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Every Christmas Day throughout her reign, Queen Elizabeth II has broadcast a Christmas message to the people of Great Britain and the Commonwealth. She delivered her first Christmas message in 1952, ten months after she acceded to the throne. She was twenty-six years old.
‘Each Christmas, at this time, my beloved father broadcast a message to his people in all parts of the world,’ she began. ‘Today I am doing this to you, who are now my people.’
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She went on to ask her subjects ‘to keep alive that courageous spirit of adventure that is the finest quality of youth’. Looking towards her coronation, she concluded her broadcast by saying, ‘I want to ask you all, whatever your religion may be, to pray for me on that day – to pray that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.’
Among the many millions who heard her words over the wireless that Christmas was the ten-year-old Paul McCartney, who had passed his 11-Plus exam earlier in the year. A few months later, he entered Liverpool’s Coronation essay competition. Sure enough, he won a prize, which was presented to him at a special ceremony in the city’s Picton Hall.
‘On the Coronation Day of William the Conqueror, senseless Saxon folk gathered round Westminster Abbey to cheer their Norman king as he walked down the aisle,’ began the neatly-written essay by ‘Paul McCartney, age 10 years, 10 months’. ‘The Normans thinking this was an insult turned upon the Saxons killing nearly all of them.’ It continued on a more reassuring note: ‘But on the Coronation of our lovely young queen, Queen Elizabeth II, no rioting nor killing will take place because present day royalty rule with affection rather than force.’
Eleven years later, Paul and his fellow Beatles gathered at the EMI studios for the recording of the first of their own Christmas messages, to be posted on flexible discs to members of their fan club. This was to become a tradition, continuing up to Christmas 1969, just before the four members of the group went their different ways.
Each of their seven Christmas recordings can now be seen as a strange sort of counterbalance to the stiffer, rather more traditional form of message delivered by Her Majesty.
1963
Queen’s Christmas Message
‘Since my last message of Christmas greetings to you all, the world has witnessed many great events and sweeping changes, but they are already part of the long record of history’ (an oblique reference to the assassination of President Kennedy in November). ‘Now, as ever, the important time for mankind is the future.
‘Humanity can only progress if we are truly ambitious for what is good and honourable.
‘We know the reward is peace on earth, good will towards men …’
The Queen closes by reminding her subjects that ‘much has been achieved, but there is still much to do’, adding that ‘All my family joins me in sending, every one of you best wishes for Christmas, and may God’s blessing be with you in the coming year.’
Beatles’ Christmas Message
‘Good King Wenceslas’ is sung by all four Beatles, complete with larky variations on the original words, e.g. ‘Brightly shone the boot that night, on the mossy cru-el …’
John: ‘Hello, this is John speaking, with his voice. We’re all very happy to be able to talk to you, on this little bit of plastic … This time last year we were really chuffed because “Love Me Do” had got into the top 20 and we can’t really believe that so many things have happened in between already.’ (Sings: ‘Gary Chrimble to you, Gary Nimble to you!’)
Paul: ‘Everything John said goes for me too.’ (Halfway through thanking the fans for their cards and parcels, he is pinched by somebody – presumably John – and yelps ‘Ow!’ before bursting into laughter.) Paul goes on to say that, having once mentioned that the Beatles loved jelly babies, ‘We’ve been getting them in boxes and crates and anyway we’ve gone right off jelly babies.’ However, ‘we still like peppermint creams and chocolate drops and dolly mixtures’.
The Beatles end by singing ‘Happy Christmas’ in a loose version of German, but with confident accents, a reminder of their many months in Hamburg. They then sing ‘Ringo the Red-Nosed Reindeer’.
1964
Queen’s Christmas Message
‘All of us who have been blessed with young families know from long experience that when one’s house is at its noisiest, there is often less cause for anxiety …’ The Queen makes a direct appeal to young people: ‘Upon you rests our hope for the future. You young people are needed; there is a great task ahead of you – the building of a new world. You have brains and courage, imagination and humanity; direct them to the things that have to be achieved in this century, if mankind is to live together in peace and prosperity.’
She ends by saying, ‘God bless you and a very, very happy Christmas to you all.’
Beatles’ Christmas Message
The music is ‘Jingle Bells’, and then they all chorus, ‘I don’t know where we’d be without you!’ to which John adds, ‘In the army, perhaps.’
Even at this early stage, they are showing signs of nostalgia. ‘We are taping this little message in Number Two studio at EMI,’ says Paul. ‘The same studio we’ve used all along since the old days of “Love Me Do”, many years ago, it seems.’ ‘Oh, those were the days,’ adds John.
John mentions his new book – ‘the usual rubbish but it won’t cost much. That’s the bargain we’re going to strike up.’
The Beatles end by singing ‘Oh, You Can Wash Your Father’s Shirt’, before shouting ‘Happy Christmas’ over and over again.
1965
Queen’s Christmas Message
‘There is overwhelming evidence that those who cannot experience a full and happy family life for some reason or another are deprived of a great stabilising influence in their lives … Cynics may shrug off the Christmas message as a waste of time, but that is only the gloomy side of the picture; there are also brighter and more hopeful signs.’
She finishes: ‘To each one of you I wish a very happy Christmas, and if throughout the Commonwealth we can all make a sustained effort, perhaps Christmas next year will be a much happier one for many more people.’
Beatles’ Christmas Message
Each year the Beatles’ message becomes looser and more impromptu. 1965’s starts with an ad-hoc rendition of ‘Yesterday’, sung off-key, followed by banter.
John employs a rapid succession of accents, including broad Scottish – ‘We be-lang to Edinburgh! Bannie Christmas!’ At one point he slips into singing the Four Tops’ number ‘It’s the Same Old Song’, until he is cautioned by Ringo: ‘Copyright, Johnny!’
1966
Queen’s Christmas Message
A new stridency creeps into Her Majesty’s tone: ‘This year, I should like to speak especially to women … It is difficult to realise that it was less than fifty years ago that women in Britain were first given the vote.’ It has been women, she says, who have ‘breathed gentleness and care into the harsh progress of mankind’. She ends with: ‘God be with you, and a very happy Christmas to you all.’
Beatles’ Christmas Message
It opens with Paul improvising a song on the piano: ‘Everywhere it’s Christmas!’
This year the Beatles take a day off recording their epic ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ to broadcast a makeshift Goon-style pantomime.
The storyline is hard to fathom. ‘Our story opens in Corsica,’ says John. ‘Meanwhile, high up in the Swiss Alps, two elderly Scotsmen munch upon a Swiss cheese …’
The Beatles bring their message to an end with a song called ‘Please Don’t Bring Your Banjo Back, I Don’t Know Where it’s Been’.
1967
Queen’s Christmas Message
Her Majesty celebrates Canada’s centenary: ‘Canada has every reason to feel proud.’
She also pays tribute to the ‘great feat of seamanship’ of Sir Francis Chichester, who has sailed Gypsy Moth single-handed around the world.
Closer to home, she says, ‘Let there be no doubt that Britain is faced with formidable problems, but let there also be no doubt she will overcome them.’ In the end, ‘determined and well-directed effort by a people who for centuries have given ample evidence of their resources of character and initiative, must bring its own reward’.
She ends: ‘I hope and pray that, with God’s help, this Christmas spirit of family unity will spread and grow among our Commonwealth family of nations.’
Beatles’ Christmas Message
This is their last to be recorded all together as a group: their final couple of messages will be spliced together from individual recordings. Things have become more fragmented since Brian Epstein’s death in August. On Boxing Day, Magical Mystery Tour is broadcast, leading to much bemusement among viewers.
In this message, a linking song, ‘Christmas Time is Here Again’, links a bizarre melange of Goonish voices, orchestral breaks, applause, sound effects, mock advertisements, quiz-show banter (‘And what prize have you got your eyes on?’) and greetings delivered in a sarcastic tone (‘We’d like to thank you for a wonderful year’). The effect is psychedelic, hallucinogenic, meaningless and disquieting, to some extent a prototype for ‘Revolution 9’, recorded a year later.
1968
Queen’s Christmas Message
The theme this year is the brotherhood of man, words that ‘have a splendid ring about them’. However, ‘this should not remain a vague thought nor an abstract idea. Each of us can put it into practice by treating one another with kindness and consideration at all times and in spite of every kind of provocation.’
Unlike the Beatles, Her Majesty speaks of peace. In a foretaste of John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’, she says: ‘Philosophers and prophets have concluded that peace is better than war, love is better than hate, and that mankind can only find progress in friendship and cooperation … We should not be obsessed by material problems.’
She ends: ‘Christmas is the festival of peace. It is God’s will that it should be our constant endeavour to establish “Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards Men”. I hope you all have a very happy Christmas and every good fortune in the New Year.’
Beatles’ Christmas Message
Of the four Beatles, the closest in character to Her Majesty is the stolid Ringo, whose voice is the first to be heard. ‘Hi, this is a big hi and a sincere merry Christmas from yours truly, Ringo Starr.’
He is followed by a burst of ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’ from the recently-released White Album, a speeded-up snatch of ‘Helter Skelter’, and bursts of opera, telephone pips and random screams (‘I think it’s insAAAne!’), all unevenly stitched together by John, celebrating his recent romance with freewheeling gobbledegook. ‘Once upon a time there were two balloons called Jack and Yono, they were strictly in love bound to happen in a million years they were together man unfortunatimetable they seemed to …’
More traditionally, George offers greetings ‘to all our faithful beloved fans all over the world’, and Paul sings a little.
Finally, George announces, ‘We have a special guest here, Mr Tiny Tim.’ The high-pitched Tiny Tim then sings ‘Nowhere Man’ to a ukulele accompaniment.
1969
Queen’s Christmas Message
‘In a short time, the 1960s will be over, but not out of our memories.’
This is not the Beatles talking, but the Queen. She, at least, is keeping it together. She reminds everyone that in July the first men ‘reached beyond our own planet and set foot on the moon, but each one of us will have our own special triumphs or tragedies to look back on’.
She says that her own thoughts ‘are with my older children who are entering the service of the people of this country and the Commonwealth. It is a great satisfaction and comfort to me and my husband to know that they have won a place in your affections.
‘We are all looking forward to our visit to Australia and New Zealand for the Cook bicentenary celebrations, and also to Fiji and Tonga. Later next year we hope to see something of the fascinating development of Northern Canada …’
She adds that ‘It is only natural that we should all be dazzled and impressed by the triumphs of technology, but Christmas is a festival of the spirit.’
Her Majesty concludes by saying that ‘At this time our concern is particularly for the lonely, the sick, and the elderly. I hope they will all feel the warmth and comfort of companionship and that all of you will enjoy a very happy Christmas with your families and friends. God bless you all.’
Beatles’ Christmas Message
It may seem peculiar that in the closing weeks of 1969, in their advanced stage of disintegration, the Beatles should have recorded any sort of Christmas message for their fan club – or indeed that in those hippy times they still ran a fan club. Yet the Official Beatles Fan Club not only survived, but outlasted them by nearly two years.
Once again, their contributions are recorded individually. John is walking around his garden, chatting with his new wife, who steers him. ‘You are strolling in Ascot garden with your wife Yoko,’ she reminds him helpfully. ‘But do you have any special thoughts for Christmas?’
‘Well, Yoko, it is Christmas, and my special thoughts tend towards eating …’
Yoko emits a girlish giggle. ‘So what do you like to eat?’
‘I like cornflakes prepared by Parisian hands and I’d like it blessed by Hare Krishna mantra.’
George wishes everyone a simple happy Christmas; Ringo sings ‘Good evening to you gentlemen, happy to be here’, Paul sings in a high voice, ‘This is to wish you a merry new year,’ and says that he wishes everyone ‘a good fortunate, happy new year’. John asks Yoko about the new decade. ‘Everyone will just be flying around,’ she says.
‘I’d like a big teddy!’ says John. ‘Oh, thank you, mommy!’
‘You’re a good boy, John,’ says Yoko.