The famous holiday season song states, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” However, I’ve always been more interested in the unique songs and hymns that make it “sound like Christmas.”

I always look forward each year, to when radio stations switch their normal programming and start to play non-stop holiday classics. I realize that there are a lot of people out there who find Christmas songs trite and annoying, but I can’t get enough of them. I was happy to see that my television provider even includes a few Christmas soundtrack stations. Now, even when I’m not watching any TV, I can have calming cheerful music in my apartment to keep me in a good mood.

One of the things that I most enjoy about Christmas music is that there is literally something for everyone. If you’re an old school traditionalist, you can’t go wrong by listening to a solemn hymn like “Silent Night” or “O Come All Ye Faithful.” If you’re looking for something with a beat, or that you can dance to, there’s all sorts of contemporary songs that can get your feet tapping. Some of my favorites are “Jingle Bell Rock” by Hall and Oates, “Step Into Christmas” by Elton John and “Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You,” by Billy Squier.

I also like how so many artists have put their own unique spin on the holiday classics with cover performances. Certainly Bing Crosby has the most famous version of “White Christmas,” but there are more than 500 other recording artists who have also lent their pipes to the holiday classic. Sure, some are better than others, but each artist offers his or her own unique character and talent to the same words, and it’s always fun to discover a new version of an old favorite.

Yes, there are even some Christmas songs that just make us laugh. And really, what’s wrong with laughing during the Christmas season? It can be a stressful time, after all, and there’s no better way to let that stress go by chuckling along to “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” by Elmo and Patsy, or “The 12 Pains of Christmas” by Bob Rivers.

All I know is that I truly love the music of the holiday season. And if you see me out driving and rocking my head or thumping on the steering wheel, don’t be worried. I’m probably just singing along to “Feliz Navidad.” (Or maybe even “Police Stop My Car.”)

 

Justin Schuver is the publisher of The Atmore Advance. You can email him at justin.schuver@ atmoreadvance.com.