you'll take the lead ♪ ♪ jingle bells, jingle bells ♪ ♪ jingle all the way ♪ ♪ oh, what fun it is to ride ♪ ♪ in a one-horse open sleigh, hey!

James L. Pierpont (1822-1893), composer of “Jingle Bells,” served as music director of this church in the 1850s when it was a Unitarian Church located on Oglethorpe Square.

The “Jingle Bells” origin story is a vague and much-contended one. The tale definitely begins with composer James Pierpont in the mid-19th century. From there, the details get a little frosty.

The holiday classic "Jingle Bells" may have you dashing through the snow and longing for a ride on a horse-drawn sleigh, but the 19th-century song was never intended to celebrate the Christmas season.