{"id":11195,"date":"2025-12-18T07:38:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T12:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/?p=11195"},"modified":"2025-12-16T15:40:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T20:40:29","slug":"christmas-time-in-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2025\/12\/18\/christmas-time-in-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas time in Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"850\" height=\"479\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gCHQ3kVQSm8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The song &#8220;Christmas in Florida,&#8221; written by John A. McGee and performed by Hack Swain with vocals by Lon Saxon and the Sun Maids can be found hidden <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/embed\/78_christmas-in-florida_john-a.-mcgee-hack-swain-and-his-music-lon-saxon-and-the-sun-m_gbia0000290a\">on the internet <\/a>if you know all the names and faces to search.  The song was included on <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discogs.com\/release\/21098815-Hack-Swain-And-His-Music-Florida-Calling\">Florida Calling,<\/a><\/em> an album release by the 1950s Sunshine Records label from Sarasota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of the songs on the album were copyright registered by song writer John McGee in 1952 and 1953.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Florida Calling.  Vocals \u2013 Jackie Van, The Sandpipers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Christmas In Florida. Vocals \u2013 Lon Saxon, The Sun Maids<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Havin&#8217; Fun In Sarasota.  Vocals \u2013 Billy Leach, Shirley Scott<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Summer Days. Vocals \u2013 Shirley Scott, The Sandpipers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Magic Of Miami. Vocals \u2013 Lon Saxon, The Sun Maids<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Orange Blossom Honey. Vocals \u2013 Kyle Kimbrough<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Miami Beach. Vocals \u2013 Gloria Hart<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find Your Place In The Sun. Vocals \u2013 Shirley Scott, The Sandpipers <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"299\" height=\"600\" data-attachment-id=\"11202\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2025\/12\/18\/christmas-time-in-florida\/hack_swain_enterprises\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hack_swain_enterprises-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1274,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"hack_swain_enterprises\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hack_swain_enterprises-199x400.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hack_swain_enterprises-299x600.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hack_swain_enterprises-299x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11202\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.4983348738447175;width:322px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hack_swain_enterprises-299x600.jpg 299w, https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hack_swain_enterprises-199x400.jpg 199w, https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hack_swain_enterprises-75x150.jpg 75w, https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hack_swain_enterprises-768x1543.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hack_swain_enterprises-764x1536.jpg 764w, https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hack_swain_enterprises-1019x2048.jpg 1019w, https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hack_swain_enterprises-72x144.jpg 72w, https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hack_swain_enterprises-scaled.jpg 1274w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sun, Nov 15, 1953 \u00b7Page 62<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>While I was digging around in the <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu\/cce\/\">copyright registration catalogs<\/a> I saw that John McGee also wrote Summer in Florida, Kingdom of the Sun, These Sands of Sarasota in 1952, and probably many many more in other years.  After all, <em>The Ledger<\/em> reported he had written thousands of songs by 1960 and was producing shows for over 30 years (&#8220;Centennial Group Votes Musical Pageant Funds, 1960). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course it still feels strange to me that someone so prolific, also known for writing credits on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0135177\/?ref_=nmbio_mbio\">Caldonia <\/a>(1945), should be lost to the internet.  Yet, I know it is just the way of the digital world to look only forward. John A. McGee was a graduate of Grinnell College, the same college as Gary Cooper, and served as a professor of dramatics at Purdue University (&#8220;John A. McGee Speaks Today to Ivy League,&#8221; 1962) for a time before moving to the Sarasota area and undertaking a number of different creative endeavors. He and Hack Swain ran a production company in Sarasota around the same time they were recording (running?) the Sunshine Records label.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Someone somewhere might have sheet music that he composed.  For now, there are a few songs saved by the <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/search?query=creator%3A%22John+A.+McGee%22\">Internet Archive<\/a>, and, as above, on YouTube if you know how to search for it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;John A. McGee.&#8221; (1984). <em>The Naples Daily News.<\/em> May 16, 1984. p. 26. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Centennial Group Votes Musical Pageant Funds.&#8221; (1960). <em>The Ledger.<\/em> Nov 10, 1960. p. 20.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;John A. McGee Speaks Today to Ivy League.&#8221; (1962). <em>Sarasota Herald-Tribune.<\/em> Apr 3, 1962. p22<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Robertson, Nick. (1961). &#8220;How about McGee&#8217;s Song.&#8221; <em>Sarasota Herald-Tribune.<\/em> Oct 13, 1961. p. 13<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sun, Nov 15, 1953 \u00b7Page 62<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The song &#8220;Christmas in Florida,&#8221; written by John A. McGee and performed by Hack Swain with vocals by Lon Saxon and the Sun Maids can be found hidden on the internet if you know all the names and faces to search. The song was included on Florida Calling, an album release by the 1950s Sunshine&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2025\/12\/18\/christmas-time-in-florida\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Christmas time in Florida<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[257,227,123],"class_list":["post-11195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-christmas","tag-florida","tag-research"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8126,"url":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2018\/12\/18\/happy-christmas-from-florida\/","url_meta":{"origin":11195,"position":0},"title":"Happy Christmas from Florida","author":"leems","date":"December 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/D32-1460-d80f3fbf-47ae-42e2-9ae6-9a5e68b81981-600x372.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/D32-1460-d80f3fbf-47ae-42e2-9ae6-9a5e68b81981-600x372.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/D32-1460-d80f3fbf-47ae-42e2-9ae6-9a5e68b81981-600x372.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8804,"url":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2019\/12\/20\/finding-christmas-in-john-margolies-roadside-america\/","url_meta":{"origin":11195,"position":1},"title":"Finding Christmas in John Margolies Roadside America","author":"leems","date":"December 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Santa's Workshop, reindeer detail, Whiteface Mountain, North Pole, New York Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http:\/\/hdl.loc.gov\/loc.pnp\/mrg.00263 I collect little things all year, clipping from websites in my Evernote, saving or favoriting posts in my rss feedreader. These are things I don't want to forget,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santasworkshop.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santasworkshop.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santasworkshop.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Santasworkshop.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8245,"url":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2019\/04\/02\/pascua-florida-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":11195,"position":2},"title":"Pascua Florida Day","author":"leems","date":"April 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I am a little calendar obsessed. And I live in Florida. Yet, I had never heard of Pascua Florida Day before this year. A spring time holiday, Pascua Florida means, roughly, feast of the flowers. It is a State of Florida celebration by statute, and as a state day it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/azaleas.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/azaleas.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/azaleas.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/azaleas.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/azaleas.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/azaleas.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10468,"url":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2023\/02\/02\/giggles-at-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":11195,"position":3},"title":"Giggles at work","author":"leems","date":"February 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A tandem at the Ostrich Farm, Jacksonville, Fla\" (1909). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. USF Libraries. \"Wish you were here in Saint Petersburg Florida with us having a fine time\" (1930). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. USF Libraries. \"Loading oranges\" (2021). Hampton Dunn Collection of Florida Postcards. USF\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/D32_0338-150x96.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/D32_0338-150x96.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/D32_0338-150x96.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8812,"url":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2020\/03\/18\/florida-love-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":11195,"position":4},"title":"Florida love","author":"leems","date":"March 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Gatorland Zoo alligator statue, Route 1, St. Augustine, Florida Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 http:\/\/hdl.loc.gov\/loc.pnp\/mrg.00267 Orange bird sign, Artesia Gardens Citrus Stand, Route A1A, Hammock, Florida Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 http:\/\/hdl.loc.gov\/loc.pnp\/mrg.01936 From John Margolies' Roadside America","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/gatorlandsign-101x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/gatorlandsign-101x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/gatorlandsign-101x150.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6906,"url":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2016\/02\/01\/florida-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":11195,"position":5},"title":"Florida love","author":"leems","date":"February 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When we first bought our house, I started studying the building methods of the period it was built, tracking the previous owners through publicly available city and county records, and learning about the history of the area we were planning on living in for a while to come. I found\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"tampacover","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/tampacover-71x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11195"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11208,"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11195\/revisions\/11208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}