A Little Bah Humbug!

Thought I’d take a break at the end of the year on the movie reviews.  They will return in 2015.  Things get busy and it can be hard to maintain my discipline of watching lots and lots of movies.

But it’s the secular “Christmas season” (as a person of faith I hold to the orthodox view that the true Christmas season begins on Christmas and goes for twelve days.  You really don’t want to get me started on this.  Where we are right now?  It’s called Advent.  I’m telling you, don’t get me started) and time to deal with one of my favorite seasonal humbugs.

Christmas music.

My theory is that there are, in fact, only 37 actual Christmas songs.  But since there a bajillion VERSIONS of these songs, it just seems like there are more.

Do not be fooled.

Back when I was a radio Music Director this was my least favorite time of year.  At some point some one (and don’t ever let me find out who.  Just don’t) decided that radio stations should start playing Christmas music on the day after Thanksgiving.  In fact, they should play ONLY Christmas music on that day (which made it a truly Black Friday for your humble servant)!

I refused to do it.

And the hatred that ensued was something to behold.

Part of it was my feelings about the “Christmas season” but that was only a small piece.  My religious beliefs generally did not influence my music selection.  No, this had much more to do with the fact that radio station staff hear the music more than the average listener.  A LOT more.  I just couldn’t bear listening to the bajillion versions of those 37 songs for a month.  Couldn’t do it.  Wouldn’t do it.

So we would begin with Christmas music on December 1.  With one song an hour for the first week.  Then two songs an hour for the second week.  And three during the third.  Eventually we would go all Christmas, all the time starting at 6 PM Christmas Eve through the same hour on Christmas day.  I would be long gone out of the station by then.

Man, that ticked people off.  We’re talking serious call up and call me foul names kind of anger.  The staff just funneled those calls straight through to me.  Which was fine.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love Christmas music.  We play hours of it at my house on Christmas morning and yes, we even play it before Christmas Day.  But there’s a limit.  You need to restrict it so they stay special.

I heard of a station this year (2014) that started Christmas music just after Halloween.

These are dark, dark times.

Enjoy your music and have a very, Merry Christmas.  And just to show there’s no hard feelings: