When is it too early for Christmas music?

[Avid Listener]

Take that a step further. Why include generic "winter" songs with Christmas music? What does Frosty the Snowman or Sleigh Ride have to do with Christmas?

 

[Music Lover]

I never have understood what My Favorite Things has to do with Christmas.

 

[CTListener]

Take that a step further. Why include generic "winter" songs with Christmas music? What does Frosty the Snowman or Sleigh Ride have to do with Christmas?

You can add "Winter Wonderland" to the list as well. The only thing remotely Christian in it is Parson Brown -- and he isn't even in town!

It's all about being inclusive, celebrating the "season" rather than the religious holiday. A lot of non-Christians enjoy getting together with family around Christmastime too, since the country pretty much shuts down on Dec. 24-25 every year anyway. And, of course, the placement on the calendar of Christmas has everything to do with the timing of pagan winter festivals and nothing to do with the birth of a savior, so why not secularize Christmas on radio?

 

[Avid Listener]

You can add "Winter Wonderland" to the list as well. The only thing remotely Christian in it is Parson Brown -- and he isn't even in town!

It's all about being inclusive, celebrating the "season" rather than the religious holiday. A lot of non-Christians enjoy getting together with family around Christmastime too, since the country pretty much shuts down on Dec. 24-25 every year anyway. And, of course, the placement on the calendar of Christmas has everything to do with the timing of pagan winter festivals and nothing to do with the birth of a savior, so why not secularize Christmas on radio?

Despite being a staunch Christian, I have no issue with celebrating all of "the Holidays" that happen concurrently at the end of December. Personally, I celebrate Christmas in church, Yuletide outside of church in secular venues, and New Years as well. I don't pay any attention to made-up "Hallmark" holidays, but that's just me.

However, even if I can accept that there are multiple holidays taking place in the last week of December, that's no reason to start playing "holiday" music the day after Halloween, nor to play generic winter songs that are totally outside a station's customary format.

 

[CTListener]

Despite being a staunch Christian, I have no issue with celebrating all of "the Holidays" that happen concurrently at the end of December. Personally, I celebrate Christmas in church, Yuletide outside of church in secular venues, and New Years as well. I don't pay any attention to made-up "Hallmark" holidays, but that's just me.

However, even if I can accept that there are multiple holidays taking place in the last week of December, that's no reason to start playing "holiday" music the day after Halloween, nor to play generic winter songs that are totally outside a station's customary format.

I agree, but the PPM numbers don't lie. Stations that go all-Christmas/winter music in November get a big ratings bump every year, and that can't be chalked up exclusively to captive-audience "listening" to stations that happen to be playing at retail establishments or restaurants. Look at the XMFan board sometime. There are people there who post every year around this time, counting the days until the Christmas "flip" and wishing it was earlier than mid-November. These people are not like us, but there's no denying they exist.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I watched the movie "Fools Rush In" over the weekend. I'm ready for Christmas music. Just occasionally.

 

[Silkie]

I never have understood what My Favorite Things has to do with Christmas.

It doesn't - and that is the point those who call the playlists seem to want to make. They go only so far as they need to go for the bottom line.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I thought I was ready. In a KMart the Christmas displays were up this week and I heard "Silent Night" and "Deck the Halls". With that terrible sound quality used with decorations.

 

[golden eagles97]

The two Birmingham ACs went all-Christmas last Friday within minutes of each other. That was October 24.

 

[vchimpanzee]

The two Birmingham ACs went all-Christmas last Friday within minutes of each other. That was October 24.

That's insane. It is too early.

Mix in a few songs first. And it's even too early for that.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Take that a step further. Why include generic "winter" songs with Christmas music? What does Frosty the Snowman or Sleigh Ride have to do with Christmas?

The first one is in the Jimmy Durante/Jackie Vernon special that airs every year, which has Santa Claus in it.

As for the second one, I can't think of "Sleigh Ride" without thinking of Christmas.

 

[Avid Listener]

The first one is in the Jimmy Durante/Mickey Rooney special that airs every year, which has Santa Claus in it.

What special is that? Durante and Rooney each did voice work in some Rankin/Bass stop motion animation specials, but I can't find any Christmas titles they worked on together. Durante was the Narrator for the cel animation Frosty the Snowman, from Rankin/Bass, but though it aired around Christmas time, it's a winter story with nothing to do with Christmas. Santa is a character in the story, but it's hardly "Christmas".

The song "Frosty the Snowman" was a hit for Gene Autry in 1950, and was always a prime example of the secularization of Christmas, and how Christmas was turned into a generic, secular celebration of commercial greed.

As for the second one, I can't think of "Sleigh Ride" without thinking of Christmas.

Yes, a lot of people have a Pavlovian response to those generic, secular winter songs. It's up there with tacky sweaters with a kitschy design knitted in.

 

[vchimpanzee]

What special is that? Durante and Rooney each did voice work in some Rankin/Bass stop motion animation specials, but I can't find any Christmas titles they worked on together. Durante was the Narrator for the cel animation Frosty the Snowman, from Rankin/Bass, but though it aired around Christmas time, it's a winter story with nothing to do with Christmas. Santa is a character in the story, but it's hardly "Christmas".

Sorry, I meant to look up who did the voice of Frosty. It's fixed now.

 

[Avid Listener]

Sorry, I meant to look up who did the voice of Frosty. It's fixed now.

Regardless of who did it, the important comments were "though it aired around Christmas time, it's a winter story with nothing to do with Christmas. Santa is a character in the story, but it's hardly 'Christmas'.

The song 'Frosty the Snowman' was a hit for Gene Autry in 1950, and was always a prime example of the secularization of Christmas, and how Christmas was turned into a generic, secular celebration of commercial greed."

 

[Music Lover]

I think switching to all-Christmas before Thanksgiving is too early. It would be more reasonable if AC stations just sprinkle Christmas music into their playlist starting on Dec 1 and then play all-Christmas starting the eve of Christmas.

That's the way a couple of Internet AC stations I listen to do. The only difference is that, unless they have some specialty programming on during Christmas Eve, they don't switch over to all-Christmas then either.

Also, these particular AC stations tend to stay away from the sillier Christmas tunes (examples: Duck The Halls by the Duck Dynasty family, the Hippopotamus song, Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer) that I've encountered on many other AC stations.

 

[crainbebo]

I've been listening to Christmas music the past couple of days and I am REALLY digging WQPW 95.7 "The Mix" from Valdosta, GA. Instead of the same Andy Williams, Carpenters and Mariah Carey like on 500 other stations, they play a HUGE variety of Christmas tunes. I heard two different versions of "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm", Boyz II Men's "Let it Snow" (Nothing to do with the much more common Let it Snow song), and Vanessa Williams' jazzy version of "Angels We Have Heard on High." Nothing you'd hear on the ACs in the big markets!
WJEK 95.3 in IL is also good.

-crainbebo

 

[oldiesgirl]

So far I'm liking WQPW. I absolutely love Christmas music but some of the songs get so over-played that you're ready to scream a few days into the season

 

[crainbebo]

Yes. How many times can I stand the following, 10 times a day every day:
"Merry Christmas Darling" Carpenters
"Believe" Josh Groban
"Christmas Song" Nat King Cole
"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" BOTH Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis
"All I Want For Christmas is You" Mariah Carey
...without going nuts?

I don't think any major market AC would play Boyz II Men's version of "Let it Snow," a very Urban-AC-like Christmas song.

-crainbebo

 

[Music Lover]

Yes. How many times can I stand the following, 10 times a day every day:
"Merry Christmas Darling" Carpenters
"Believe" Josh Groban
"Christmas Song" Nat King Cole
"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" BOTH Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis
"All I Want For Christmas is You" Mariah Carey
...without going nuts?

Those I don't mind but there's others I get sick of:

Any Christmas song by Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, and many other pop stars these days who cannot sing well live without the studio to assist them.

Stupid novelty songs like Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, My Two Front Teeth, I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas, The Twelve Pains of Christmas, Nuttin' For Christmas, dogs barking Jingle Bells, etc.

 

[oldiesgirl]

*Blushes* i like novelty songs. The thing I can't stand is when you hear a song like Silent Night which is a song that I love, and then three songs later you hear Silent Night again done by a different artist.