I bring this up now because the music has finally started at my place of employment. Right now, I can handle it. It's played in small doses and I haven't heard the crap in a while. Unfortunately, as the date approaches, it will play more and more often and I'll have heard the same songs over and over again. At that point, the mere mention of Christmas music will likely cause me to twitch slightly and my brain to go into hate mode. So, overall, I hate the stuff. The only time I actually enjoy it is during my annual viewing of White Christmas - the best Christmas movie ever. If it weren't for that film, I could live my life without ever hearing this stuff again.
Annoying digital midi version of classic songs...
I mean.... we're in November!
What I dislike a lot is that as soon as Halloween is over, we begin to hear Christmas music....
You are lucky mate, where I am, they started bringing out the Christmas sales in September, and playing the music before Halloween was even here. Call that nuts.
I counter-attack at this time of year by listening to some Vital Remains or Deicide.
If I may add.... there are several types of Christmas music, each more annoying then the other.
IMO, the worst kind is the digitalized midi songs, close second is the pan-pipes (pan-flute?).....
Zamfir is just evil.
Especially after hearing it 700 times in the course of a month. Fortunately, my stereo gave up the ghost as far as it's reception capability goes so I won't have to put up with it too much. (Thank god for 360 music players)
before you start thinking that I would like a "real" christmas song. That's Mistress for Christmas.. I can listen to that one. Actually I like that one. Everyone should hear it at least twice.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aEEhN7_ZTw
before you start thinking that I would like a "real" christmas song. That's Mistress for Christmas.. I can listen to that one. Actually I like that one. Everyone should hear it at least twice.
That is the best Christmas song I've ever heard. Admittedly, that is not a difficult spot to attain, but I happen to like ACDC, and that is a good song.
But there is one Christmas song I really like, but can never remember all the words to.
Starts off something like...
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, lean your ear this way,
Don't you tell a single soul, what I'm going to say...
But I can never remember the exact lyrics that follow, and none of the versions I've found online quite match. I know there's a verse in which the singer tells ol' Saint Nick the things the children want, and most versions have some variation of that ("Johnny wants a pair of skates | Suzy wants a Sled | Sally wants a coloring book | yellow blue and red...") but the verse I haven't found anywhere is the last one, in which the children have all grown up and want more expensive toys. The last line I think is "nothing quite like mink".
...Well, that rant was a bit random. *ahem*
Anyway, some Christmas songs are neat, some are annoying, and some old public domain ones I can't find the version that I remember from when I was a wee thing.
Oh yeah, just remembered the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Their Christmas music is pretty good. Their Christmas Canon Rock is shiny [link]. Too bad the videos don't do the live performance any justice (this is one group that I would definitely recommend seeing in person if you have the opportunity. Presumming you like the music, of course.)
But I'd have to sit down and listen to the albums and say what my favorite was from them.
ah well - can't embed anymore 
Here's the link for my favorite.
(Prepares himself to run for cover)
"Slashing through the Orcs
With a good two-handed blade
Over corpses we go
And through the gore we wade
Mace on helmet rings
Making bodies fly
What fun to sing our SLAYING song
And watch these suckers die!
Chorus:
Oh, ring their bells with swords and spells
Don't let 'em get away!
We're brave and bold for fame and gold
We'll make a lot today!
Oh, ring their bells with swords and spells
Don't let 'em get away!
We'll hack and slash and blast and trash
And blow these dudes away!
Crashing through the door
Into the dragon's nose
Our mage whips out a Cone of Cold
And out its fire goes!
Elven bowstrings sing
Making balrogs fall
And our thief finds a secret door
Into the treasure hall!
(Chorus)
Then appears the Lich
With his demon guard
Our wizard yawns and wishes
We'd run into something HARD...
He begins to cast
His 19th level spell
That damn Lich throws a Gate at us
And drops us all in Hell!
(Chorus)
We appear in Hell
In front of Satan's Throne
Our cleric waves us out the door
And takes him on alone!
Satan's legions don't
Want to let us go
Our Techno pulls a bazooka out
And NUKES 'em 'til they GLOW!
Oh, ring their bells with prayers and spells
Don't let 'em get away!
We're brave and bold and CRAZED, we're told
To think we'll live the day!
Oh, ring their bells with swords and shells
Don't let 'em get away!
We'll hack and slash and blast and trash
And blow these dudes away!
Yes, we'll hack and slash and blast and trash
And drag our loot away!!"
The song is Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Wizards in Winter", the house is that of Carson Williams, and apparently the music was pipped out on a low-power FM radio station so people driving by could tune-in. As a courtesy to his neighbors, apparently he only had the show going from 6 pm to 10 pm, and eventually stopped doing it at his house because traffic congestion.
Currently listening to a remix of White Christmas. It's so bad I want to harm myself and others.
I feel your pain, those are the worst kind..... remix ... the original is bad enough
Can't you shoot the speakers/sound system?
Christmas Shoes is an audial abortion.
As for most other Christmas songs, they're horrible. Many of the modern ones are just mediocre pop tunes with added jingle bells in the background, and songs like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer aren't much better, at least not when played for the 700th time. Songs like Mistress for Christmas don't count, because (apart from the slight jingling in the background in the beginning) it sounds like every other AC/DC song out there, which is every bit as good no matter the time of the year
Typically, what you hear, namely in malls, is a time-honored classic, something like Nat King Cole, the occaisional carol, and then they **** & pillage the Hell out of it. Remixing, putting some pop-culture face on it, etc. Not good. Basically, think muzak and you have a pretty good approximation. Sometimes, less is more.
Buuuut, I'm not made of stone despite initial geological surveying & war testimonials. So, since age 6 or 7, to this day, I still fancy Tchaikovsky, specifically, "The Nutcracker Suite" due to a very rare moment in my family's history one Xmas season. Long story, but a good one I assure you. The "Arabian (or was it Turkish?) Coffee" piece. ie) Clara goes off on her psychedelic trip to rat/wood solider land, and they offer immense hospitality there where each indulgence is a selected piece. Most remember the Russian one, but the coffee bit is really slow, really tranquil, plays out like a hypnosis exercsie, can't miss.
Quite a few church hymns (I'm sentimental, sue me) fit the bill, but "Silent Night", for some reason, makes me uncomfortable. "Oh Come all ye Faithful" is nice. These little diddies help offset a barrage of decidely un-Christmasy music during the drive home from Eve service, though I think God will let me slide by w/ the occaisional Slayer, NIN, or 'x'...
I don't mind all Christmas music. We usually listen to Händel's Messiah ...
I posted my favorite song below, but that ^^^ is my favorite christmas music :D
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcKT32KSozM&feat...
this one too
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSHSzGzqwfs&feat...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ1oxudCMOw
Nothing less.
And here's my favourite www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbZ83mTA5eA
Trans-Siberian Ochestra
The Tractors
Brian Setzer
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
I'll listen to these CDs throughout the year, not just during Nov/Dec.
Where I work they cut out the in-store music a last year (including the Xmas stuff). Everybody but me rejoiced.
A) I liked the Xmas stuff
B) Subconciously I also tracked time on the sales-floor by it. When it went away I had this disoriented feeling for a few weeks.
C) Now our store has a tomb like silence on slow days outside of Chrismas season.
"Ring Their Bells"...(to the tune of Jingle Bells)"Slashing through the Orcs
With a good two-handed blade
Over corpses we go
And through the gore we wade
Mace on helmet rings
Making bodies fly
What fun to sing our SLAYING song
And watch these suckers die!Chorus:
Oh, ring their bells with swords and spells
Don't let 'em get away!
We're brave and bold for fame and gold
We'll make a lot today!
Oh, ring their bells with swords and spells
Don't let 'em get away!
We'll hack and slash and blast and trash
And blow these dudes away!Crashing through the door
Into the dragon's nose
Our mage whips out a Cone of Cold
And out its fire goes!
Elven bowstrings sing
Making balrogs fall
And our thief finds a secret door
Into the treasure hall!(Chorus)
Then appears the Lich
With his demon guard
Our wizard yawns and wishes
We'd run into something HARD...
He begins to cast
His 19th level spell
That damn Lich throws a Gate at us
And drops us all in Hell!(Chorus)
We appear in Hell
In front of Satan's Throne
Our cleric waves us out the door
And takes him on alone!
Satan's legions don't
Want to let us go
Our Techno pulls a bazooka out
And NUKES 'em 'til they GLOW!Oh, ring their bells with prayers and spells
Don't let 'em get away!
We're brave and bold and CRAZED, we're told
To think we'll live the day!
Oh, ring their bells with swords and shells
Don't let 'em get away!
We'll hack and slash and blast and trash
And blow these dudes away!
Yes, we'll hack and slash and blast and trash
And drag our loot away!!"
You, sir, deserve this:
Enjoy.
I don't mind the stuff like Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, and Auld Lang Syn because they're good music regardless of the fact that they commemorate a holiday.
The commercialized happy-shiny Frosty the Snowman stuff just gets on my nerves.
Simply having a wonderful christmastime and the red baron song are both amazing (It are a fact. I know because of my learnings)
Last Christmas bugs the crap out of me largely because they play it every year, implying the person in question has terrible luck. And that one country drivel about a child buying shoes for his mother on christmas.