# Christmas music? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 2, 2015, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196 "2015-12-02T06:48:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/1 "2015-12-02T06:48:36Z")
Inspired by the thread about the Peanuts theme “Linus and Lucy”. I divide “Christmas music” into three catagories: 1) religious, B) secular, and III) seasonal. Let me explain more. 1. Religious would be songs about the birth of Jesus. “Silent Night”, “O Holy Night”, "Adeste Fideles, etc. Even lighter fare like “Little Drummer Boy”, as they’re about the first Christmas. B. Secular songs would be the ones about Santa, reindeer with glowing noses, snowmen coming to life, coming home for Christmas, decking halls with holly boughs, and how good your baby was to you. III. Seasonal songs are more just winter songs. Winter wonderlands, Julie Andrew’s favorite things, sleighrides and that sort of thing. Though I’m not certain how solid the line is between B and III. I think Charles Brown’s “Please come home for Christmas” could be a III, not B. There are others. Discussion? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/2 "2015-12-02T13:53:39Z")
Heh. I just posted in the thread about definitive versions of Christmas songs: > [@Definitive versions of Christmas Songs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/definitive-versions-of-christmas-songs/739088/50): > > That’d make it a lot more Christmasy than some of these other songs whose only connection to Christmas is that they’re about snow or cold weather. That’d be your third category, seasonal songs, into which I’d place all songs that are about winter, snow, etc. There’s no inherent reason these songs couldn’t be played throughout January or February, except maybe that everyone’s sick and tired of winter by then. This category includes Jingle Bells, Winter Wonderland, Frosty the Snowman, Let It Snow, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Sleigh Ride… ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/3 "2015-12-02T14:14:21Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > That’d be your third category, seasonal songs, into which I’d place all songs that are about winter, snow, etc. There’s no inherent reason these songs couldn’t be played throughout January or February, except maybe that everyone’s sick and tired of winter by then. This category includes Jingle Bells, Winter Wonderland, Frosty the Snowman, Let It Snow, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Sleigh Ride… …and this song written by your good friend **bienville** from the SDMB! (shameless plug!) [That Early Winter Sundown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUZmtEt1Tfk) - written by ME!!! ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/4 "2015-12-02T15:26:28Z")
That’s about how I see it too, and I have favorites in all three categories. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/5 "2015-12-02T15:40:22Z")
I’d add one more category, though I mostly wish they would just go away: Whiny pop songs about faithless lovers or being lonely at Christmas (e.g., “Last Christmas” “All I want for Christmas is you”, etc.) We have those songs ad nauseum all the rest of the year; they can take a rest during the holidays. In any case, throwing the word “Christmas” into your song at random doesn’t make it a Christmas song. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/6 "2015-12-02T16:06:01Z")
cher, those are the ones that I think border between secular and seasonal. The songs that really aren’t about Christmas but do mention the celebration. Frankly, the LAST song I wanted to hear Armed Forces Radio pump out was “I’ll be home for Christmas” while on alert in a fighting hole behind an M-60 dining on Ham and Lima Beans c-rats. Though I blame Norman Rockwell for a lot of that sort of crap but that’s another issue. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/7 "2015-12-02T16:09:37Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > I’d add one more category, though I mostly wish they would just go away: Whiny pop songs about faithless lovers or being lonely at Christmas (e.g., “Last Christmas” “All I want for Christmas is you”, etc.) We have those songs ad nauseum all the rest of the year; they can take a rest during the holidays. In any case, throwing the word “Christmas” into your song at random doesn’t make it a Christmas song. Yes, yes, yes! Those songs make me crazy when they get played on the Christmas music formats. To me, the two biggest violators are Wham’s “Last Christmas” (which you mentioned), and Dan Fogelberg’s “Another Auld Lang Syne”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/8 "2015-12-02T16:19:15Z")
What about songs that are about a specific holiday other than Christmas, like Auld Lang Syne or Deck the Halls? And then there’s songs that don’t actually have anything at all to do with Christmas or the season, but which end up on Christmas playlists anyway, like Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Pachabel’s Canon, or Handel’s Hallelujah. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/9 "2015-12-02T16:23:18Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Frankly, the LAST song I wanted to hear Armed Forces Radio pump out was “I’ll be home for Christmas” while on alert in a fighting hole behind an M-60 dining on Ham and Lima Beans c-rats. I can understand why, but that’s kinda [what the song is about](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ll_Be_Home_for_Christmas#Theme). ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/10 "2015-12-02T19:54:34Z")
Between religious and secular I have a category of “legendary”, songs that have Jesus or Mary or Herod as the subject but are not canonical. For example: The Cherry Tree Carol The Little Drummer Boy Herod and the Cock ---
**Author:** ![justmeetee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@justmeetee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justmeetee)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/11 "2015-12-02T20:30:42Z")
By the time Christmas actually arrives I have begun to hate it because of the habit of advertisers to put their sales pitch to the tune of traditional Christmas songs. I could go on a long tirade about the commercialization of the season but this isn’t the thread for that. By the way “Marry Christmas From The Family” by Robert Earl Keen is the best Christmas song in case you were wondering. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/12 "2015-12-02T23:09:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Between religious and secular I have a category of “legendary”, songs that have Jesus or Mary or Herod as the subject but are not canonical. And some of these can get pretty weird, like “I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In”. What’s the Baby Jesus doing on a ship? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/13 "2015-12-02T23:49:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And some of these can get pretty weird, like “I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In”. What’s the Baby Jesus doing on a ship? Camels (qv the flight to Egypt) are the ‘ships of the desert’ aren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2015, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/14 "2015-12-02T23:56:02Z")
Yes, and ships are the camels of the sea. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/15 "2015-12-03T02:03:03Z")
Joni Mitchell’s River is only set at Christmastime, and I assume it’s about breaking up with Graham Nash, as part of the suite of songs about the most documented relationship between two songwriters ever. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/16 "2015-12-03T02:18:50Z")
Another category: Christmas songs that are over played on the radio during the season: Burl Ives singing “It’s a Holly Jolly Christmas” Bobbly Helms singing “Jingle Bell Rock” Brenda Lee singing “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” Eartha Kit Singing “Santa Baby” ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/17 "2015-12-03T03:11:30Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > Between religious and secular I have a category of “legendary”, songs that have Jesus or Mary or Herod as the subject but are not canonical. For example: > > The Cherry Tree Carol > The Little Drummer Boy > Herod and the Cock Yeppers. Add to that list… • I Saw Three Ships (Christ and “his laydee” sailing into port on a sailing ship, WTF?) • The Holly and the Ivy (you KNOW this was pagan and then got Jesus-centered lines dropped in later) • God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen (well, this one’s arguable) • ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/18 "2015-12-03T03:11:53Z")
Slight hijack: some years ago, I was listening to a radio interview with Randy Newman. He said, “Irving Berlin was the greatest Jew since Moses! He took the two biggest Christian holidays, Christmas and Easter, and wrote songs about them. The first was a weather report and the second was a fashion show!” That would be “White Christmas” and “Easter Bonnet,” by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/19 "2015-12-03T03:58:27Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Yeppers. Add to that list… > > • I Saw Three Ships (Christ and “his laydee” sailing into port on a sailing ship, WTF?) > > • The Holly and the Ivy (you KNOW this was pagan and then got Jesus-centered lines dropped in later) > > • God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen (well, this one’s arguable) > > • “God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay Remember Christ, our Savior, was born on Christmas Day To save us all from Satan’s pow’r when we had gone astray Oh, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.” Pretty explicitly Christian, I think you’d have to say. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2015, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196/20 "2015-12-03T04:19:39Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > What about songs that are about a specific holiday other than Christmas, like Auld Lang Syne or Deck the Halls? > > And then there’s songs that don’t actually have anything at all to do with Christmas or the season, but which end up on Christmas playlists anyway, like Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Pachabel’s Canon, or Handel’s Hallelujah. You could technically add Jingle Bells to this list; it was originally written for Thanksgiving. But I suppose it’s still “seasonal.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-music/739196.md?page=2)