[78-L] The Christmas Songs

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kristjan Saag" <saag at telia.com>
> Of course not. But when a winter song with bells on it, like "Sleigh Ride"
> is being played over and over in the Christmas season for 60 years, it has
> become a Christmas Song, just like "Good King Wenceslas" has, even though
> there's no Christmas Tree, no Christmas presents and no Red-nosed Reindeer
> seen in it.
"Good King Wenceslas" (lyrically, anyway) looked out "On the Feast Of
Stephen!" Now, this being to some extent a personal issue for me...when
IS/WAS "The feast of Stephen?" And, is it related in any way to Christmas?
> I'm afraid your definition of a Christmas Song is a little formalistic,
> Mike. Fortunately public taste is more inventive and permits things to
> change from A to B.
Here, I wholeheartedly agree! Keep in mind that Christmas has been a
VERY important holiday for at least a millennium, if not more...dating
back WELL before our retail sector grabbed the holiday and ran off
with it...?!

Since Christmas is an important day for all of us Christians, it inspired
any number of hymns/religious-themed songs...most dating back WELL
before they could have been recorded! Since we humans had to
provide our own musical entertainment until a century or less ago,
"Christmas carols" were regularly played and sung each December...
and (as always happens with music?!) some of these songs, as well
as several others Mr. Biel seems to disdain, were so repeatedly
performed that they became "EVERYBODY knows this tune!"
standards for the Christmas season!

The odd thing (to me, anyway?!) is how few more recent Christmas-
themed (or winter-themed?) songs have been able to enter the
admittedly-unofficial list of "Good old Christmas carols?!" POSSIBLY
"Winter Wonderland"...certainly "White Christmas"...and, for
whatever odd reason(s), "Jingle Bell Rock?!"

I dunno if the C&W Christmas standard, "Blue Christmas," would
qualify...?!

Steven C. Barr