Stupid for holiday music

Stupid for holiday music

Posted on December 19th, 2018 by Scott Warnock

I stumbled across something last year and tucked it away: Studies show Christmas songs can be bad for your stress and mental state.

With all due respect to those for whom the holidays are tough, ’cause I’ve been through own tough noggin’ times, I ain’t letting any of it get me down. In fact, I’m stupid for holiday music.

That might mean that I’m not out there doing the greatest job around Christmas, because part of the reason people are inundated with holiday songs is because they spend so much time in malls and stores. Me, I tend to start that process called “shopping” late. In my salad days, I would spend eight hours in a mall bar three days before Christmas with my buddy before going out and buying extravagant gifts–sometimes the real surprise of Christmas was seeing the what I had bought! Now, I loaf around the Barnes & Noble coffee shoppe drinking sugary beverages and eating brownies before hitting the stacks. In some cases, we don’t so much grow up as divert our immaturity.

(But forgive my negligence, my not taking it all seriously enough. Remember–remember!—my birthday is only a few days before Christmas, the 21st, in case you are counting, which you’re probably not.)

The holidays seem to work out each year. My family spends time with great people. People give and get gifts. And every fourth year, my daughter presents us with the Christmas miracle of relative satisfaction.

In the background, songs are spinning. If you’re one of those who are worn or stressed by holiday songs, allow me to suggest a few you may not have heard. If that doesn’t work, I’ll pitch hard for a few of our household favorites.

Looking for something new? Have you ever heard Eve 6’s rocker “The First Noel/I Like Christmas“? I play this in front of people and watch for the glimmer of joy, like Ralphie in A Christmas Story believing his teacher will love his essay. As he was, I’m often disappointed.

Okay, this one comes and goes on the old Interweb, so click quickly, but if you like both Zeppelin and Christmas, you’ll be happy about “Sled Zeppelin”: “D’Yer Mak’er” re-written as a Santa tune!

Need something new to make your holiday happy? How about this one?: “Merry Christmas” by Wesley Willis. Now, maybe you’ve heard “Dominick the Donkey,” but pair it with the video: Look how much fun those guys are having!–almost as much as Leon Redbone and Dr. John has in their “Frosty the Snowman.”

Just in case you just think I’m all spoof and rock–sprock?–check out “The Holly and the Ivy” by Tonus Peregrinus from Naxos Book of Carols.

Not convinced? Maybe my glee over some old standards will infect you. First, I don’t care how many times I hear it in December: the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo” amazes me.

How can I not feel goodwill while listening to The Royal Guardsmen’s “Snoopy vs. The Red Baron“? When the Baron cries out, “Merry Christmas, my friend!”–that’s not a tear, it’s just my pine tree allergy. How can’t Thurl Ravenscroft’s belting out how the Grinch’s “brain is full of spiders” give you holiday tingleys?

We have several Christmas song CDs. I’m not going to wade into the debate about “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” I will note that I’m way ahead of the current debaters. Years ago I watched two talented eighth-graders perform this at a school concert and thought, “Wow, this is actually kind of a creepy song.” Still, the Dean Martin version (with some mystery singer) is oft played in our kitchen.

Along with Martin are Mahalia Jackson’s “O Holy Night,” Tony Bennett’s “My Favorite Things,” Eartha Kitt’s “Santa Baby,” and Gene Autry’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

My all-time #1 Christmas song is Burl Ives’ “Holly Jolly Christmas.” I love this one so much that it has even crept into my top 100 all-time songs, nestled amongst Zeppelin and Public Enemy.

Part of my holiday song success formula is full immersion. I just keep going until indeed, I can’t take it anymore–but at that point we’re heading into January. Then Leon Redbone and co. are tucked away for another year, and I’m all the more satisfied for it.

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Scott Warnock

Scott Warnock is a writer and teacher who lives in South Jersey. He is a professor of English at Drexel University, where he is also the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education in the College of Arts and Sciences. Father of three and husband of one, Scott is president of a local high school education foundation and spent many years coaching youth sports.