no, I'm not kidding.
His wife Cosima Liszt, was born this day in 1837 (and yes, she was the daughter of Franz Liszt, and first the wife of Hans von Bulow).
Their son Siegried was born in 1869.
On Christmas morning in 1870, she awaken to the sounds of the original version, for chamber orchestra, that her husband had created as a present to her:
Here is the more familiar version, by full orchestra
Merry Christmas, as well as happy birthday to all those born this day, including my good friends Dom and Liane from my cohort at Sorensen Institute, and the likes of Barbara Mandrell, Sissy Spacek, Larry Csonka, Jimmy Buffett, and from earlier times especially author Rebecca West, composer Orlando Gibbons, and superb actor Humphrey Bogart.