Shopping background music is almost entirely secular now, but even that seems to be coalescing of various renditions of fewer and fewer songs. I swear I am hearing "Here Comes Santa Claus" more than anything else this year.
It is not my favorite.
First, it is the worst example of trying to clumsily inject vaguely Christian sentiments into a Santa song to try and rescue it spiritually. "Hang your stockings and say your prayers..."
Peace on Earth will come to all if we just follow the light
So let's give thanks to the lord above
'Cause Santa Claus is pretty much like Jesus
Secondly, what is this "Santa Claus Lane?" It's part of a parade in the Gene Autry version. I guess.
No, I am not linking to it or putting up a YouTube off it. Ruin your own Christmas.
6 comments:
I raised a similar objection to "Do You Hear What I Hear" (with comparison to "Santa Claus") over at Althouse's. Plenty of songs scramble the Biblical accounts of the birth but that song spins off into completely imaginary images in service of decidedly secular misinterpretations of the circumstances around Christ's birth.
Also, when did "My Favorite Things" become a Christmas song?
I always thought it was supposed to be the chimney. But yes, trying to bring God into the picture to prove Santa was always distasteful at best.
And at the other end, we've got "Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer", which portrays St. Nicholas as showing Anthony Marston* levels of deadly carelessness.
* c.f. Agatha Christie's psychological horror classic Ten Little Indians aka And Then There Were None.
I'm going caroling Sunday in my neighborhood. A very energetic resident has organized this and my granddaughters are going to push my wheelchair to keep up with the others. There's a rehearsal tomorrow which I'm trying to figure out how to attend. I cannot imagine that she would include any of the songs mentioned above... but my granddaughters can rescue me if she does.
I'm guessing the king in question is Saint Vladimir.
The neighborhood caroling was wonderful. Very traditional and enjoyable with a capella harmonies.
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