As the commercialization of Christmas encroaches upon more and more of the year, one of the most obnoxious things to me is the insistence that most places have on playing "Christmas Music."
Of course, the issue here is that so much of the so-called Christmas Music simply isn't. I used to consider it more an irritation at violation of seasonal boundaries - let's actually celebrate Thanksgiving first - but now I'm sure it's more of the content. I have no problem with playing or listening to "We Three Kings", "Greensleeves/What Child is This", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", or other more traditional hymns throughout the year. I also certainly will put on any of the earlier Trans-Siberian orchestra albums, the Nutcracker Suite, or Sabaton's "Christmas Truce" outside of the holiday season.
The difference, I realized, being that those old tunes aren't just earworms, but pay respect to the themes of the season and to the related traditions of western civilization, instead of being about Santa, what some BPD chick wants from him, snow falling, all us wanting from Christmas is a lover, chestnuts on a fire, and so on.
I really don't have time for such selfish crap, even "in season." I always have time for honoring Christ, for honoring truth and beauty and civilization.
