Make it stop already

I'm an atheist, most people know that. I let people live their lives and quietly let those who attempt to press dogma on me that, thanks, but no thanks, it's not how I roll. That being said, I do have a soft spot in my heart for certain religiously-themed music (and art, films, etc) as a genre. There's no denying the energy of a gospel choir (think of The Color Purple) or the intricate interplay of a quartet singing in a cathedral with soaring acoustics. Now comes a time of year when there is almost no escaping the Songs of the Season. Yeah, it's Christmastime, and everything from television commercials to background Muzak systems are belting out all the old standards. Some radio stations here switch programming right before Thanksgiving to an all-holiday music format. And most will slip in a Xmas-themed song into their playlist at times. I admit having a certain fondness for a lot of Christmas music. Not for any of the messages, mind you, but for the sake of my family traditions and the memories the tunes often evoke. I'm an old softie. But there are certain tunes that just rub me the wrong way. By far the worst is that sappy, manipulative dreck called "Christmas Shoes" by Newsong. I was thumbing through radio stations earlier and came across the song being played on a country music station (go figure). I. Absolutely. Detest. That. Song. But rather than try to explain to my dear readers as to why my bile rises when I hear that tune (though most can figure it out pretty easily), I'm going to let comedian Patton Oswalt perform a perfect deconstruction of the song along with the most hilarious graphics in the following video:

I'm not mean spirited, but this sums up my feelings about that song, and others in the same vein. Sad thing is, some people just soak up this stuff, and lots of money gets made. If it makes people happy, though, I guess it can't be all bad. Maybe just a bit misdirected.

What's my favorite song of the season? It might be a bit long in the tooth by now, but when I first heard this on my way to work one cold morning, I ended up cranking up the megawatt Alpine audio system in my old truck to the point I smelled the speakers' voice coils burning. Here was my love for classical music that I acquired at a very young age coupled with my absolute need to rock (also acquired at the same young age) mixed in with the memories of all the fun Xmases of my youth, seasoned with a bit of the Russian flavor of my heritage:

Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve Sarajevo

Do yourself a favor and crank it up with me.