Ahhhh... Christmas has come and gone again. Then why for are there be Christmas songs on radio still, arrrrghh! I'm sorry. When I get perplexed during the holiday season, I tend to speak like a combination of Tarzan, Tonto, and Frankenstein. However, in typeface it just looks like those damn Internet lolcatz. (Me am eetin allz yur frootcayk).
But the question has been posed. Why are they still playing Christmas music on the radio? I could have easily written this blog at the beginning of November, wondering why they were playing Christmas music already. As either end of the X-mas radiothon goes, the question remains valid. (Aside: X-mas is not taking the 'Christ' out of Christmas. It comes from Χριστος (Greek for "Christ") and has been abbreviated with an 'X' for at least the past 1,000 years. Na-bis-co! Wait a minute? That's not right. The more you know! And knowing is half the battle. G.I. Jooooe! )
Where was I? Ah, yes- Christmas and other assorted holiday and seasonal music being played too early and too late. Now, don't get me wrong. I like Christmas music. I love it. But do I want some more of it? No! In general, the music gets me in a seasonal mood, but when you're hearing it alongside the "Monster Mash" you tend to become desensitized. You begin to despise it.
I try my damndest to avoid it until, oh... about 2-3 weeks before the ACTUAL date of Christmas. Yes, it is very difficult. I don't listen to any easy listening stations, as they invariably become "All Christmas! All the time!" sometime shortly after Labor Day. I don't go shopping at card stores, dollar stores, grocery stores, hardware stores, the mall- basically I don't go shopping. And God help the person who has Christmas music on their cell-phone, for I shall be stabbing it through the battery casing with a sharpened candy cane.
This desensitization only truly occurs BEFORE Thanksgiving. When Santa comes to town with the Thanksgiving day parade, that's when you should legally be allowed to play Christmas music. Otherwise it doesn't really make any sense.
I think the early Christmas music began with September 11th. Stay with me here. I am not being all conspiratorial like a liberal nutjob or accusatory like a conservative asshole. I am stating a fact that I witnessed my self.
One week after September 11th, I was listening to the radio and heard Christmas music. "What the Eff," I exclaimed as I drove down the street. "Merry Christmas for all... the radio... what the sheet?" The holiday music had begun, apparently due to the fact that 'we need a little Christmas right now!' Well bologna! We didn't need it that early. Perhaps some other uplifting music, but not Christmas music; and yet, the schedule had been broken.
Over a few years we gradually returned to at least a cooler time of year for having to be subjected to jingle, silver, and sleigh bells. But it is still within the beginning of the month of November. Which is just not natural.
Christmas music is special. If it happens too early; too often; then it becomes commonplace and loses some of its magic. It's just like if it was Christmas every day. It wouldn't end up well. Everything would be closed; people would starve; they would run out of money; nuclear power plants would meltdown from all the electricity used to power the lights; Santa would have a coronary; Jesus would have pressure sores from laying in a manger all the time... it wouldn't be good.
The infrequency of Christmas (or any holiday for that matter) makes them special. It makes them important. It focuses someone's energy on the beauty of the season and the holiday. Played too much, Christmas music becomes background noise. I mean, we don't need to hear "Auld Lang Syne" daily before the New Year? Peter Cottontail should not come hopping down the bunny trail in February. And who wants Sousa marches and patriotic music every hour of the day, except for around Fourth of July? (I'm looking in your direction Toby Keith, now cut it out! We get it, you love America.)
In general, the point is for everybody to stop with the Christmas music outside of the Christmas season. I mean who really celebrates the fricking Epiphany anyway. And if you do, you may play one song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas". If you're confused, you're probably not Eastern orthodox.
When Christmas is over, the music should cease. Leave it for next year to create antici....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment