X-MAS SONGS

What is the deal with some of the songs that we label “Christmas Songs” or “Holiday Favorites”? I get songs like “White Christmas, Blue Christmas, Silver Bells, and even Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (colorful to say the least).  I get that people want to “Be Home for Christmas”, and we should wish each other “Feliz Navidad”, “because “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”!  Even songs like “Grandma Got Run-over by a Reindeer” and “Please Daddy Don’t Get Drunk this Christmas” make sense in a sick, weird, sort of way.

There are some songs that, when we look at the lyrics, really don’t have anything to do with Christmas!  For example a perennial favorite at Christmas is “Jingle Bells”.  It’s about snow, a horse, and a sleigh ride, (all common activities in Florida, Louisiana, and other southern states at Christmas). Nothing is said about Christmas at all (at least it’ sister song, “Jingle Bell Rock” talks about a Christmas Tree). How silly is it for people in Biloxi, MS to sing “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...” or “Winter Wonderland”, two songs clearly about weather and romance, but without any reference to Christmas.  Another example is “Frosty the Snowman,” again no mention of anything to do with Christmas (except of course snow).  My all-time favorite example of a mis-placed song at Christmas is Dean Martin crooning, “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” This song is better suited for “True Love Waits” than for Christmas.

MY POINT
The temptation here is to join those who every year proclaim the lost meaning of Christmas in our society.  After all, that is not a bad point to make and it is certainly a valid observation.  I do agree with Charlie Brown that Christmas has become commercialized. Rather than climb on a “soap box” and join the bashing bandwagon. I would prefer to ask a couple of questions.

How did we ever start to associate those “non-Christmas” songs with Christmas? Why do we do the things we do, sing the songs we sing, and watch the same old shows we watch at Christmas? Why is it that people who do not attend a church service any other time of the year will attend a Christmas Eve or Christmas day service? 

I don’t object to those things, in fact, we plan our Christmas serves to target those who might only attend once or twice (the other time being Easter) a year.  My concern is that we do too many things without reflecting on why we do them.  We stop at a red light because not to stop has a high probably of causing us pain.  We shop at a particular store or purchase a particular brand name for other reasons which may or may not be so cut and dry as obeying laws. These are things people do knowing why they do them.  The great danger in life and in our relationship with God is when we do things without knowing or understanding why we do them.  More importantly, once we understand the “why” of our actions, we can better identify which actions are beneficial and which are harmful.

So, “Good Christian Men Rejoice” and everyone “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”!