I heard Jingle Bells three times today, twice on radio, once on teevee.
It rubbed me the wrong way, especially the first time because they only played the chorus over and over. I felt more than annoyance, a bit less than deep anger. Usually I ignore it. Couldn’t.
It’s only Nov. 30. I am…troubled by the prospect of the next three and a half weeks.
Every year, I try to “get in the spirit” by being reflective about the solstice, shortest day of year, meaning of light, etc. etc. Have gone to the Christmas Revels, where they get kinda philosophical about it all.
I have a beef with the same tune, but only because its always played at Christmas, whereas it isn’t even a Christmas song. We don’t usually get enough snow for sleighing until after Christmas, and then no-one ever plays Jingle Bells.
When I was a student / unemployed I used to temp in shops at christmas. They always had just one christmas cd that was on repeat so we’d get the same 15 christmas songs, in the same order one after the other all day every day. Man that sucked.
Most of the songs were rubbish as well so you spent most of the CD in musical hell, just waiting for Slade, The Pogues and the Jackson 5 to come on and give you a lift.
Char and I will be on a cruise over Christmas (which doesn’t affect us that much since we’re Jewish). On Dec 25, we’ll be in Jamaica, so I’m hoping we’ll hear a lot of Reggae and steel drum carols. Ja mon!
When I was in high school, we used to listen to WLIB in New York – “The only station in the nation with a Caribbean education.” They played Jamaican Christmas music. The songs were often changed just a little to fit the reggae mold better. The one I remember:
Silver bells, silver bells
It’s Christmas time in the ghetto. . .
Last I knew WLIB had gone all talk, with exciting topics such as Should reggae record stores sell calypso records?
Our Pagan group has a bunch of “tweaked” Carols that we sing at a get-together around Yule.
Once upon a time when I was participating in a TV watching questionnaire, I observed that one of the tedious parts of TV was the remorselessness of the Festive Sprit on the box. Here in the UK, we have the refreshment of watching a Christmastime show in other parts of the year, when they are a carelessly scheduled (most of the time) import.
I suggested they have “Christmas Specials” at other times of the year. Slightly to my surprise, a couple of shows have acted on it… Mainly the Saturday Morning Kids ones…
