My interest in hearing Christmas music has dwindled over the years. Let's face it; most of it is not good, and even my nostalgia factor for it has waned. It's been the same songs, over and over, for at least seven decades, and new Christmas songs are difficult to write because there are a limited number of words one can rhyme with "bells" or "snow".
I once didn't hate Christmas songs, or at least I tolerated them good-naturedly. I would reserve a night to decorate my tree and throw on a CD, usually the one by Anne Murray, to set a holiday mood. Her rendition of O Holy Night is the best version of a traditional carol I've yet to hear. (Most traditional carols don't have pleasing melodies. I guess you had to be there, in 1739, to appreciate them. But then again, in that age competition was scarce.)
Some people claim to hate Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, but while it's pretty worn out, I still like the fact that it at least has some energy to it. And Brenda Lee is a good singer, as opposed to the likes of Burl Ives and Gene Autrey. (Seeing Burl Ives on my TV screen scared me when I was little.)
In the country music Christmas world, the first recording that even made a splash was in 1965, with Buck Owens' Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy. Maybe it became a hit because it was one of the first non-saccharine Christmas songs ~ and because it could have been a regular country hit with just a simple change of lyrics.
To hell with sentimentality; this Alan Jackson track is probably my favorite country Christmas song:
A few years back, I created a Spotify playlist of Christmas tunes, and that's been my go-to each holiday season, but again, the trouble lies in the fact that it's so repetitive. I haven't added a new song to it since it was created, because there aren't any good ones! Just to make the playlist last at least an hour, I had to include songs I don't really like, but are considered standards.
As for eighties pop Christmas tunes, I'm not a hater. I can listen to "Last Christmas" and even "Do They Know It's Christmas" once, but only once per year. On the other hand, two guys considered the best rock songwriters of all time probably wrote two of the worst Christmas songs of all time. Apparently a trait they shared was writing crappy Christmas tunes.
Just to get this out of the way, the all-time worst Christmas song EVER is Little Drummer Boy. They should play it on a loop at Guantanamo Bay as a form of torture.
To be fair, I'm not a big Christmas fan; at least not a big Christmas expectations fan. It was an exciting holiday when my kids were little, with all the treachery and the misdirection; then at last the big reveal(s) under the tree. I also went all out on the baking and candy making, because there were little people in my household who appreciated it. Now? Ehh, it's definitely an expense; I'll give you that.
As for Christmas music, it's not that I'm a cynic; I'm just picky. I stopped singing along with Jingle Bells when I turned six. There is, however, one song...just one...that I would listen to regardless of whether it was December or July. Long-time followers of this blog know which one it is. Featuring it here has become a yearly tradition. It's worth pulling up my Christmas playlist just to hear it again.
Will I listen to Christmas music this year? Well, I've still got three days, and I'm not keen on breaking a tradition. I might have to give my playlist a whirl, despite myself.
