Friday, December 24, 2010

Why I Hate Santa Claus, and Other Notes of Interest on Christmas Music.

I am no bah-humbugger. I love Christmas, and I love the season. I love the family, food, and sleeping, and games. I love celebrating the birth and life of Jesus. There is one thing: music. I hate "Christmas" music.

I'm not talking about Christmas hymns. Those guys are great! I love Far, Far Away on Judea's Plane more than most hymns, actually. I also love The First Noel, O Come, All Ye Faithful, and Silent Night. These songs are some of the best, and I love hearing them and singing them.

I also enjoy some of the other songs of the season, such as We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and The Nutcracker Suit.

What I do not like are songs that have to do with Santa. Sure, kids are a big part of the Christmas holiday, but do all the songs played (over, and over, and over, and over, and over...) on the radio need to be about Santa and presents? I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Santa Claus is Comin to Town, and Santa Baby are among my least favorite "Christmas" songs. Why? Two of them are about implied sexual relations between Santa and someone else (Ew. So gross.), and all of them are about a mythical creature, but furthermore, focusing on the myth, not symbol for Jesus within the myth. I am a supporter of Santa in that he can help us understand how Jesus loves us, gives to us, sees us individually, and wants us to be good people. Just replace "Jesus" for "Santa" in the song titles, and you'll get it: I hate these songs.

I also hate another Santa song I don't know the title of --- the one they've played a lot --- at least in J. C. Penny's --- about "The Man with the Bag." Seriously? Who wrote that thing, and who got drunk enough to play it on their station? Repeatedly? What musical artist can take their self seriously while singing it? We're talking about grown ups here, people. Not elementary school students. Life is not a day care.

It is time to grow up.

And that leads to another interesting song that is played again, and again, and again. I like it, and I don't like it, too --- it is played too much, and the sentiment is slightly off. I find myself singing along, and thinking, "wait. Something is wrong here." All I want for Christmas is You? All I want for Christmas is to own another person. Can you own another person?

Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation 148 years ago. You cannot own another person.

That is all.

1 comment:

  1. I think perhaps that you think too deeply sometimes! I love the way you can deep think anything though...and I love you!

    ReplyDelete