Continuing on our journey brings us to a Christmas favourite, rooted strongly in my childhood. Such journey includes a stop by Gayla Peevey. The idea of having a hippopotamus in the house is novel, but truth be told, I’d rather have an elephant or giraffe friend, though clearly not in the house as they wouldn’t fit.

A classic and often kitch choice, this song features a very strong and unforgettable bassoon part, clearly the epic strong and obscure sound of the lower double reed family. Long live the bassoon, as well as long live the hippo, which strangely, or perhaps not so strangely, makes a frequent appearance in my social media feeds. Whether it be to eat a watermelon or generally just swimming around, a smile is always brought to your face when the little ears of the hippo shake!

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
I don’t want a doll, no dinky Tinkertoy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
I don’t think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won’t have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door
That’s the easy thing to do

I can see me now on Christmas morning
Creeping down the stairs
Oh, what joy and what surprise
When I open up my eyes
To see my hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles, or rhinoceroseses
I only like hippopotamuseses
And hippopotamuses like me too

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
A hippopotamus is all I want
Mom says the hippo would eat me up
But then teacher says a hippo is a vegetarian

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
The kind I saw this summer at the zoo
There’s lots of room for him in our two car garage
I’d feed him there and wash him there
And give him his massage

I can see me now on Christmas morning
Creeping down the stairs
Oh, what joy and what surprise
When I open up my eyes
To see my hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles, or rhinoceroseses
I only like hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me too