Christmas Flowers

Annotation

The song "The Christmas Letter" (Hartco Records # TH-002), narrated by Little Teresa Ann, also 6 years of age, like the famous Becky Lamb, dealt with the Vietnam War. The label, based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, released song-poems - song lyrics that have been set to music for a fee.1 Sam Mattie wrote the lyrics. The girl told the listener that her father fought in Vietnam: "daddy left us a year ago to fight in Vietnam...dodging bullets and grenades". While the other kids wrote to Santa Clause asking for toys, Teresa Ann only wanted "daddy by my side". So this provided another representation of how the war impacted on the children and families of soldiers away from home. And once again, it displayed the exploitation of a child for commercial advantage. Produced by Ted Hart, presumably the owner of the record label.Sources1Song Poem Music↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: All I want for Christmas is daddy home with me... / Dear Santa, while all the other kids are writing letters to you for all their Christmas toys / I decided to write a letter to you too... / Daddy left us a year ago to fight in Vietnam / And he's been dodging bullets and grenades and many other kind of bombs / And as I sit here crying with tears in my eyes all I want for Christmas is daddy by my side Santa / I am only six years old / And daddy's 24, but I'd give up all the toys in this world if he'd walk through our door / I know I am sort of selfish and jealous... / But Santa clause, I love my dad, and I'll love him to the end.... / I want to thank god for keeping him safe and sound and for maybe he'll be home next year when Christmas comes around... / I want you to know that I am happy in just a little childish way / For even if daddy is not with us like other dads I see, I know his love is with us

Notes

Hartco Records, 307 N. Blvd., Baton Rouge, La., yellow label with heart logo; Hartco Pub., BMI; prod. by Ted Hart; "Christmas Flowers" (Sam Mattie), Ted Hart, 2:58 (TH-001, 236-1984); flip "The Christmas Letter" (Sam Mattie), Little Teresa Ann, 3:04 (TH-002, 236-1985). [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Ted Hart (Ted W. Hart; died 28 February 2004, aged 64) was a US producer, musician, songwriter and label owner who ran Hartco Records in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area. "Christmas Flowers" is his side of the December 1966 Hartco split single (TH-001/TH-002), the flip being Little Teresa Ann's "The Christmas Letter"; mastered at Nashville Matrix, lacquer by Cosimo Matassa. Not to be confused with Rod Hart. [Source: Discogs]

Themes

Song Poem · Christmas · Soldier's Perspective · Combat · VC

In collections

US Domestic Perspective Songs [War Years] · Children on Record · Christmas Songs · Song Poems