The Unifying Force of Christmas Music

For many people in North America and elsewhere, December is the Christmas season. Some celebrate Christmas with religious traditions and some use non-religious ones. Regardless of secular or sacred celebrations, the one thing in common is music. Christmas songs. There is also a divide between secular and sacred Christmas music. But in spite of this divide, there is considerable overlap as musical bridges provide a means of traversing between the secular world and the sacred world while maintaining a foothold in the chosen belief system. In other words, “Jingle Bells” is sung by religious people just as often as “Joy To The World” is sung by non-religious ones.

Of course the music we hear during the holidays is only played once a year, and it is ubiquitous during this time. The variations and renditions of traditional Christmas songs coupled with newer compositions are played everywhere. Stores, malls, TV, radio, ads on TV and radio--the recognizable strains of every Christmas song permeate the cacophony of daily life.

It is, however, a limited playlist. Compared, for example, to blues songs, there are few different Christmas songs. It’s always the same songs done by a variety of different artists in different styles. What are lacking are new contemporary Christmas songs. There are some written in the twentieth century but only a chosen few attain the status of being accepted into the canon of public recognition. How many people sit around and sing Run-DMC’s “Christmas In Hollis” or John Prine’s “Christmas In Prison”? My guess is there’s more Prine. It’s easier to play.

But there is a plethora of contemporary artists doing their version of popular Christmas songs. John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna come to mind. This is coupled with the traditional Christmas music performed by contemporary artists and what we have is new sounding Christmas music but no new Christmas music. In my humble opinion, one of the best Christmas songs written in the twentieth century is “Please Come Home For Christmas.” The song was originally released in 1960 by American blues singer and pianist Charles Brown. It was re-released as a holiday single by the Eagles in 1978. It has stood the test of time and has been frequently covered by other artists; more importantly though, it’s a good song. Divorced from the holiday meaning and on a purely musical level, the song is an excellent composition in its own right. And just like in the pop chart world, a popular Christmas song has to be at first a good piece of music.

Still, it would not be the holiday season without music and what we have is a collection of songs that bring together family, friends, and communities in a common and comfortable musical environment. In fact, it’s advantageous the canon of Christmas music is so small. It results in widespread dissemination and cultural unification. There’s a public “warmth and fuzziness” created by the commonality of music during the holidays. Everyone knows the words. Everyone knows the music, even the most stoic quietly mumbles their way through “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Gene Autry would be proud.

Cross-posted at VideoJug: http://pages.videojug.com/pages/16504-The-Unifying-Force-Of-Christmas-Music