I think we all know the REAL reason his nose was red!

Some of you may have heard me say this before, and for others it might be news, but I don't really like Christmas music.
Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with Christmas itself. I actually like the season, commercialised though it may be. But the music has to at least improve.
And to be fair, I don't dislike all Christmas music. Probably I really don't like about 30%. Then there is anther 60% that I don't care about at all, leaving roughly 10% that I actually do like. The problem with Christmas music is that most of it is extremely poorly done as far as I'm concerned. Songs like Silent Night and O Holy Night are fine songs when done well. Most singers, however, use those songs (and other similar songs) as excuses to 'show off' their vocal flavour, turning them into over-emotional pieces of drivel. I can't stand the singer who tries to make every note convey all of their pent-up emotions. It actually makes my skin crawl, right off of my skeleton to where it can hide in the corner shuddering. It is very much like the regular R&B/Folk/Hip-hop songs (think of Mariah Carrie type of music) where the lead 'singer' doesn't actually sing, they just add the vocal flavour while background singers actually sing the song. I don't really like that and half of the Christmas songs are like that.
And then there are songs that are just boring to listen to. I'm tired of the songs with Pa-rum-pum-pum-pums, or fa-la-la-la-las, or glo-000-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-000-00-00-00-0-0000000000-rias. I like to use actual words. Plus Little Drummer Boy seems to be the most popular song ever, given how many people have done it.
Added to all of that, I find it odd for some people to even be singing Christmas songs. I don't think I want Eminem to be singing about Peace on Earth. How about groups or rappers who spend the entire year singing about sexing up all the ladies and blowing away those who hate them (gee, using hate to stop hate, that should work!) suddenly singing about Jesus the Saviour of the World. I find it...well, odd.
So those are some reasons why I don't like Christmas music. But I did say that I liked some Christmas music, and I do. But the song has to be done well. Jars of Clay released a Christmas album that had four songs on it - Little Drummer Boy, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, He (a song from their debut album) and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen again (actually, I can't remember which song was repeated, but at least one of the songs had two versions). But I like those Christmas ones because they are really well done musically. Another song I like is God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings Medley performed by Barenaked Ladies. I've heard two versions - one is live, and it is pretty funny, they throw in little comments here and there, and they are very good musically as well. The other is the same music, but a studio recording with Sarah McLachlan (I bet I absolutely spelled her name wrong), who can SING. That is also a very good version. I remember in high school one year our choir (I just did sound, I didn't actually sing) did a Christmas concert and they did O Holy Night, and it was awesome, mostly because the soloists (it was basically a soloist singing with the choir doing backup vocals) were really good. One was a friend of mine and he was a good singer. He could even hit the high note, which I think was only put into the song as a joke by the songwriter ("heh, no one will be able to hit THIS note...suckers!"). And the other night was a girl who was also very good. That same year one of the vocal jazz bands did Little Toy Trains ("little toy trains/little toy tracks/little toy drums/coming from a sack/carried by a man/dressed in white and red/little boy don't you think it's time you were in bed"). I loved their version, and it wasn't anything special, it was just done extremely well. There was one girl who was singing a soprano line, hitting notes so high my glasses would crack. I think it was the same girl who sang O Holy Night, come to think of it.
Anyway, like I said, some Christmas music is good. Generally for me a Christmas song is good if I don't mind listening to it year round.
Incidentally, the 60% of songs that I don't care about are just that. They are songs that aren't terrible but there is absolutely nothing of note about them. They are the type of songs that you forget about even while they are still playing because, meh.
So there you have it, my disdain for Christmas music and the reasons for it.