The “Christmas Season” is in full swing now. Everyone is holly and jolly, sleigh bells are jingling; the whole bit. Of course that means we’ve had the “all Christmas music all the time” station on the radio for a couple of weeks now, thanks to She Who Must Be Obeyed.
For me, Christmas music is a kind of love-hate relationship… but that radio format is mostly just a “hate” thing for me. They seem to have a playlist of about 15-20 songs and most of them are junk. A few of them are actually about Christmas, but for the most part they are just a modern version of “bubble gum” pop. An example might be the one in which “last Christmas” the guy “gave you my heart and the very next day you gave it away”, or the one in which “all I want for Christmas is youuuuuuuuu”.
The winter ones aren’t that bad; “Jingle Bells” is OK and so is “Winter Wonderland”, but why don’t they play those songs in February? The “Nutcracker” is great; the classical stations play it all year round. Sometimes they play “Jingle Bells” too, but when they play it, it has a much more complicated name I can never remember; it was never intended to be about Christmas, you see…
With all of that said, it might surprise you to know that I do like Christmas music, when it’s actually about Christmas; my all time favorite is “O come, O come Emmanuel”. I like a lot of the Mannheim Steamroller songs, and Trans Siberian Orchestra, and songs played by symphony Orchestras… and “Jungle Bell Rock” by Hall and Oates but not 24/7. You see even though a little may be good, a lot sometimes isn’t better.
Well, that’s all I have for you today, I guess I’ll head downstairs and see if Burl Ives is up for “Holly Jolly Christmas” for the 8th time today.
Happy listening!
Life Project Blog 
I had some similar thoughts a couple of years back. https://lorneanderson.com/2014/10/14/i-hate-christmas-music/
Thank you!
We must be listening to the same station. I have a zillion Christmas CDs, many of them classical, so whenever the station plays a song I forgot (and for good reason) was ever recorded, I just switch over. Surprisingly though, our “fish” station is nearly as bad. Merry Christmas!
Yep, right there with you! Merry Christmas!
Agree with you 100%! Love the songs you like as well, (this year I’ve found some amazing a cappella versions of O Come Emmanuel) but can’t stand that song either, “last Christmas I gave you my heart, the very next day, you gave it away.” What?! How is that Christmas?!?! 😜
I’m sure that if that particular transaction had taken place in July we’d have forgotten the song the week after it came out 🙂
Agree. 🙂
I have a mix of Christmas favorites. I have an eclectic three way tie for my favorite. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” from Band Aid, “Our Love Is Like A Holiday” by Michael Bolton, and a classic by (heartbreaking sad) the now late Greg Lake, ” I Believe In Father Christmas”.
Among the more traditional, “Oh Come All Yellow Faithful” covered by…… Twisted Sister.
“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” is one of my favorites to yell at the radio about (figuratively speaking). That lyric: They won’t have snow in Africa this Christmas”… No kidding buddy, look at a map, they’re at the Equator!!! 🙂
Oh well, it’s Christmas, everyone should enjoy the music they like the best!
I agree with you! I love Christmas music, but not non-stop for a month and a half. Especially when half of them are not great. I love our Christian music station here. They play 1-2 Christmas songs then several non-Christmas songs around the clock. Only about 3 days before till 3 days after Christmas do they play the music non-stop. They have a great balance of music.
Exactly Tom, and that’s how all the stations used to be. Honestly, if I didn’t hear those songs so many times in a short period of time, I never would really notice anything other than Christmas music in the background; I’d never notice the ridiculous lyrics some of them have.
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
I am completely with you on Christmas music! There’s a Mannheim Steamroller channel through Pandora that I’ve been listening to. It’s music along the same styling as well as MS. I think you’d really enjoy it. None of the commercialized trash most artists are required to do whether they want to or not.
Cool, I’ll have to check that out, thanks for the tip!
Haha!! Every store I go into Wham’s “Last Christmas” is playing… I can’t take it!!
YUK! ‘m sorry but it’s just a terrible song.
I like Christmas music by Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Celine Dion, and guess what? I love that pop song, “All I want for Xmas is youuu.” Lol You should buy some good Xmas DC for your wife. Then you could enjoy the music. Merry Christmas.
LOL! I think I’ll stick to Bach and Handel 🙂
I prefer the Christmas Psalms; Ps 2, Ps 8, Ps 40, Ps 130 and Ps 139 as examples..
Much better!
I agree. My all time least favourite is jingle bell rock and when it appeared on the song sheet one year at a church I attended I sadly adopted an extremely Un worshipful state. On the contrary, on a different year, different church, different continent, we sang Oh Holy Night – now that’s beautiful!
Yes it is, and much more appropriate for worship
Sharing your sentiments. Also, Santa Claus is not coming to town, but Jesus did and will!
Really? Ah man, I was kind of hoping he’d bring me a… 🙂
Haha. I, too, dislike the songs you mentioned. What do they have to do with Christmas anyway?! Nonsense. Any music played ad nauseam is a potential source for listener fatigue. Classical renditions are the best. Merry Christmas to you and yours! 🙂
Thank you, and to you too!