Friday, December 5: “Silver and Gold” – Burl Ives
If you’re anything like me, your only interaction with this song is from the eternally classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer film from 1964. In the movie, “Silver and Gold” is sung by the narrator of the film, Sam the Snowman, as a sort of commentary on the ridiculous antics of Yukon Cornelius, who is obsessed with finding—you guessed it—silver and gold.
The song itself isn’t about the Biblical Christmas story, even though the lyrics almost get there. Sam the Snowman’s conclusion is that silver and gold is only worth “the pleasure it gives here on Earth,” and that it “Means so much more when I see / Silver and gold decorations on every Christmas tree.”
The phrase “silver and gold” often gets wrapped into our Christmas celebrations. Even in this advent resource, you’ll see the shepherd boy in “Do You Hear What I Hear?” suggest that they bring Jesus silver and gold, and Sufjan Stevens’ album which features the song “Justice Delivers Its Gift” is off of the album Silver & Gold.
And, of course, there’s our song by Burl Ives, embodied by a friendly snowman trying to teach lessons to a deranged miner.
Although we use this phrase a lot around Christmas, it’s not actually from the Christmas story. In the book of Acts, the apostles Peter and John meet a beggar, unable to walk, who asks them for alms. Peter looks at him and tells him “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” While we can’t say with 100% historical certainty that this is where we get the phrase “silver and gold,” it seems very likely.
So while Sam the Snowman’s conclusion that silver and gold is worth “the pleasure it gives here on Earth” might feel a little hedonistic, in some ways, it does align with Peter’s words to the lame beggar. Peter correctly identified that silver and gold might have worth on earth, but what the man truly needed was healing and Jesus.
It’s no secret that Christmas is heavily commercialized. The pull of the proverbial silver and gold is strong. Perhaps the lyrics of this song were meant as an encouragement not to hoard riches, but to be generous with others. But no matter how many Christmas trees we might get to see silver and gold on, every physical gift we might receive pales in comparison to the gift of Jesus.
Conversation Starter:
“What’s your favorite “classic” Christmas cartoon or movie?”
Thanks for listening to Day 6 of Advent: For the Record! All of our resources are funded by donors like you. We’d love for you to consider becoming a part of our community of givers. Check us out at Axis.org!