Christmas in the American Civil War "the best recruiting sergeant the North ever had". Nast was not the only one to use Christmas as a propaganda tool. On the Union side, "The New York Herald" also engaged in propaganda. One illustration published in the paper included Santa Claus fuming that he could not reach southern children, due to the northern blockade. On the Confederate side, "The Richmond Examiner" described Santa to its young readers as "a Dutch toy monger" who was a New York/New England "scrub" and Hottentot that had nothing to do with traditional Virginian celebrations of Christmas. Even through the war was over, Nast
Christmas Is Coming rhyme also became the basis for the song "Christmas Is a-Comin'", written by Frank Luther and performed by Bing Crosby, among others. Christmas Is Coming "Christmas Is Coming" is a nursery rhyme and Christmas song (frequently sung as a round) with lyrics as follows: The traditional version of this song uses the melody of the English dance tune "Country Gardens", but other melodies exist. Edith Nesbit Bland composed a popular tune for the lyrics. The Kingston Trio recorded the song as "A Round About Christmas", on their album "The Last Month of the Year". A calypso sounding version was featured