Sound Check Music Blog

If you ask the average person what his or her favorite time of year is, you would likely get mixed reviews. You might hear answers such as “Summer time for hot weather, summer wardrobes, and vacations” or “Fall for football season.” My answer is somewhat as cliché as the rest of these, but for a very different reason. I absolutely love Christmastime.

To me, Christmas is not just a holiday, but an entire season dedicated to family, beautiful décor, twinkling lights, crisp air, religion, and last, but not least, Christmas Music (that’s right, I love it so much that I believe it deserves a capital “M”).

Beginning November 1st, my mentality shifts from a college or fantasy football focus to a Christmas one. I begin asking everyone who will listen when they think my local easy listening station will begin its annual 24/7 playlist of Christmas Music. This year, it happened on November 11th, 3 or 4 days earlier than it started in 2010.

I could already “hear” the gripes on Facebook from friends about how Christmas Music begins earlier and earlier every year and how annoying it is to hear it all the time in stores and on the radio and how they just got done “Trick-or-Treating” and are not ready for their “Fa-La-La’s” quite yet. As a self-proclaimed Christmas Music connoisseur and expert, I whole-heartedly disagree with these gripes.

What these Scrooges do not realize is that for the past 10 months, they probably have not heard “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night,” or “All I Want for Christmas Is You” because it is considered taboo to rock out to 98 Degrees – “This Gift” in the middle of July with the radio blasting and your windows down.

Mariah Carey – “All I Want For Christmas Is You”

The anti-Christmas Music Revolution of the early 21st century has gotten so bad in recent years that I find myself having to defend the one time of year where there should be “Peace on Earth and Good Will Towards Men.” What ever happened to people keeping their unsolicited opinions to themselves?

Guess what?

There are other radio stations that you could listen to that aren’t playing “The First Noel.” No one asked you to enter the mall or other retail stores. There are other stores in the area who haven’t yet gotten in to the spirit of the season. Try Hot Topic; I bet they are still playing Nickelback or Daughtry if you would rather hear that garbage. Please stop and think that you are not the only person on the planet, and that others that might enjoy hearing such messages as “Christ is born” and who may find comfort in the fact that “Santa Claus is Coming To Town.”

Bruce Springsteen – “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”

Having turkey in your belly does not and should not automatically trigger the start of a feeling you have in your heart that is Christmas.

For people like me, that feeling lasts 365 days of year, as should Christmas Music in my opinion. But don’t worry friends. I have no intentions of blasting “Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart” any day earlier than November 1 or any day later than January 1.

Wham! – “Last Christmas”

What do you think?  When is the appropriate time to blast Christmas music?  Share your thoughts below or on Facebook at Facebook.com/SoundCheckMusicBlog.

Merry Christmas!