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Christmas music on the radio

Started by roadman, November 30, 2018, 01:36:14 PM

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MNHighwayMan

#25
I hate Christmas music. Stuff should be played at most only the week before Christmas, no sooner. I still dislike how every place that plays music (stores, etc) immediately goes to it the day after Thanksgiving (if not sooner!) Eww. :ded:


tdindy88

Looking at some of the past comments, it is interesting then that in church the Christmas music doesn't being UNTIL Christmas Day itself (or at least Christmas Eve.) I found it a little strange growing up hearing Christmas music soon after the New Year when the church still considered it part of the Christmas season. In my mind the secular season of Christmas leads up to the holiday (and on to New Year's) while the religious season begins on the holiday itself and continues for some time afterwards. Easter follows a similar pattern, the day after Easter you are probably finished with chocolate candies and Easter eggs yet the church celebrates all the way into June. 

abefroman329

Quote from: jon daly on November 30, 2018, 08:20:10 PM
Quote from: kphoger on November 30, 2018, 04:57:11 PM
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on November 30, 2018, 04:55:37 PM
Huh, never heard of that before. I was referring to my "tradition" sarcastically, since mine only (sometimes) stays up that long due to laziness.

Oh, I know.  I just thought you might enjoy being able to tell people it's actually tradition.

We usually took the tree down around Three King's Day, but I'm not sure when we put it up.

Do any of these stations play "Santa and His Old Lady" or is that just rock stations? I think it is my favorite secular Christmas song.
I've only heard it on dinosaur rock stations.

A close second is the Iron Man parody, I Am Santa Claus.

Hot Rod Hootenanny

Quote from: kphoger on November 30, 2018, 02:22:56 PM

What annoys me the most is the abrupt end to both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  As soon as Black Friday rolls around–BAM! everyone's putting up lights and decorations and the tree.  No break between the holidays, no chance to just sit back and enjoy turkey leftovers and take a breath.  And then, once December 26 comes around–BAM! all the decorations come down, all the Christmas music abruptly stops, nobody even mentions the holiday again for another ten or eleven months.  It's as if, rather than looking forward to holidays, everyone is super-glad they're over–like they just couldn't wait for it to be over.

You don't celebrate Mardi Gras? (which has MUCH better music than Christmas does, IMO)
Please, don't sue Alex & Andy over what I wrote above

vdeane

Quote from: MNHighwayMan on November 30, 2018, 04:50:14 PM
Quote from: Brandon on November 30, 2018, 04:47:48 PM
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on November 30, 2018, 04:46:48 PM
Quote from: kphoger on November 30, 2018, 02:22:56 PM
And then, once December 26 comes around–BAM! all the decorations come down, all the Christmas music abruptly stops, nobody even mentions the holiday again for another ten or eleven months.  It's as if, rather than looking forward to holidays, everyone is super-glad they're over–like they just couldn't wait for it to be over.
Tradition in my house that the tree doesn't come down until February, sometimes...
How dry does that tree get!?!  :-o

Haha, it's an artificial tree, so it doesn't. It's not like I'm sitting around with a giant fire hazard in my living room. :-D
Yeah, it's not good to have a dry tree waiting to become a raging inferno! (skip to 3:40 for the dry tree, 5:05 for the artificial tree)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ggmmzFSgpU

Remember kids: water your trees.  And don't decorate them with accelerant and light them on fire with a blow torch.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

roadman65

Quote from: tdindy88 on November 30, 2018, 08:51:07 PM
Looking at some of the past comments, it is interesting then that in church the Christmas music doesn't being UNTIL Christmas Day itself (or at least Christmas Eve.) I found it a little strange growing up hearing Christmas music soon after the New Year when the church still considered it part of the Christmas season. In my mind the secular season of Christmas leads up to the holiday (and on to New Year's) while the religious season begins on the holiday itself and continues for some time afterwards. Easter follows a similar pattern, the day after Easter you are probably finished with chocolate candies and Easter eggs yet the church celebrates all the way into June. 
Z88.3 in Orlando is a Christian Music Station and they always follow the secular season with their format.  Its most likely cause they are not a specific denomination as most Protestants do not have the seasons that the Catholics due.  In my denomination we have Advent starting this Sunday and that is the precursor to Christmas.  We do not celebrate Christmas until Christmas Eve which then goes on to the Baptism of the Lord.

Now Spirit FM in Tampa is now playing Christmas Music, but not 24/7!  They still have their regular format but every third song is a Christmas one, so you are not bombarded with it all unlike Z88 and Magic in Orlando who plays it all from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day with no regular programming at all.  Z is regular Matt Maher, Mercy Me, Lauren Dagle etc all year long, and Magic is all 80's, 90's, and today pop hits when Santa Claus is Coming to town is not on the playlist.

Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

formulanone

#31
I'm not much for radio, but I think I experienced the record for "Earliest-Heard Christmas Music on the Radio": Q102 in Cincinnati was playing at least one song an hour in mid-September. I wish I was making that up. Although nowhere near a marathon of songs, it seemed to be at least two months too early to nudge us into shopping and planning.

There may be 20 really popular songs, but there's probably 75-100 that get some sort of play. There's probably hundreds more, but I suppose the favorites and standards have to be repetitively put in. When I worked retail jobs, I'd count them because there's not much else to do. But other than helping decorate the house after Thanksgiving, and the week leading up to Christmas, I don't need to hear the stuff.

Quote from: kphoger on November 30, 2018, 02:22:56 PM
And then, once December 26 comes around–BAM! all the decorations come down, all the Christmas music abruptly stops, nobody even mentions the holiday again for another ten or eleven months. It's as if, rather than looking forward to holidays, everyone is super-glad they're over–like they just couldn't wait for it to be over.

Hmmm...I seem to notice most folks leave the decorations up until New Years Day or so. Many holiday commercials still air for a few more days. Most stores seem to leave up a lot of their decorations, although there's a gradual theme change (and make room for a wider the return line). Folks usually have a little more time to shop again, there's gift cards and certificates to be spent. The focus changes somewhat from Old Giving Father to New Year's Baby; retailers put out a token display for the get-togethers with next year's number on it, and leftover wrapping paper is a bargain. But I guess the retailers then move on to Valentine's Day; it has become a gift-giving occasion in it's own right.

Sometimes we leave them up for a few days after that, although partially out of laziness, I do enjoy the lights on the tree at night. It depends on when have to get back to work.

SSOWorld

You frickin' kidding me? Christmas started in September the day retailers started selling Christmas lights and decor.  :ded:
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

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Scott5114

Quote from: english si on November 30, 2018, 03:05:22 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 30, 2018, 01:45:07 PMThere's only about 20 Christmas songs
That's probably the radio station, rather than you being sheltered, but there's way more.

Also 20 songs is an hour non-stop, making half-hourly intervals between different versions really silly.

Not so much me being sheltered, but my employer hating me and wanting me to die.

Fortunately, it hasn't started yet but once they switch over it gets really bad. Nothing worse than trying to get through a nine-hour shift with Bing Crosby...
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

english si

Quote from: SSOWorld on December 01, 2018, 11:00:40 AMYou frickin' kidding me? Christmas started in September the day retailers started selling Christmas lights and decor.  :ded:
September? January (I've just got out a box of lights that hadn't been used under the rest of the lights, which means they must have been bought in early January as all the other lights that were taken down, dried, tidied up, put in a box and buried under a load of other stuff for 11 months. If we had them, we'd have used them).

But selling stuff is different from doing stuff. Easter doesn't start in January when the first eggs appear on shelves - that's just for the hyper-prepared to get a bargain. And so it is with lights and tinsel - selling it, even displaying it where it is sold, isn't the same as decorating with it.

nexus73

Watching the SEC title game let me catch a commercial for an FM station in Eugene which advertised themselves as playing all Christmas music all the time.  I wonder what their Arbitron numbers are with that format?

Rick
US 101 is THE backbone of the Pacific coast from Bandon OR to Willits CA.  Industry, tourism and local traffic would be gone or severely crippled without it being in functioning condition in BOTH states.

jon daly

Quote from: nexus73 on December 01, 2018, 06:17:28 PM
Watching the SEC title game let me catch a commercial for an FM station in Eugene which advertised themselves as playing all Christmas music all the time.  I wonder what their Arbitron numbers are with that format?

Rick

Some folks wish that every day was Christmas. Others pine for Halloween.

My mom wishes every day was Thanksgiving. She doesn't like it when she stops to eat somewhere and can't order turkey with gravy.

hbelkins

Tradition in my house growing up was that we went and cut the tree and put it up on Dec. 12, which was my dad's birthday. It usually stayed up until at least New Year's Day, although I'm told that one year in my youth, it stayed up until sometime in February.

Putting up a tree since I've been married has been hit-and-miss because every year except our first Christmas, we've had cats.

I'm not a huge fan of Christmas music, but there are some songs I absolutely cannot stand. John Lennon's Christmas song is one of the most depressing things I've ever heard that purports to be a holiday tune. The first Christmas I was out of college and was working, the local radio station played "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" on heavy rotation and I got sick of it in 1983. And although "Baby It's Cold Outside" doesn't creep me out the way it does so many of these new age snowflakes -- the same people who get offended by the Charlie Brown and Rudolph TV shows, if any of you have seen the news stories that have come out in the last couple of weeks -- I'm not a fan of it either. At work, I'm the guy who sits in his office and listens to talk radio while everyone else has Christmas music playing in their offices.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

qguy

Quote from: MNHighwayMan on November 30, 2018, 04:55:37 PM
Quote from: kphoger on November 30, 2018, 04:51:30 PM
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on November 30, 2018, 04:46:48 PM
Quote from: kphoger on November 30, 2018, 02:22:56 PM
And then, once December 26 comes around–BAM! all the decorations come down, all the Christmas music abruptly stops, nobody even mentions the holiday again for another ten or eleven months.  It's as if, rather than looking forward to holidays, everyone is super-glad they're over–like they just couldn't wait for it to be over.
Tradition in my house that the tree doesn't come down until February, sometimes...
There's an old tradition to leave to leave the decorations up until Candlemas (February 2), and also an accompanying tradition that it's bad luck to leave it up after that.  In order to avoid the bad luck, one would then leave it up until the following Christmas (Candlemas).
Huh, never heard of that before. I was referring to my "tradition" sarcastically, since mine only (sometimes) stays up that long due to laziness.

In the Northeast, with the cultural influence of Russian Orthodox Christmas/Epiphany on 6 Jan, many leave their decorations up a lot longer. When I was stationed in the South, for example, it seemed like everyone had kicked their Christmas trees to the curb a day or two after Christmas. In the Northeast, many leave everything up as long as the third or fourth week in January. A small percentage even leave their exterior lights lit late as well. It just seems people aren't in such a hurry to ditch the Christmas season as quickly as in other parts of the country.

The Christmas music on the radio does end just as quickly though.

jon daly

Quote from: abefroman329 on November 30, 2018, 09:18:31 PM
Quote from: jon daly on November 30, 2018, 08:20:10 PM
Quote from: kphoger on November 30, 2018, 04:57:11 PM
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on November 30, 2018, 04:55:37 PM
Huh, never heard of that before. I was referring to my "tradition" sarcastically, since mine only (sometimes) stays up that long due to laziness.

Oh, I know.  I just thought you might enjoy being able to tell people it's actually tradition.

We usually took the tree down around Three King's Day, but I'm not sure when we put it up.

Do any of these stations play "Santa and His Old Lady" or is that just rock stations? I think it is my favorite secular Christmas song.
I've only heard it on dinosaur rock stations.

A close second is the Iron Man parody, I Am Santa Claus.

A bunch of roakc artists have played Christmas songs, but I think these stations don't normally play them. Mellencamp, the Kinks, Springsteen, Billy Squier are a few I can think of OTTOMH. My guess is that solo Paul McC is soft enough for the format, but not these guys.

abefroman329

Quote from: jon daly on December 02, 2018, 02:06:42 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on November 30, 2018, 09:18:31 PM
Quote from: jon daly on November 30, 2018, 08:20:10 PM
Quote from: kphoger on November 30, 2018, 04:57:11 PM
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on November 30, 2018, 04:55:37 PM
Huh, never heard of that before. I was referring to my "tradition" sarcastically, since mine only (sometimes) stays up that long due to laziness.

Oh, I know.  I just thought you might enjoy being able to tell people it's actually tradition.

We usually took the tree down around Three King's Day, but I'm not sure when we put it up.

Do any of these stations play "Santa and His Old Lady" or is that just rock stations? I think it is my favorite secular Christmas song.
I've only heard it on dinosaur rock stations.

A close second is the Iron Man parody, I Am Santa Claus.

A bunch of roakc artists have played Christmas songs, but I think these stations don't normally play them. Mellencamp, the Kinks, Springsteen, Billy Squier are a few I can think of OTTOMH. My guess is that solo Paul McC is soft enough for the format, but not these guys.
The same dinosaur rock stations that play Cheech and Chong also play Springsteen's cover of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Maybe the Billy Squier Christmas song too. Father Christmas is probably a little too subversive for radio play.

cjk374

I wish CD's were an option, but my new car did not come equipped with a CD player.

I started seeing Christmas crap getting put up in August. Perhaps by the time we are buried & gone, Christmas will be celebrated in stores year round.

I like Christmas music...but only about a week or 2 before Christmas.
Runnin' roads and polishin' rails.

hotdogPi

Quote from: cjk374 on December 02, 2018, 03:09:57 PM
I started seeing Christmas crap getting put up in August. Perhaps by the time we are buried & gone, Christmas will be celebrated in stores year round.

Most places put it up in September or October. The only place I've seen it in August is Cracker Barrel (and they've done it more than once).
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

cjk374

Quote from: 1 on December 02, 2018, 04:37:56 PM
Quote from: cjk374 on December 02, 2018, 03:09:57 PM
I started seeing Christmas crap getting put up in August. Perhaps by the time we are buried & gone, Christmas will be celebrated in stores year round.

Most places put it up in September or October. The only place I've seen it in August is Cracker Barrel (and they've done it more than once).

Cracker Barrel, Michael's, & Hobby Lobby were the offenders I saw this year...complete with decor & music to boot.
Runnin' roads and polishin' rails.

Scott5114

I feel like starting the Christmas stuff that early has opposite of the intended effect–it makes the holiday feel less special, and by the time it's actually the Christmas season, one is already fatigued by it!
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

abefroman329

Quote from: cjk374 on December 02, 2018, 03:09:57 PM
I wish CD's were an option, but my new car did not come equipped with a CD player.
You could plug a Discman into the auxiliary jack.

Way OT, but apparently Cracker Barrel is selling country-fried turkey now...that's the hardest I'd hard passes.

1995hoo

I cranked up Twisted Sister's Christmas album while doing the dishes after dinner tonight. Great stuff. But I found myself thinking how many so-called Christmas songs (many of which, like the various iterations of "Jingle Bells," have nothing do to with Christmas) are snow- or winter-themed and are utterly incongruous when you celebrate Christmas in Florida and it's typically 75°F and sunny.

I do not listen to Christmas music on the radio, in part because by Thanksgiving I'm often sick of the insipid shit they play. I'd like to go back in time and shoot the jackarse who composed "Jingle Bell Rock."  :angry:  So much of the retail "Christmas" stuff shows a fear of recognizing that Christmas is in fact a religious holiday and has a very rich tradition of liturgical music. You almost never hear any of the hymns on the radio. Similar to how some dumbarses are now afraid to call it a "Christmas tree." Our community newsletter referred to "holiday tree disposal." WTF. Jews won't be offended by the term "Christmas tree" because it is, in fact, a Christmas tree!
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
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commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

ErmineNotyours

Most of the year my boss forces us to listen to the rap station.  This is the month he forces us to listen to Christmas music.  Given the choice, I'll take the Christmas music, especially if they have variety.  Mitch Miller is almost square enough to be cool again, but, really, who needs to hear a straight version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" ever again?

The main radio where this plays from has a USB connector, so one time I put in the hilariously obscene comedy songs played on The Mad Music Show to see if anyone noticed.  No one did.

formulanone

#48
Quote from: 1995hoo on December 02, 2018, 08:32:19 PMBut I found myself thinking how many so-called Christmas songs (many of which, like the various iterations of "Jingle Bells," have nothing do to with Christmas) are snow- or winter-themed and are utterly incongruous when you celebrate Christmas in Florida and it's typically 75°F and sunny.

That's where it gets a bit meaningless; hearing two dozen songs about "snow" gets to be absurd, and I figured that there should have been other local traditions to take its place. At least the part I enjoyed about the holidays was seeing your relatives and family, and your friends' extended family, too.

I always figured there was a market for at least one Snowbird Christmas song, but Bing Crosby sort of filled that niche with "Mele Kalikimaka" decades ago. (Still, one explaining that you can unwrap gifts in your shorts, dodge out-of-town traffic, make multiple trips to the airport...but would probably concentrate on stereotypes about citrus fruit, sandals with socks, and alligator threats.

abefroman329

Quote from: formulanone on December 03, 2018, 05:32:23 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on December 02, 2018, 08:32:19 PMBut I found myself thinking how many so-called Christmas songs (many of which, like the various iterations of "Jingle Bells," have nothing do to with Christmas) are snow- or winter-themed and are utterly incongruous when you celebrate Christmas in Florida and it's typically 75°F and sunny.

That's where it gets a bit meaningless; hearing two dozen songs about "snow" gets to be absurd, and I figured that there should have been other local traditions to take its place. At least the part I enjoyed about the holidays was seeing your relatives and family, and your friends' extended family, too.

I always figured there was a market for at least one Snowbird Christmas song, but Bing Crosby sort of filled that niche with "Mele Kalikimaka" decades ago. (Still, one explaining that you can unwrap gifts in your shorts, dodge out-of-town traffic, make multiple trips to the airport...but would probably concentrate on stereotypes about citrus fruit, sandals with socks, and alligator threats.
There's "Christmas in Dixie,"  staple of the Stone Mountain (GA) Christmas Laser Show, but I honestly can't remember if it mentions snow or not. There are portions of the South that see a white Christmas, after all.



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