Someone I follow I Twitter posted the picture to the right. He saw a Santa Claus decoration in Target and couldn’t believe it. It is way too early to see Christmas decorations; we haven’t even made it to Halloween and, in Southern California, the weather just dipped below 80 degrees in the past few days. Little kids are already thinking about Christmas, planning out their Christmas lists and trying to decide whether or not a pony or a puppy should be number one on those lists. The rest of us, however, need to realize that there is a lot of time between now and Christmas.
We don’t need to start buying any Christmas decorations.
We don’t need to start planning how we’re going to wrap all of our presents.
We don’t need to start listening to Christmas music.
A lot of people listen to Christmas music year-round; I don’t understand that practice. Why would someone want to listen to “White Christmas” in the middle of July? It’s not white. It’s not Christmas. It’s 100 degrees outside. “Frosty the Snowman” wasn’t made for August temperatures. He would melt before the magical top hat had a chance to bring him to life and his eyes of coal would catch fire from the heat. American Christmas classics are intricately tied to a specific time of year. Even though it doesn’t snow in Southern California, it’s still cooler outside and feels like Christmas at Christmas time; American Christmas music was written for that time and season.
Strictly listening to Christmas music at Christmas time isn’t something that I just think about, it’s something I believe in and act upon. I have a strict rule when it comes to Christmas music: I only start listening to Christmas music after Thanksgiving dinner and I stop listening to Christmas music on December 26. That’s the window I give myself because Christmas music should be listened to at Christmas time. So, in that window, I pack as much Christmas music as I possibly can; I create grooves in my iPod’s hard drive in December because I listen to so much Christmas music.
Christmas music should be listened to at Christmas time. No one listens to the happy birthday song when it’s not someone’s birthday; there aren’t any really cool remixes that you’d want to listen to while working. No one rolls down the street listening to “The Star-Spangled Banner;” unless it’s Marvin Gaye’s version from the 1983 NBA All Star Game. And no one should ever listen to LFO because they’re the worst group ever; not even if a tidal wave of nostalgia pours out when listening to “Summer Girls.” Some music was written for a specific day, time, occasion, or season and we should leave that music in its season of origin. Forcing American Christmas classics into any other time of the year doesn’t work; we should have the self-control necessary to only listen to Christmas music at Christmas time.
Just because Santa’s starting to pop up at Target doesn’t mean we need to start listening to Christmas music. Christmas music should be listened to at Christmas time and Christmas time alone. So put away your Jingle Dogs album for another month and a half. Skip the Chipmunks singing “Christmas Time is Here” if it pops up when your iPod is on shuffle. And, even if it’s cold outside and you see Santa Claus at Target, don’t buy the A Charlie Brown Christmas album and start listening to it; wait and keep the temptation out of your life. It’s called “Christmas music” for a reason; give it the opportunity to fulfill its purpose.
When do you start listening to Christmas music?
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