The Other Side of Christmas Music

[landtuna]

"I think at first Christmas music is nice, it's nostalgic, and it gets me into the holiday spirit," says the writer from Escondido, Calif. Then, "it gets old, and it can start to feel like a part of a giant sales machine trying to bleed me dry."

She also suspects that for anyone of a different faith who doesn't celebrate Christmas,"holiday music must be beyond annoying, right into offensive."

http://bodyodd.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/23/15340332-do-you-hear-what-i-hear-your-brain-on-christmas-music?lite

 

[buster2]

Christmas music formatting has almost nothing to do with Christmas and Jesus Christ Himself. It just gets monster ratings and is sellable. If broadcasters could get huge ratings and sales with Ramadan-themed music, they would do it. For those offended by Christmas music, the ratings of most such stations would indicate they are in a minority. I'm a Christian myself, and I love Christmas music, but I hate the Christmas music format and rarely listen. A human can only take so many hits of "Happy Christmas (War is Over)", "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Deck the Halls." Give me some old-school jazz arrangements I haven't heard a thousand times....

 

[firepoint525]

A lot of what passes for "Christmas" music is not really "Christmas" music at all. It's just "cold-weather songs," like "Sleigh Ride," "Winter Wonderland," "Baby, It's Cold Outside," etc. In other words, a lot of secular "Christmas" songs. Many of these would actually be more appropriate for airplay in January or February than now, but you won't hear them then, unless you listen to the "Christmas" songs in your own music collection.

I, too, don't observe the secular version of what passes for "Chri$tma$," partly because it has nothing to do with Christmas (it's actually more about the almighty dollar than about Christmas), and partly because merchants seem to force it upon us earlier and earlier every year! :

 

[anotherguyTN]

One song I've never figured out what it has to do with Christmas is My Favorite Things. It has a few Winter related references, but nothing Christmas related, and it's probably the one song I'll turn off quicker than any other. 

PS I usually like a wide variety of Christmas music from easy listening and Christian to rock and comedy.

Merry CHRISTmas!!!  ;D

 

[raccoonradio]

Deck the halls with advertising, fa la la...tis the time for merchandising, fa la la--Stan Freberg

In Boston for the past few years WROR and WODS battled it out to be the first to run
all "Christmas" (holiday, etc.) As early as election day! This year WODS has gone CHR "Amp"
and it looks like they won't switch; surprisingly, WROR is still not switching though they do have
4 cuts per hour and do a Santa segment nightly. There's a new PD and maybe he figures
people have overdosed on the music and it's time to wait awhile before going all Yule. Besides,
stations in nearby areas (Worc., NH, RI) have at least one station that's all Christmas and they usually reach much of the Boston area anyway (like WSRS Worcester). So we'll see.

All Christmas can be found on XM/Sirius, some streaming for smartphones & computers..
"music choice" channels on cable or satellite TV...

And yes many songs are winter favorites and could easily get played post Christmas (Winter
Wonderland, Jingle Bells, Let it Snow) but they usually don't do it after Christmas. (Though a few
tunes do get played in the week afterwards: Ding Dong Ding Dong, Auld Lang Syne, What Are
You Doing New Year's... etc