My Beef With Christmas Music as Heard on Christian Radio

Since I was a little guy, I’ve loved Christmas music. From “Joy to the World” to “Christmas Canon” to “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer,” all of it reminds of why I love this time of year. Well, not because someone’s grandma got run over by a reindeer, mine certainly didn’t, but you know what I mean… being with family, creating memories, and of course, the history-altering birth of Jesus.

manger1What really gets my goat this season is the Christmas music I’m hearing on Christian radio. Here’s what happens… I’m driving down the road flipping through the stations. I hear “Joy to the World” which is my all-time favorite Christmas song. So of course I’m going to turn it up and sing along. Verse 1… awesome. Verse 2… awesome. Then as soon as I gracefully begin singing verse 3, I’m cut off by… what’s this? Different lyrics? And the melody doesn’t even sound the same! Now instead of singing about joy to the world, I’m asking “What in the world?”

I understand since American Idol came around, it’s popular to “make it your own.” I get that and for the most part, I like the idea. I still remember hearing Phillip Phillips’ version of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” It was amazing. Or David Cook’s heartfelt rendition of Lionel Richie’s “Hello.” Plus, who can forget Adam Lambert singing “Ring of Fire”? I loved all of those. But when it comes to this issue I have with some Christmas songs, well, it’s a genre of music you don’t really need to change. It’s what the American Idol judges would say about a Whitney Houston song. Just sing it well. That’s all.

scene from A Christmas Story
scene from A Christmas Story

It’s like these artists took your favorite Christmas sweater, sewed in their initials, and now they’re selling it on Etsy. Or if I were to repackage everyone’s favorite movie “A Christmas Story” with an added scene I shot myself because, well, I wanted to call it my own. Then I sell it on eBay as the “extended version.” The most recent example I’ve heard this season is a song called “Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy).” Let’s not even get into the confusing conflict of a song with lyrics about something that’s unspeakable. That’s not the point. The point is they damaged a perfectly good sweater.

A wise man once said that if a person comes to him with a problem, they should also come with a solution. So I’ll take his advice. The solution to this problem is simple. Sing the songs as they were meant to be sung. Or come up with something original. I know it’s tough to come up with a timeless Christmas song… nearly impossible. But artists should try. Mariah Carey did it with “All I Want For Christmas.” Another instant classic was written by a comedian, “Mary, Did You Know?”

There’s more that can be said about this whole “repackaging” thought, especially in Christian music. But instead of repackaging that conversation, this site hits the bull’s-eye.

Merry Christmas!
-Out of the Wilderness

10 Signs She’s Not Into You… #7

A lot can be said about a woman’s intuition. Well guess what laaaaadies? We have intuition, too! Bam. Got her. Seriously, we do. It takes longer to develop, sure. To the junior high guy, intuition is just a word from last year’s spelling bee. College, we begin to understand dating advice from our fathers because it matches up with our budding intuition. Our development is a bit slower, but it’s there. So guys, when you happen upon a coed that strikes your fancy, listen when…

#7 Your gut tells you to move on.

raftIt comes down to trust. Especially if you’ve already started pursuing her. If your gut is telling you she’s not interested, trust it. You’re probably not wrong. Granted, the river banks directing the path of your intuition are formed by how she responds to you and your advances, it’s still up to you to float. Keep your head above water by knowing where the boundaries are, and act accordingly. Plus, if you go against your intuition, you run the risk of capsizing your boat. And your boat in this scenario is any chance you have of dating her friends.

10 Signs She’s Not Into You… #8

Let’s say you do get her digits. I know, we’re speaking hypothetically because if you’re like me, asking a girl for her phone number is rare. But let’s move past that because you’re the champ who got her number, all 10 of ’em! Conversations start out light and fun through texting. But as feelings get stronger, you realize:

#8 You Start Conversations and She Ends Them.

Not good, champ. Not good. This type of scenario happened to me when I asked a girl for her number. And let me just say, that was the best estate sale I’ve ever been to. Not only was she cute, she was a lot younger than the stuff being sold (in a related note: you can find some of that stuff on my Etsy site). So we texted a lot the first few days. We even met up for lunch once. But as the weeks went by, I noticed a trend. I started almost every conversation. Maybe she’s old-fashioned but I bet even old-fashioned girls mailed a letter to a guy without being prompted every once in a while. I know being the initiator of conversations isn’t a bad thing. It’s flattering, I’m sure, for a girl to be pursued this way. But if you take a slightly different angle, the picture is more clear. Here’s what I mean. It’s the back end of conversations that holds the clues. If the person who ends it is never the person to start the next one, that’s a sign. Take a look below:
relationships

Snakebit in the Amazon!

black snakeIt’s black. It hisses. It’s from the Amazon. And if you’re not careful, it’ll stop you in your tracks. Nope, it’s not a snake. It’s the latest record from The Head and the Heart. Let’s Be Still is such a great album and the fact that it’s on vinyl only adds to the nostalgic feel of the music. Some people feel snakebit when they shop online, but if you pick this album up, it’ll feel more like medicine for your head and your heart.

I knew my favorite song was “Shake” from hearing it on the radio. But here are a couple more emerging favorites:

Springtime / Summertime

Another Story

10 Signs She’s Not Into You… #9

This signal is a little more difficult to discern but if you take a few minutes to step back and look at the timeline of your “relationship” with this girl, it might be easier to see. It happened to me a couple of years ago. I met a girl named Trina one night. We became MySpace friends. Ok, it was like 7 years ago when MySpace was… cool? We were supposed to go jogging together but a family emergency sent me out of town to St. Augustine, Florida. Upon returning to Nashville, we made plans to jog but again, circumstances got in the way. It happened a third time so I knew something was up.

universe#9 The Universe Won’t Allow It.

Now I know this doesn’t mean she’s not into you. It’s a sign she can’t be into you. For whatever reason, the relationship you’re hoping for is simply not meant to be. Sometimes it’s worth pursuing, but as I’ve been told time and time again, “In the beginning, it should be easy.” If you’re starting out fighting the odds, you should just stop. But hey, this isn’t about dating advice so do whatever you want. And consequently if you’re reading this, Trina from Brentwood, I’m still single.