# You know what I hate about Christmas? Crowds? Nope. Snow? Nope -- THE FUCKING MUSIC!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 11, 2002, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109 "2002-12-11T22:06:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/1 "2002-12-11T22:06:36Z")
Ah yes, its that time of year again. The time of year when it isn’t the current flavor-of-the-month getting heavy rotation on the airwaves. Worse. Its the time of year that the same fucking music you’ve been hearing since the late 70s EVERY DECEMBER of EVERY YEAR gets heavy rotation. Our pseudo-“rock” station in my fair city feels that it is “cool” to play “Rock” Christmas music. Well, so far, every day for the past 2 weeks I’ve heard: Bruce Springsteen (Merry Christmas BAYYYBEH!!!) The Beach Boys (ooooohhhh… little Reindeer … ooooohhhh little reindeer) I think possibly Heart More Bruce Springsteen (raspy voice - SAAAAANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN!!!) And worst of all, **BONEY-M** (oh my lord… oh my lord… oh my lord…) You know, it wasn’t so bad at first, but, the crux of the problem appears tp be that there is only about 1 xmas song released by a “rock” or “pop” artist every, oh, 4-5 years. So, the same shit gets rehashed over EVERY FUCKING YEAR AFTER FUCKING YEAR. So, please, I beg the radio stations. FOR FUCKS SAKE - QUIT PLAYING THIS GOD DAMN SHITTY MUSIC over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. I’d rather go through a time-warp, get captured by the Nazis and interrogated. GAAAHHH!!! ---
**Author:** ![Swampwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Swampwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swampwolf)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/2 "2002-12-11T22:10:57Z")
Amen, hallelujah! Christmas music is on my official "Big honkin’ list of evil things."™ You can’t escape it, it’s fucking **everywhere!** It’s nothing short of auditory glurge, the musical equivalent of “chicken soup for the hypoglycemic soul.” And it takes until Groundhog’s day to get the last vestiges of it unstuck from my brain-wrinkles. …makes me want to take a shotgun to mall and restaurant speakers everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/3 "2002-12-11T22:11:17Z")
Mannheim Steamroller rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/4 "2002-12-11T22:12:47Z")
I wish “Jingle Bell Rock” could be banned forever! OTOH, I never tire of Band-Aid! FEEED the WOOOORRRLD! Let them know it’s Christmas time… la la la ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/5 "2002-12-11T22:15:23Z")
Christmas music makes me want to chew on the bones of my inner ear. But there are some decent Christmas songs out there, especially in the rock genre. _I Believe in Father Christmas_ by ELP, _Christmas Song_ by Jethro Tull, _Father Christmas_ by the Kinks, off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/6 "2002-12-11T22:18:53Z")
1. “Macarena First Noel” 2. Barkin Dogs’ “Jingle Bells” If it were legal, I 'd offer up some MP3’s. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/7 "2002-12-11T22:34:31Z")
For me, the best are the classics: Oh Holy Night, Silent Night, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, etc. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/8 "2002-12-11T23:18:45Z")
You know, I enjoy Christmas music, really. When I’m in the mood for it. But when one station goes all Christmas right after thanksgiving, and another goes all Christmas all weekend as well, I’m down two stations on the presets! I enjoyed Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. For a while. Now it just makes my ears bleed. Christmas music in the right time & place is fantastic. I just wish it were easier to avoid. ---
**Author:** ![Wabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/9 "2002-12-12T00:09:06Z")
Got three words for ya: Singing Christmas Trees. If you’re not familiar with these specific torture devices, allow me to elaborate: they are small plastic Evergreens which tinnily screech out the first few bars of ‘Jingle Bells’ every time someone walks by. Now imagine a barrel full of these creations sitting out in front of a toy store in a mall. Now imagine that you work across the aisle from said store. Imagine that you still have freakin’ flashbacks every holiday season. I think I’ve got ya beat… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Morelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Morelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morelin)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/10 "2002-12-12T00:16:02Z")
And at my job as a retail clerk? 6 of the 12 cds we play around the clock are Christmas music, starting the day after thanksgiving. UGH! Morelin ---
**Author:** ![BIG\_DADDY\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@BIG\_DADDY\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BIG_DADDY_1)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/11 "2002-12-12T00:28:55Z")
No, the worst ever is the musac (sp) version of the 12 days of christmas with no words. Duh, duh duh duh duh, duh duh, duh duh duh duh DUH, DUH, DUH, DUH. I had to work in a grocery store when I was in high scholl and hear that song every 45 minutes, I thought I was going to go crazy. It was like driving a freaking ice cream truck or something. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/12 "2002-12-12T00:33:15Z")
No, the worst is having to go to Hallmark for your mom to pick up some cards the weekend before Christmas, being stuck in there for TWO HOURS waiting to get rung up, and for some unholy reason, having to listen to Dolly Parton’s version of “Winter Wonderland” _on repeat THE ENTIRE TWO HOURS_. To this day, I can’t hear a single line of any version of Winter Wonderland without twitching violently. ---
**Author:** ![apotheosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@apotheosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apotheosis)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/13 "2002-12-12T00:42:16Z")
Old & busted: Manheim Steamroller. New h0tness: The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. For their part, the singing christmas trees should be subjected to the same destructive levels of ionizing radiation as their spiritual cousin, the Singing Billy Bass. They are naked, smirking evil personified. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/14 "2002-12-12T03:55:54Z")
I believe this would be an appropriate time for a crosspost from my livejournal. The Rant I Wrote A Couple of Weeks Ago About This Very Topic > [@](#): > > I understand that there aren’t many new Christmas songs which forces you to do the old standards such as “Silent Night”, “White Christmas,” “Do You Hear What I Hear.” That’s just fine, these songs are part of the tradition. > > I understand that because you are forced (in effect) to do these old songs, you want to put your personal stamp on them. This is perfectly all right. You don’t want your song to fall into the background noise of everyday life. > > What I do not understand, however, is why you feel that putting your personal stamp on a Christmas carol means being overly emotional while singing. Overly emotional? you ask. Yes. I swear, the sap is draining out of my radio when I listen to your quavery voice holding the notes to lengths most opera singers would envy, pouring the feeling into every word (“Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilent niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight, Hooooooooooooooooly niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight…”) By doing this you are becoming part of the overly emotional background noise. Yes, these songs strike emotional chords in most of us, being part of the holiday tradition as they are. Your rendering of them, though, is striking the emotional chord of “distaste” in me. > > What’s wrong with just plain singing? A nice simple tune that we can all sing along to. We can’t all be Amy Grant warbling her way through “O Holy Night”. We wanna sing to! Follow the notes on the page with no wavering, misplaced long notes, or other heartfelt outpourings of…whatever it is your heart is outpouring. Try changing the music, jazzing it up, or rocking it up, or polkaing it up or whatever your particular genre of music is. > > This is why I generally listen to Mannheim Steamroller Christmas music, or parody songs, or newer songs like “I Want An Alien for Christmas.” Can’t…take…emotion… > > (Addendum: For the love of everything there is, PLEASE do not pull a Paul McCartney and inflict a repetitive horror on us like “Sim-ply Hav-ing A Wonderful Christmas Time”! Gads! I just have to think of that song to get it stuck in my head! _beats head_ Out! Out! You demon song of evil! ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/15 "2002-12-12T04:18:09Z")
I concur on singing it straight. And that goes double for the National Anthem, Goddamnit! ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/16 "2002-12-12T04:28:07Z")
I wanna hear the Ramones’ **Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)** get a little more airtime. [sub]And **We’re A Happy Family** isn’t really an Xmas song, but doesn’t it have a nice sunshiney holiday feel, too?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/17 "2002-12-12T07:22:57Z")
“Do They Know It’s Christmas” is the worst offender, followed very closely by the more traditional one whose title I can never remember: “Come on, it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you.” Dorky lyrics, goofy music, lousy arrangements, and that damn whip-cracking sound. I can bear just about any other Xmas song except those two. ---
**Author:** ![meyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@meyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meyer)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/18 "2002-12-12T07:33:02Z")
I think the worst one is that horrible David Bowie/Somebody version of “Drummer Boy”. Ughh, it’s just so repetitive and vile and easy to get stuck in your head. Who knew that someday I would look back fondly on the days when we had to listen to the oldies station playing “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” every feaking day. ---
**Author:** ![Heloise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e36b37/32.png) [@Heloise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heloise)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/19 "2002-12-12T07:33:34Z")
Uh oh. I must admit. I love Christmas music. As soon as they start playing it, it’s about all I listen to on the radio. My favorites are celtic Christmas music and the older stuff, sung by the originals. Like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” sung by Judy Garland. Or the cathedral-like stuff. Yes, yes, I like the Vienna Boys Choir, too. And the Mormon Tabernacle music. What can I say? I’m completely sappy over all that music. But no, I don’t really care for the musak versions or the modernized versions of a lot of it. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109/20 "2002-12-12T12:34:09Z")
A friend of mine who drives carriages recently said that she’s considering charging riders an extra $5.00 if they sing “Jingle Bells” at any time during their ride. I think she called it annoyance tax. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-know-what-i-hate-about-christmas-crowds-nope-snow-nope-the-fucking-music/142109.md?page=2)