But those lame songs aren't even the worst. The reigning terror of the Yuletide air waves? O Holy Night. Every breathy-voiced pop-star and nasal-twangy country diva and wailing R&B singer has his or her own heinous hatchet job version of that poor tune. It's OK, O Holy Night has probably saved me a lot of money over the years. As soon as I hear the first violins swell I flee the store before the piped in Christmas soundtrack pushes me over the edge and I throw up in a fuzzy Santa hat or stick a thumb tack in a Sponge Bob lawn inflatable
I'm not as big a Scrooge as I sound. In fact, I adore the holidays. I love everything about this most wonderful time of the year. So, you'd better watch out because it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas and I'm a certifiable Yule-a-holic. I deck the halls and haul out the holly and roast the chestnuts on an open fire just so I can have myself a merry little Christmas. And when silent night falls I go to sleep counting my blessings. On the midnight clear you'll find me dreaming of a white Christmas. Well, actually I don't yearn for winter weather. But let it snow, I'll just dream of the little town of Bethlehem and the wise men who came from far, far away. In a manger on that first Noel the shepherds found the baby Jesus. A new star shone and angels sang with joy. To the world it is just a fanciful story, but to me it represents every hope, all love, the promise of peace. I want to go tell it on the mountain and sing with the angels "Glory to God in highest. Peace on earth, good will to men."
Somebody stop me . . . it seems my brain is fully saturated with Yuletide songs. They're taking over the planet . . . and my post. Major award to anyone who can identify at least twenty lines from or titles of Christmas songs in the paragraph above. What low-budget Christmas ditty makes you cringe or stands your hair on end before you can change the radio station? And what's your favorite Christmas music?