It’s the time of year for singing Christmas carols but most people don’t know the true stories behind the holiday’s most enduring songs. For example, “Jingle Bells” was actually first sung at Thanksgiving and had nothing to do with Christmas. We’ll look at the fascinating stories behind many of our most beloved Christmas songs, both traditional and secular, and the people who wrote them.

Cary Ginell is a Grammy-nominated writer and author of 12 books on American music. After a 30-year career in radio, he has spent the last 20 years as a public speaker, talking about music in classrooms, at conferences, and on cruise ships. Cary brings a lifelong passion for the recording industry to his work and is one of the world’s foremost authorities on his specialty, western swing. Cary previously served as President of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, an international organization of music scholars and world-renowned institutions. He holds a master’s degree in Folklore from UCLA and a bachelor’s in Radio/TV/Film from Cal State University Northridge.

Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.