Christmas Music - Caution Is In Order

If you've gone into shopping centers these past few weeks, you've undoubtedly noticed music with Christmas-related themes.  In fact you might have noticed that if you've been in the malls anytime after Halloween.  We heard Silent Night, O Holy Night, Joy to the World, etc.  Of course public schools have exerted all kinds of efforts to expunge any mention of Christ from His own birthday.  The stores, though secular, aren't that stupid; they understand that this music often induces purchases at their stores.

Much of the music is indeed uplifting, such as the carols listed above.  But others, not so much.  Along with the music that does explicitly mention the Birth of Christ, there are other songs, popularly associated with Christmas, that simply talk of winter-themed pleasantries.  I have in mind songs such as Jingle Bells, Sleigh Ride, Deck the Halls, etc.  While these songs, in and of themselves, are harmless enough, their inclusion in the ranks of true Christmas Carols tends to adulterate the true focus of Christmas.

I mention this because I do hear among people genuine concern about the commercialization of Christmas and the loss of focus on its meaning.  Yet many of these same folks will insist that "White Christmas" is a true Christmas carol, right up there with Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming.  They believe that the loss of the sense of Christmas is a relatively recent phenomenon but I think it goes back a lot longer than that - and I mean like 70 years ago at least.  The "harmless" songs I mentioned are a clear indication of the distractions that have been allowed to worm their ways into our culture.

But I daresay there have been some "not-so-harmless" influences that have corroded our understanding of Christmas.  There are two songs that I have in mind.  How on earth any right-thinking Christian can consider these authentic "Christmas music" boggles my mind.  In fact, any decent society would have relegated these to the trash.  The first one is called "Santa Baby", made (in)famous by Eartha Kitt in 1953.  I will not dignify this by linking to it. I'm sure many can remember it and why I say that it is chock full of vulgar innuendos.  It was my understanding that radio stations back then were a bit more discerning about the morality of music played on their stations; obviously I was mistaken.

The other was released about five years prior to "Santa Baby".  It's called "Baby It's Cold Outside".  It is a man-woman duet, performed by many singers over the years and it was included in a movie.  I cannot even fathom how it's considered "Christmas music".  "Santa Baby" does mention Santa so I get that connection.  All "baby" does is mention some cold weather, but I guess that's enough to trigger "Christmas" in some minds.  Now again I won't link to this, but the lyrics reveal a conversation between the man and the woman, where the man is trying to seduce the woman into spending the night at his place and most likely to commit the mortal sin of fornication.  Please tell me - how does any right-thinking Christian equate the seduction into mortal sin with the birth of God Incarnate?  I don't get it!

Many of us see quite clearly how the culture has degraded and become more bestial as it has abandoned its Christian underpinnings and indeed God Himself.  However, we must be honest and realize that the rot started a bit earlier than we might care to admit.  The two songs I just mentioned above, along with the supposedly "Christian" public's initial enjoyment of them, were part and parcel of the corrosion of morality.  I know some will poo-poo this post, telling me to "lighten up".  Well, first - let's wise up, shall we?  When we're exhorted by Scripture to "always keep watch", that passage means what it says, with the operative word being "always".

We've heard of "custody of the eyes".  I suspect we need to practice some "custody of the ears" as well.  In the next post I'll put up a Vortex that exposes the heresy in a contemporary "Christmas" song that is quite the hit in "Christiian pop" culture.