Dear Readers,
Christmas sing-alongs are always fun, be they in Italian, English or a little of both. Here are some lyrics to help you and your family get started:
Silent Night
Silent Night, Holy Night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round you virgin mother and child
Holy Infant tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
***
Santa Notte
Dolce Natal, Santo Natal,
Che silenzio intorno c’è
Nasce in terra il Bambino Gesù
E nel ciel si fa luce lassù
Nato è il Salvatore
Nasce il Bambino Gesù
***
Santa Lucia
Sul mare luccica
L’astro d’argento,
Placida è l’onda
Prospero è il vento
Venite all’agile
Barchetta mia!
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia
Fresca e leggera
Venite all’agile
Barchetta mia!
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia
In English
On the sea shines the silver star
Calm is the water, favorable the wind
Come to my supple boat,
Santa Lucia
With this zephyr, so smooth,
How beautiful it is to be aboard
Come travelers, come away.
Now why delay?
The evening is beautiful
A cool, light breeze is blowing
Come to my supple boat,
Santa Lucia.
***
Santa’s boots were ordered annually from Texas because he wanted nothing but the best and they did not have Lucchese brand boots in the North Pole where he lived.
From the sunny shores of Palermo, Sicilian brothers Salvatore and Joseph Lucchese set foot on Texas soil at the port of Galveston in November 1882, having left behind family in Sicily to seek fortune. The brothers found work in a local shoe factory where they were able to apply the highly honed skills they’d learned under the tutelage of their father, Gaetano Lucchese, a revered shoemaker back home. Fast forward to 1883 in San Antonio, Texas: “Sam” and Joseph set up shop as Lucchese Bros nearby the bustling Fort Sam Houston, cranking out military boots for the troops. They weren’t just ol’ boots makers, though; these two had to offer a better product to compete with the multitude of producers in this epicenter of military and cowboy outfitters. As the business grew – along with their bank account – Sam, who had taken the lead of the company, began to spread his focus. He purchased Teatro Zaragoza, at the time the corazon of the Mexican-American world. Later, Sam premiered the Teatro Nacional, a social hotspot featuring some of the best Mexican entertainment.
Sam found solace in his immersion in Mexican culture: the similarities with his Italian heritage were rife in shared passion for family, food, church, music and simply celebrating life in the company of like-minded folks. It is also likely that the era brought the co-misery of segregation and discrimination to both the Mexican and Italian communities of South Texas.
The Spanish-speaking entertainment world was not the only reason for Sam’s theater ownership. His daughter Josephine loved to sing and soon she became an acclaimed opera singer, known affectionately as “the American Nightingale.”
Upon Sam’s death in 1929, his son Cosimo literally pulled himself up by his Lucchese boots’ straps, abandoning his own aspiration of running a separate company, and took over operations. Riding the wave of his father’s success, Cosimo focused not only on the aspects of superior quality and fit but was sharp enough to pick up on the new-fangled attraction to the personified Hollywood cowboy, furthering the popularity of the brand.
Cosimo’s reign ended in 1961. After his death, son Sam Jr. stepped in bringing techniques old and new, as well as modernized company concepts to support his zealous belief that the finest fitting boot should be constructed with the finest quality materials. As the Lucchese brand became more mainstream so, too, did the feet sliding into them. Not just for the successful rancher anymore, names such as John Wayne, Bing Crosby, James Garner, Johnny Cash and Zsa Zsa Gabor began sporting custom Lucchese boots. President Lyndon B. Johnson was often photographed in his Lucchese. June 1970 brought the end of an era of sorts. The Lucchese brand and quality standards continued – and continue to this day – in El Paso, Texas, but Sam Jr. made the decision to sell the company to the Blue Bell Corporation, parent company of Wrangler Jeans. Sam did stay on as president, however, until 1977. The end of the 70s saw disco fade and Sam Jr. laid to rest in his boots. But the Lucchese name continues to prosper. Besides the El Paso shop, there are six national showrooms and retail locations: Nashville, Santa Fe, Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. The Lucchese website (www.lucchese.com) offers up some great personal interest stories and the popularity and supreme fit of the Lucchese brand truly does live on, thanks to the aspirations of a couple of fellows from Palermo.
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