Had the year 1968 not been so tumultuous-with assassinations, riots, and the war in Vietnam-the first Americans to spend Christmas in space might have been remembered for a more light-hearted celebration. NASA had asked the Apollo 8 crew, which launched on December 21, to do something "appropriate" for a live TV downlink on Christmas Eve. Astronaut Jim Lovell had considered a reading of "The Night Before Christmas" or the lyrics to "Jingle Bells."
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