Keeping the dream alive by Freiheit. Wiki mentions it’s a Christmas classic in the UK, although the song itself has nothing to do with Christmas.
Hazy Shade of Winter.
Downtown by Petula Clark.
Whenever I watch NFL on Fox, I always wonder why they’re playing Christmas music. (Their theme song prominently features the “giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, let’s go” riff from “Sleigh Ride.”)
HA! So I’m not the only one!
“Jesu” is almost understandable, being about Jesus and all. But for some reason it is often paired at Christmastime with the entirely secular “Sheep may Safely Graze.” Sure, it’s about a shepherd, but not The Shepherd.
This is exactly what I came in to say.
Ever since Scrooged, the song Put a Little Love in Your Heart
Nope! Me too!
I think almost any song with tubular bells sounds Christmassy, like the aforementioned “Always Something There To Remind Me” and Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight”.
Joni Mitchell’s “River” isn’t really a Christmas song except for the first verse:
“It’s coming on Christmas
They’re cutting down trees
They’re putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace”
which is a vaguely cynical summary of the season, but it’s really a “It’s the holidays and I screwed up my relationship and I’m stuck in California where the weather is boring and the people are crazy” song.
Sleigh Ride pretty well explicitly excludes Christmas. It has the line
*There's a birthday party at the home of Farmer Gray.*
Anyone born in December can tell you that birthdays near Christmas get ignored, or “This is for Christmas and birthday together!” at best.
Oh, man, now I won’t be able to hear that music without thinking of that song!!
I think what happens is that you get people who never go to church except on Christmas, who go to church on Christmas and hear generic church music, and assume that it’s Christmas music. Same for “Ave Maria”.
As for “Sheep may safely graze”, I would have assumed that the shepherd in question was Jesus, but it turns out that it’s a reference to the duke who commissioned the piece. Huh.
<snark>ding fries are done</snark>
babes in toyland?
Isn’t that so bizarre? Seems totally incongruous with football to me, too.
Marshmallow World is a winter song but you only hear it Christmas time.
Exactly what I was going to post…The Bangles version, though. I think it’s the jingle bells at the beginning and the fact that it played in “Less Than Zero” at Christmas time.
Also, “Satellite,” by Dave Matthews.
Sure, if you don’t already associate it with The Exorcist.