A Short List of Acceptable Christmas Songs

Stille_Nacht_eoEvery year stores seem to start playing Christmas music earlier than they did the year before. My patience for these tunes is all but entirely worn out this season, and we’re still a little over two weeks away from Christmas.

Nearly every rule has at least one exception, though, so today I’ll be sharing the short list of Christmas songs that I have not yet found irritating in 2015. 😉

Stille Nacht. That is, Silent Night. My high school choir attempted to sing this song one year. None of us were native German speakers, so we stumbled over the pronunciation of certain words a bit in our concert. Not understanding the lyrics made and makes it much easier for me to appreciate the tune. There’s also the fact that I live in an area where German is not commonly spoken. As far as I can tell, I haven’t heard this song in any stores. Yet.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas. My mom explained the lyrics and background of this song to her kids when we were fairly young. It was heartbreaking to think of a young soldier off fighting in Europe in the 1940s who has no idea if he’ll ever go home again, much less make it home in time for Christmas. Part of me hopes we get a sequel to this story someday that talks about how the soldier made it home safely and lived happily ever after. In my mind, that is exactly what happened to him.

Winter Wonderland. What I like about this song is that it has nothing at all to do with a religious or materialistic approach to the holidays. The speaker is enjoying all of the nice things that winter brings, and it doesn’t cost him or her a single cent. (Well, other than maybe a little extra feed for the horses that have been pulling all of those sleighs around). This is the sort of tune that can be enjoyed by everyone. It doesn’t matter whether or not you celebrate Christmas or which deities – if any – you believe in. Anyone who lives in a climate where it snows can relate to what it feels like to walk around in a cold, quiet world after its been blanketed in a fresh coat of snow.

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2 Responses to A Short List of Acceptable Christmas Songs

  1. Isabella Norse

    There are certain radio stations I no longer listen to because they begin playing Christmas music 24/7 on November 1st. Seriously? I love both Christmas and Christmas music, but there are only so many times one can hear “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” or one of the countless versions of “The Little Drummer Boy” and remain sane.

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