(NEXSTAR) — You’re familiar with Rudolph and Santa, the Elf on the Shelf and all of Whoville, but have you met Parson Brown yet?
If you’ve heard “Winter Wonderland,” whether sung by Bing Crosby or a youth choir, you may recognize the name: “In the meadow, we can build a snowman, then pretend that he is Parson Brown.”
To better understand who Parson Brown is, we have to first address one misconception about “Winter Wonderland.” While you likely hear the song between Thanksgiving and Christmas and then never again during the year, it technically doesn’t have anything to do with Christmas.
Sure, it appears on Christmas music albums. But aside from a mention of ringing sleigh bells in the opening lyrics, there is hardly a nod to Christmas in the song.
Instead, the song, written by Felix Bernard and Richard Bernhard Smith and 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.”
A snowman officiating a wedding, you ask? Not exactly.
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 been on a decline since the 1820s and has gone largely unused since 1980.
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 may be of no use to them.