for each individual from Lowell Hays’ collection.
At the end of the evening Elvis’ aunt Delta got drunk and cursed out his friends.
1976
The final Christmas season of Elvis’s life was a hectic one: returning to Memphis on December 13, after a bizarre Las Vegas engagement, then just two days after Christmas, he would appeared at Wichita State University to start a new tour.
Six-and-a-half months later, Elvis died at Graceland on the eve of a tour post bodyguard book.
The Wake and Aftermath
1979
Actress Joan Blondell died of leukemia at 73. (Here Come the Brides, Grease, Topper Returns, The Public Enemy, Gold Diggers of 1933, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, Desk Set, The Champ, Support Your Local Gunfighter, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, This Could Be the Night, Stay Away Joe, Three on a Match)
1995
Dean Martin, who recorded such standards as “Memories Are Made of This” (#1 in 1955), “Return To Me” (#4 in 1958) and “Everybody Loves Somebody” (#1 in 1964), died of acute respiratory failure on Christmas morning at the age of 78. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer two years earlier. During his career, Dean recorded over 100 albums and placed 17 songs on the Billboard Top 40 between 1955 and 1967. He also starred in a popular TV variety show that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes.
2016
https://www.nydailynews.com/2016/12/24/ ... ains-cold/
https://tasteofcountry.com/elvis-presle ... lay-cover/
https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op ... 1612250011
2017
https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/ ... for-a-king
see also
Reviewing Elvis Presley’s 23 Christmases from 1954-1976
http://www.elvis-history-blog.com/elvis-christmas.html