My thanks to the Wall Street Journal, which published my op-ed in Monday's print edition on Christmas music.
Some excerpts:
Radio Has the Christmas Season All Mixed Up
The lyrics of holiday pop songs tend be anticipatory rather than celebratory, which is why stations pull them on Dec. 26
By Kenneth J. Wolfe, Wall Street Journal, November 25, 2024The Christmas season gets going earlier and earlier in the U.S., often before Thanksgiving. Artificial pine trees and colorful string lights start popping up at the beginning of November.
It’s easy to fault the retail stores—they want to extend the holiday buying season to maximize profits. But there’s another culprit that’s been overlooked since the mid-20th century: pop music.
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” are secular tunes written around the middle of the 20th century. They have something else in common: They’re all in the future tense. Listen to any secular Christmas song from the past 100 years, and chances are its lyrics refer to anticipation of the holiday, not the holiday itself.
Contrast this with religious carols. “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World” all refer to the birth of Christ as happening in the here and now.
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Advent has its own religious music, most notably “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Like “Here Comes Santa Claus,” this song is anticipatory—and for good reason: Advent music signals a time to prepare for the way of the Lord before the Christmas partying begins.
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Music often sets the tone in life. Recognizing the difference between Advent and Christmas and celebrating the latter when it begins, on Dec. 25, would help restore some sanity to November and spirituality to December.
Mr. Wolfe is a contributor to the traditional Catholic blog Rorate Caeli.
