Call me a grinch, but I have to come to dread the Christmas music season. The repetitiveness is mind numbing to me. Not that regular radio year round is fresh and innovative, but at least 11 months later, you will be getting some new songs thrown into the mix. Not with Christmas music here. I can turn to four different stations and hear the same song within a 15 minute drive. This year, the worst offender is Bruce Springsteen's 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.' Clarence is dead, Bruce. Quit asking him if he's been good this year! (As a show of sympathy, please name the song you can't escape this holiday season in the comment box).
One thing I love about our church, we don't sing the same Christmas carols ad nauseum. 'Silent Night' is restricted to Christmas Eve. 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' is sang once during Advent. And this song, though not totally new, is performed by the band once a year, during our Christmas concert. I'm moved every time I hear it. I love the lyrics' profound meaning, and it touches this mother's heart, to think about the mother who held her own son, 2000 years ago.
Even if you don't like the song, please enjoy the beautiful images. Merry Christmas One and All!
One thing I love about our church, we don't sing the same Christmas carols ad nauseum. 'Silent Night' is restricted to Christmas Eve. 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' is sang once during Advent. And this song, though not totally new, is performed by the band once a year, during our Christmas concert. I'm moved every time I hear it. I love the lyrics' profound meaning, and it touches this mother's heart, to think about the mother who held her own son, 2000 years ago.
Even if you don't like the song, please enjoy the beautiful images. Merry Christmas One and All!
OK; much as I love the Beatles, can I just say that they should've just passed when the urge to write a 'Christmas song' popped into their heads? 'Wonderful Christmastime' is about the worst piece of irrelevant Christmas-drek ever written (and I'm a 'Paul guy'); 'Happy Christmas (War Is Over)' is only a little better for sheer self-important pretentiousness. . .
ReplyDeleteHonestly, tho, the 'Holiday Muzak' that one encounters piped into stores ad nausem is just drivel. 'Let It Snow' - I get it - it's winter, it's (usually) snowy out (at least in Michigan); what that has to do with Christmas is unclear. Likewise the old standards about chestnuts roasting on open fires, winter wonderlands, etc. The one that just drives me around the bend, tho, is probably 'Baby It's Cold Outside' - some guy trying to get his girlfriend to spend the night with him is a Christmas Song???
As far as I'm concerned, one can never sing 'Joy to the World' or 'O Come All Ye Faithful' too often. But, you know, maybe I'm weird that way. . . ;)
I agree, if I hear Mariah one more time in my head, gonna hunt her down....
ReplyDeleteI also love the song you embedded. It captures the wonder and mystery of the Incarnation - God in human flesh; 'what the world could not contain, is contained in the Virgin's womb'. And also, as you say, the poignancy of knowing where the Baby Boy is headed, and what that would mean for His mother's heart. . .
ReplyDelete(I have to say that, for a while, this song was ruined for me by a version sung by a woman who rendered the final line as 'The Great High Ham'; it took a lot of work to purge that from my memory banks, let me tell you. . .)
Hi Bijoux,
ReplyDeleteI am extremely moved by this music and the images together.
What makes me feel sad is there is not a lot of the original meaning of Christmas.
I do want people to have a good time and enjoy their families & friends. Give your time,love or a giving a service that is non-material and only comes from the heart.
Happy holidays to you, Bijoux, your family and to everyone who comes to your blog.
Craig - I'm probably the weird one....songs lose their meaning and enjoyability for me, the more I hear them. Adele is a prime example, if you know who she is (possibly the most overplayed artist on commercial radio right now).
ReplyDelete@M - I can't STAND anything by that woman!! I feel fortunate that she's not getting much airplay this year in these parts!
Craig - I wonder if some vocal coach taught her to sing it that way?? Similar to the whole 'egg shell' (Gloria in excelsis Deo). A 'ham and eggs' connection for you!
Barb - Yes, it's sad that the meaning of Christmas has gone by the wayside. I'm glad you enjoyed my song choice. I really like Kutless.
My Love keeps playing the Beach Boys Christmas album on our CD player. I just think she's too lazy to change it.
ReplyDeleteMy fave in the Atlantic "Soul Christmas" album, which I bought on CD a few years back. Classic, every track: http://www.amazon.com/Original-Soul-Christmas-Clarence-Carter/dp/B0000033DR
Oh, yeah, I'm sure that, somewhere along the line, she was taught to throw in the 'H' when a word starts with a vowel. I've even been told that myself.
ReplyDeleteBut good grief. . . When 'The Great I Am' becomes 'The Great High Ham'. . . maybe it's time to re-think, just a little. . .
There's a church in town here that does a 'Live Nativity', and they often use that recording. So my kids come home laughing about paying homage to a hunk of pig-meat. . . Sheesh. . .
Grandma got run over by a reindeer ...
ReplyDeleteNo?
Mary Did You Know is one of my all time favorites from my choir years, just incredibly thought provoking. Almost painful to sing, knowing what we know.
Cool - Well, your CD does look cool. I like the fact that not one song is ever played on the radio (at least around here).
ReplyDeleteCraig - Our old church does a live nativity and it is always in complete silence.
X - Well, if you're talking bad Xmas songs, the donkey one is probably the worst. But I was talking about overplayed songs. Fortunately, most radio stations here don't give in to the grandma song. Thank goodness.
"Call me a grinch, but I have to come to dread the Christmas music season. The repetitiveness is mind numbing to me."
ReplyDeleteI soooo agree with you! And being in retail, I've been hearing Christmas music in the store since the beginning of November!!!!
OMG, and this CRACKED ME UP....
" This year, the worst offender is Bruce Springsteen's 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.' Clarence is dead, Bruce. Quit asking him if he's been good this year!"
Bwhhahahahahahahahahahaha!
HILARIOUS, girl! I'm laughing so hard I have tears in my eyes! BRILLIANT!
Well, for me, the one Christmas song I CANNOT escape this year is Frosty the Snowman. They play it in our store during the holiday light show. And the worst part about it is that the show runs every HOUR on the HOUR, so after hearing it for 9-10 hours a day, I want to SCREAM!!!!!!
GREAT video! Awesome music AND images. Thanks for sharing!
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas, my friend!
Talk to ya soon!
X
I once heard a spoof of 'Iron Man', that had a menacing voice growl, "I. . . am. . . SANTA CLAUS!" And it went from there. Pretty funny, but I imagine it'd get old pretty fast. . .
ReplyDeleteYeah, there's one local station that gives us Grandmas tale of woe nearly every hour ..... faithfully
ReplyDelete@Craig - "Baby It's Cold Outside" isn't a Christmas song - it just often gets played at Christmas. It was written in the 40's and was in a musical. I actually love that song, but I just think of it as a winter song.
ReplyDeleteI dislike, with a burning intensity, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" and that awful song about te kid buying his mom shoes to wear when she meets Jesus. More traditionally, I hate the Springsteen song, the Stresiand version of Jingle Bells, I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by anyone at all, and Santa Baby. Yigh.
OH! Why did you make me think of it! I heard Feliz Navidad yesterday and had it in my head for hours. And merely reading your post put it right back. Ugh. You owe me.
ReplyDeleteRon - LOL......I KNEW you'd get my Bruce comment and enjoy it! I can't imagine having to hear Frosty day and in and out. By the 'thumpity thump' part, I'll bet you're ready to clobber someone!
ReplyDeleteAgent - I despise all the songs you mentioned, for sure! And I managed to stop a FB conversation when I commented on someone's wall (after a long line of folks said how much the shoes song made them cry) that I must be heartless, because that song is pure sap to me. Ironically, the original poster was Jewish, so that was hilarious to me.
JDK - If it makes you feel any better, I've had to hear that song a lot because my MIL is a spanish teacher. Shoot me now.
@Agent - I understand, and that's really part of my point - songs with 'winter' themes that have nothing to do with Christmas, get played as though they were Christmas songs. . .
ReplyDeleteI agree with that, Craig, but that's really the fault of the DJs. That particular song is best played when there's a big snow or iced storm.
ReplyDeleteok i am way late to the party here but glad i don't have to hear domenic the italian christmas donkey again for another year. stupidest xmas song ever.
ReplyDelete