"Gayla Peevey, singer of that enduring Christmas classic, ""I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas,"" stands next to an image she drew of a hippopotamus in her home Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, in La Mesa, Calif.  It was 1953, and one of the hottest songs on the radio was   ""I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas."" Now it's Christmas 2016, and Peevey is still singing. She leaves that to schoolchildren, ringtones, iTunes downloads and TV commercials that, to the 73-year-old singer's amazement, keep the song in everyone's head every Christmas season, whether they want it there or not ."
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