(NEXSTAR) — You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, you know Santa and St. Nicholas and Frosty, but do you recall the snowiest man of all, Parson Brown?
If you listen to holiday music, you’ve heard Parson Brown mentioned in the classic song, “Winter Wonderland”: “In the meadow, we can build a snowman, then pretend that he is Parson Brown.”
It’s been 90 years since Felix Bernard and Richard Bernhard Smith wrote “Winter Wonderland” — which, despite the time of year it is played, never mentions Christmas — and yet the identity of Parson Brown is seemingly unknown.
Well, not technically.
As we mentioned, there is no mention of Christmas at all in “Winter Wonderland.” There are some similarities between other Christmastime classics, like the mentions of sleigh bells ringing and glistening snow.
Instead, the song, originally sung by Richard Himber, is more about a wintertime romance.
“...Romance is nigh as lovers explore an open landscape filled with snow, new birds, and sleigh bells,” Ronald D. Lankford wrote in his 2013 book, “Sleigh Rides, Jingle Bells, and Silent Nights: A Cultural History of American Christmas Songs.” He goes on to explain that the couple in the song are seemingly unmarried but dreaming of their future.
The lyrics after our introduction to Parson Brown shine even more light on who he is: “He’ll say: Are you married? We’ll say: No man, but you can do the job when you’re in town.”
Parson is another word for a clergyman, especially a Protestant pastor and occasionally one who may travel from town to town, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The word has gone largely unused since around 1980 but has been on a decline since the 1820s.
Since the young couple appears to be intent on marrying, it would make sense for them to seek out Parson — or Pastor — Brown, though a snowman version of him may be of no use to them.
