What is it about Christmas music? 75% of us love it, 23% of us adamantly hate it, and 2% of us listen to “8 Crazy Nights” on repeat this time of year. Christmas songs are a December fixture, and they’re some of my favorite things in the world.

Note, a passionate love of Christmas music doesn’t mean you have to love Christmas. You don’t even have to be Christian. You just have to have a soft spot in your heart for hearing the same songs year after year after year (after year after year) – in shopping malls, on the radio, in youtube spoofs, and in your roommate’s terrible singing voice.

My love of Christmas songs has been tested this year. I’m a few commercial jingles to the tune of “Deck The Halls” away from throwing electronic appliances out of windows. If I hear another Punk Rock Christmas Carol, I might have a violent reaction. Two weeks ago, I was subjected to a full half hour of Theremin Christmas Songs by a guy named Spaceman Dan. For reals.

But every time I get frustrated with Christmas tunes, I crank up Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”, curl up by my “Amish Style” Electric Fireplace, and relax as Bing’s sweet pipes lull me into a happy bliss. There are few things more comforting in the world.

There remain a number of questions in my mind about Christmas songs. Some of them are answerable by a voyage to the great Wikipedia, others are more rhetorical in nature, and some revolve around constantly shifting opinions. These 10 questions, in my opinion, define the crux of the riddle of the Christmas song. I pose them to you below, along with my musings for substance. Continue reading →