I love Christmas music. I do! Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got my rules. No xmas music before Thanksgiving, no crappy xmas music, and no over the top new renditions of classics. But give me a little Barenakedladies singing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Avril Lavigne singing Oh Holy Night, and anything from Amy Grants Christmas album and I’m quite jolly.
Here’s thing though, for me Christmas time is an excuse to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the beginning of God’s inbreaking into the world in a new revolutionary way, and all that good stuff. So when I sing Christmas carols the reality is that most of the songs I sing reflect that story. Obviously there’s the occasional Rudolph story or Frosty the Snowman, but in general most songs are about Jesus. I say all that simply to make the point that I’ve got an excuse for singing Christmas songs. Singing songs is a part of the Christian tradition. It’s worship, it’s a way to learn the story, remember purpose, ect. We do it every Sunday. But if we take away that excuse, or if you don’t have that excuse, then can’t we observe that Christmas music is a little wierd? Couldn’t we say that it’s just a little odd? What other holidays or occasions do we have a whole genre of music dedicated to it? Sure on our birthday we have one special traditional song that we sing, and on Halloween there are a few creepy or goofy halloween songs. But at christmas we have whole radio stations dedicated to it’s glorious music. If it’s not about worshiping Jesus one might argue that we actually just worshiping the holiday itself! (and worry not, I’m trying to argue that Christmas must be about Jesus and that all of you who do not follow Jesus are missing the ‘reason for the season’. I actually believe that all we Christians are doing is reinterpreting a holiday season to give it purpose that has meaning for us. So I would not be inclined to be harsh towards others who want to reinterpret the Christmas season toward their own purposes).

Ok, I’ve gone on long enough. I just think that our infatuation with all things “christmasy” Santa, carols, the ‘spirit of Christmas’, elves, tinsle, etc. is kind of silly. Though I think most things that I/we do are silly if we really step back and look at thing with a Sienfeldesque eye.

I hope your Christmas was amazing!