I’m a December baby, and there isn’t much about the holiday season that I don’t love. I’ve taken my parents’ artificial Christmas tree hostage. They bought it the year before they got me, and it’s comforting to unveil the familiar ornaments year after year. There are always a few that I forget until I see them again, but they bring a smile to my face like reuniting with old friends. But I think one of the most special parts of the holiday season is the music. Regardless of whether you like Christmas carols or not, it’s hard to make it through December without learning the words to at least one holiday song.
Regardless of whether you celebrate a holiday during December, in the United States at least, we’re exposed to the same carnival of holiday classics year after year. I’m not sure it’s possible to make it to New Year’s without catching at least a snippet of Mariah Carey belting out ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You.’ And if you get tired of hearing Bing Crosby crooning ‘White Christmas,’ all of the classics get reimagined into new arrangements each season to suit just about every musical taste. From R&B to Country to Pop to Clasical there are dozens of variations of just about every Christmas song.
And while not everyone blasts holiday music through the house all month long, it is still all around us as we go about our daily lives. Waiting in line at the store, eating out in restaurants, and even flipping through the channels on the television, this music plays on in the background, and it’s something that the richest and poorest of us all share.
So let me know, which holiday song is your favorite? Which one do you absolutely hate to hear? Me, I love Mannheim Steamroller’s orchestral version of ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman,’ but I can’t stand any version of ‘Santa Baby.’ So if you’re out and about and happen to see me when one of those two come on, if you share my sentiments, then I share your joy or pain too!
Alicia Gaile 