Deep Christmas

Shirley posted yesterday on her not-so-favorite Christmas songs, songs like “White Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and such:

I guess I’ve kept it a secret. They just don’t do anything for me. It’s not that I’m tired of them because they and I have been around so long. They just aren’t my type. Here’s a few more now that I’m confessing: “Chestnuts Roasting…,” “Silver Bells,” “Let it Snow”… Well, you probably get the idea. I don’t know exactly why but I just don’t get thrilled to hear them. You may not be surprised by now to hear that I’m not a Bing Crosby fan. Nope.

Okay, now here’s some choral Christmas songs that do thrill me. I don’t have an order for them, but here are a few: “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Joy to the World,” “Good King Wenceslas,” “The Holly and the Ivy,” “I Saw Three Ships,” “Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella,” “In the Bleak Midwinter,” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “O Holy Night,” “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” “What Child is This?”…

In reading through her list, I realized to my surprise that I’m the same way, too. I don’t hate the first kind of songs, mind you, and I’ll listen to them if they’re playing, but they don’t really get to me. It’s like they’re surface Christmas, and the second type are deep Christmas.

Maybe it’s because they’re usually older folk songs, not the new glitzy stuff. But then again there are new songs like “Breath of Heaven” and “Mary, Did You Know?” that fall into the second category, so I don’t think it’s a function of age. At least not entirely.

I think it’s that the first kind are about Christmas, and the second kind are Christmas. Meta-Christmas songs talk about the snow and the bells and Santa and such, but not much more. Those are just the trappings of Christmas. The real Christmas songs, on the other hand, reach straight into your heart to remind you that Christmas is about Christ — and, by extension, it’s about love and giving and compassion. That’s deep Christmas.

That said, I don’t think there’s any real harm in surface Christmas. Well, not unless it dampens our remembering why Christmas really matters and what it’s all about.

Hear hear!

Thanks, Ben. I like that thought that those songs we like best are Christmas. Another idea from Google–Winter songs versus Christmas songs. Why hadn’t I thought of that? One fellow said that to be a Christmas song it had to be about the baby Jesus or Santa Claus. Well that brings up a whole ‘nother issue which it is a little late to discuss. Suffice it to say that the ones I love fit the definition of a carol : “A song, esp. of joy.” And the birth of the Savior is joy!

David: I am listening. :P

Shirley: Ah, yes, winter vs. Christmas. I like that. And I like the use of “carol” as well — both definitely fit. :)