I thought Angels was from handel’s MESSIAH…something about EASTER, wasn’t it?
Anyway: I have YET to hear those dogs barking ‘Jingle bells’-it ain’t Christmas till i’ve heard THAT one!
Oh, and I LOATH the little drummer boy song-bleechh!
Okay, this is something I would dearly love to see. D’you mean that you’ve actually encountered such a thing? Where? Because I really wanna see it myself.
Christmas music shouldn’t start until Dec 1 at the earliest. Even at that, its over 3 weeks of it and that is almost too much.
My personal favorite christmas song is O Holy Night as performed by Pavarotti. Its truly a stirring number, even for a pagan like me. 
Yes, I am afraid that I have. It was painted on the window of a drug store a few years ago.
Crap! I was so hoping that it existed as some sort of holiday display that went up yearly.
Or, better yet, with actors ala Sedaris’ Santaland Diaries.
MsRobyn, you have some serious problems if this situation turns you into the person you are presenting yourself as right now; or a pretty intense personality quirk.
Right, because all that matters is the Jews get their own tacky paper decoration on a chalk board. Damnit, if the little school children don’t learn how to sing the Dreidel Song, no songs can be had at all. Forget Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, or any other faith that is being ignored, its all about the Jews. You know what we’ll do? We’ll take money away from the educational system if they don’t bend to our will; it’s the only logical route to take. Fight because religion has no place in schools if that’s how you feel, but don’t take the childish attitude of “If I can’t have some cardboard garbage on the wall no one can”.
Then don’t bring it up perhaps? You have every right to have your own opinion, but don’t bring it into the realm of public discussion without being prepared to at least entertain dissenting schools of thought. Such close-mindedness and immaturity is really unbecoming on you, and I think if you actually took a deep breath and reflected upon what you’re saying you’d recognize that.
Drop the woe is me attitude. You are not being oppressed because some bookstore owner wants to hear “Little Drummer Boy” anymore than I am oppressed because there is a Jewish store down the road that sees fit to play “Mi Y’Maleil?”. Don’t shop there and vote with your checkbook; but don’t pretend that you are a lowly minority bravely struggling against the evil, tyrannical hordes that seek to put Jews in their place with the terror that is Joy to the World.
FriarTed, at first I was unsure of what you were referencing, so I had the knee-jerk reaction that you were making a comparison to the Nazis as well. However, with just a little bit of thought I quickly realized what you meant, so don’t think the movement you were alluding to was some miniscule operation. I think your post was clear enough, and I too got a similar impression while reading MsRobyn’s posts.
I think Sailboat is pretty much correct with his response. Most of the people in charge of decisions like this do it because they think it invokes a Pavlovian reaction in consumers to start buying all sorts of crap.
I’d start a pit thread about “pagan music” that is Christmas songs clumsily rewritten with vaguely pagan lyrics (cite), but I think you might be the only one to come. Can we just condense it into a hearty “Fuck you, you unimaginative plagiarizers!” and tack it on here? I mean, c’mon! “Dancing in a Wiccan Wonderland?” Just shoot me now.
Add me to the list of those who are annoyed by the length and lack of depth of the Christmas music catalogue of today (while I acknowledge that it’s always started at the end of October, I do think they used to play more variety). I don’t want to hear Jesusy Christmas music 'cause I love Jesus or want you to love Jesus. I would rather hear Jesusy Christmas music 'cause some of it actually doesn’t suck.
You’re half right. Handel’s Messiah is indeed an oratorio for Easter, although it gets a lot of airtime around Christmas.
But “Angels We Have Heard on High” is not from the Messiah. It’s based on the traditional French carol “Les anges dans nos campagnes” (“The angels in our fields”); the well-known English lyrics were translated in 1862 by James Chadwick. It is sung to the traditional hymn tune “Gloria”.
Christmas music and decorations have been in the marketplace from middle November for the past fifty-odd years that I can remember (very odd years at that). Black Friday is opening day for Christmas Shopping, so it makes sense stores get consumers in the mood. My childhood memories of this period are not drowned in constant Christmas music mostly because there were no malls at the time. It’s malls where I hate this music most, because it’s inescapable.
The magic of Christmas is, for me, a delicate, mysterious visitation of childhood wonder. I enjoy some carols and most hymns, although I don’t subscribe to the theology (and never have). Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and I’ll Be Home for Christmas have the power to move me to tears. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire is a pleasure only because of Nat King Cole. Silent Night, It Came upon a Midnight Clear, Star of Wonder, Adeste Fideles, and In Excelsis Gloria, are sublime, stirring my deepest spiritual longings. Little Drummer Boy sends me screaming: I hate it! Humbug!!!
My gripe is with my state agency co-workers who insist on throwing a Christmas party rather than a Holiday party, although we work with a conspicuous number of non-Christians. They assure me that Christmas is not just a religious holiday. I retort: “What is NOT religious about Saint Nicholas celebrating the birth of Christ by giving gifts to all the good boys and girls?”
On a loosely related note that I just want to get in, I get a major kick out of the Bad Santa movies, Futurama’s evil robot Santa, and Father Christmas the arms dealer from The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe.
WhyNot, you’ve nailed it.
That was a truly frightning website. I couldn’t force myself to do anything beyond scanning the list of song titles. (We Three Crones?? ::shudder:: ) I get what they’re trying to do, but that is a horrible way to go about it.
Christmas music sucks, and any radio station (and I know some significant number of my pre-set stations will do this) that starts playing Christmas music before December . . . say, 18th, is dead to me.
Also, I would just like to say that I received a catalog last week that had these encouraging words splayed across the cover: “It’s not too late!!1!”* (to order in time for Christmas delivery). Damn right it ain’t “too late” you witless motherfuckers. It’s fucking NOVEMBER fucking 8th. Xmas is, last I looked, December 25. So siddown and shuddup and stop acting like I’m procrastinating because I haven’t bought and wrapped presents for everyone in North America before the first frost.
I hate Xmas, and I want a grinch smiley.
*Okay, I added the 1. But it was that kind of frenzied message.
What? But you’ll miss forever the glory that is “Hark the Neo-Pagans Sing!” OK, here’s the second verse, just so’s you’re not forever in darkness:
Herne by highest love adored,
Herne the ever-reborn Lord,
At all times behold Him come,
Offspring of the Holy One,
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see,
Hail Incarnate Deity!
Our ancient Craft now we reclaim,
in the God and Goddess’ names
Hark the neo-Pagans sing,
Glory to the Holly King!
You can thank me later. Leave a “Love Offering” on your way out.
See people? It could get WAY worse than “Silent Night”. Just wait 'till we get a recording studio and a producer. You’ll be BEGGING that Little Drummer Boy to Ba-Rupumpumpumpum again!
Whynot darlin’, you realize of course that means I’ll have to hurt you. Unless you’re into that sort of thing, which means I’ll have to not hurt you. Either way, you must be punished for inflicting that on me.
(I keed I keed!)
The Neopagan carol lyrics are definitely Goddessawful, but I think it’s worth memorizing at least one of them, just for the looks you’d get from the clerks and other shoppers when you sing “along” with the piped music in the stores. That’ll teach 'em to put on the Christmas music loop tape before Thanksgiving! Desperate times call for desperate remedies, folks.
I myself have settled on “Mother Berta’s Coming to Town”, although I don’t have a clue who Mother Berta’s supposed to be or what her function is in Neopaganism:
I like some Christmas music. I love A Charlie Brown Christmas and I’m fond of a few other pieces. However, I refuse to listen to them until at least Thanksgiving day, and preferably the day after. Let’s keep those holidays in order folks.
By the way, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being an atheist and celebrating Christmas. I don’t believe any of the secret origin, but I do like the parties and general celebratory atmosphere.
And I like presents.
ipod nano
You know that damned holiday music that the Gap plays in every commercial around this time of year? Well, they have a CD of that tripe that plays non-stop, all day, every day during the holiday shopping season. I worked at the Gap with my friends for a holiday season back in high school. Now, when I see those commercials I feel like carving out my eardrums to make the pain stop. Don’t get me wrong I am no fan of listening to people praise the lord while I am out shopping but let’s not get it twisted here. Those idiots took 12 of the most juvenile and irritating holiday songs and put them into one remixed compilation. Personally, I’ll take the church music any day. Of course, the Gap has ruined my ability to tolerate Let it snow. I am in some serious trouble when my nieces start having Christmas pageants. It will take every ounce of strength not to run for the doors when they start dancing around to Frosty the Snowman. Fortunately my own children will never partake in that stuff.
Why? It’s bad enough being an agnostic or an athiest and having that stuff rammed down our throats for months. It’s got to be worse for someone who is of another religion completely.
Nope, not really. I’m pagan and religious music has never bothered me (as long as it’s well written and not screechy.) You wanna know why? I can selectively ignore things that I know will offend me if said things are not worth getting upset about. It’s a useful skill, I recommend that the easily offended cultivate it. Makes for much happier times.
Heck, I don;t know why it is even offensive to begin with. Count me as a another agnostic who loves Christmas music.
It seems to me that those who are “offended” by Christmas music are just “offended” by the existence of other religions, on some level. Or is it that they’re offended by the fact that said religion is in plain view of others?
I dunno, but it seems very, very strange.