But Jewishness isn’t just a religion. It’s also an ethnicity and a culture. Plenty of Jews are completely non-religious. Christianity is completely different.
Let me put it like this–
Have you ever heard of the ACLU, or any atheist group, suing some local government because they had a snowman or Santa display? Have you ever heard of a school getting sued because they sang “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” in their Christmas program?
Maybe you don’t really understand the meaning of the word Christmas. Maybe you can break it down into its parts.
Maybe you don’t really understand that for many people Christmas is a totally secular holiday. Maybe you can break down the religious parts to “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”
And maybe Thursday is all about worshipping Thor.
Independence Day is a federal holiday. Is it religious? Maybe you can break it down into its parts.
Yep, one of my good friends did not have happy childhood memories, so he doesnt do much for Christmas or his birthday. He lives alone, watched Tv and plays games on the computer. He goes out to eat once or twice a week.
He will attend a family celebration if coerced.
I like that song, but there are many songs that people actually hate: Christmas shoes, Grandma…Do They Know It’s Christmas?,The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,Please, Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas, Santa Baby, (Michael Bublé ) and more.
Mariah Carey doesnt even make the list.
However, I will admit that if you hear her song too many times, it gets bad.
This is what I was responding to. Christmas music doesn’t have to be overtly religious to be Christmas-y to non-Christians.
But Bootb was referring to overtly religious Christmas music. You are using the word in a different sense than he did, which is why you are getting a lot of push back on what you said.
Here is a list of the most popular Christmas songs- please point out the ones that mention Jesus:
Top 20 Christmas Songs on Spotify in the United States:
1. “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey
2. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee
3. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams
4. “Last Christmas” by Wham
5. “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms
6. “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Bublé
7. “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby
8. “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole
9. “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives
10. “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow” by Frank Sinatra
11. “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande
12. “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by John Lennon
12. “Blue Christmas” by Elvis Presley
14. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Frank Sinatra
15. “Sleigh Ride” by The Ronettes
16. “Carol of the Bells” by Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych
17. “Santa Baby” by Earth Kittening
18. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Mariah Carey
19. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Burl Ives
20. “Silver Bells” by Dean Martin
In fact religious Christmas songs are rarely played. Little drummer Boy, Silent Night, Good King Wenceslas, and a few more. Rarely do they get a lot of play and they aint in the top 20. You could likely listen to a full hour of Christmas music and not hear the name of Jesus once.
And quite a few “Christmas Songs” are just winter songs, Jingle Bell Rock,Sleigh Ride,Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow, Jingle Bells, Walking 'round a Winter Wonderland, Frosty the Snowman are all just winter songs.
And then “These are a Few of My Favorite Things” which technically is neither Christmas or Winter, altho there is quite a bit of winter imagery there.
Christmas is no longer just a religious holiday , it has become 90% secularized.
Look at my list of top 25 Christmas songs above- none even mention Jesus.
Think of this as Yule or any other of a dozen winter solstice holidays.
I’m sorry, but there are certainly people who are “culturally Christian”. And “Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer” is one of their anthems. It’s not religious. But it is Christian.
Oh wow, that’s a list full of songs i really hate. Although i enjoy “carol of the bells”.
I’m not sure if that was a response to me, but no, “jingle bell rock” is never played in January. It’s a Christmas song. One that i despise.
And that list of songs and specific recordings have gotten narrower in the last few years. At least it has here on the Little Rock stations. I can’t remember the last time I heard “Christmas Wrappings” by The Waitresses on the radio here. That’s probably a song someone here can’t stand but it had been one I looked forward to every year since sometime in the 90s.
I used to work at a company that played music over the speakers in the ceiling, one of those ‘easy listening’ radio stations that start playing Christmas music right after Halloween. Thank God I couldn’t hear it in my office, but I went out into the Customer Service and other areas often enough where I could hear it. After the 700th time hearing “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” I wanted to jam pencils in my ears.
One of those songs that is great hearing once per season, then not for another year. But it has gotta be the original.
Then there is “Grandma…” which is a song funny exactly once, then never, ever again.
Two words: The Dickies
Oh, please. Christmas is religion. Santa is religion. Carols are religion.
You and the others not understanding that inarguable fact is exactly why Christmas songs are allowed to take over the world for two months each year while people get to insist that they don’t mean that America is a Christian nation with no regard for anyone who isn’t Christian.
This post exemplifies the problem I’m talking about.
Well this non-Christian disagrees with you. Explain how Santa=religion. Because it sure seems to me that the 'Keep Christ in Christmas" crowd is saying the exact opposite, that Christmas has moved so far away from it’s origins that it’s now more secular than religious.
It’s like that other big religious holiday, Halloween.
Right. Santa isn’t religion. St. Nick isn’t religion. Delivering toys to kids for Christmas and no other time isn’t religion. Nothing to be seen about Christianity here! Move along. 