<p>jonri - yes that is the song. it is annoying and once I hear it I can’t get it out of my head.</p>
<p>toledo - “Do they know it’s Christmas” is from Band-Aid. Remember Band-Aid and the drought and severe famine in Ethiopia? The song is hardly relevant anymore.
It is a poingnant reminder to me of the suffering amongst the material excess.</p>
<p>i DREAD our churches Christmas eve service. For the past two years we have been getting the third-string organist who insists on playing WE THREE KINGS as sloooooowly as possible. By the time we get to the third verse, it gets downright funereal
and the third verse reads
“Myrrh is mine its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom
Sorrow, sighing , bleeding, dying
Sealed inside the stone cold tomb”</p>
<p>NICE</p>
<ol>
<li>Anything by Manheim Steamroller</li>
<li>Anything by Jingle Cats/Jingle Dogs (my own pets create enough noise)</li>
</ol>
<p>I bought Last Christmas on itunes as soon as I heard it (Taylor Swift). I didn’t know it had been around awhile.</p>
<p>Ooh! I have another one. My pastor has made it her life’s mission to gender neutralize all Christmas music. She took the hymnal (we’re a musical denomination so this is quite a feat) and re-wrote every hymm to remove words like “father, son, king, kingdom,” etc. It makes me absolutely spitting mad and I usually sing the proper words as loudly as I can in defiance.</p>
<p>That sounds like what Jesus would do; get spitting mad at attempts to be inclusive, no matter how well intentioned. Great way to celebrate your saviors birth.</p>
<p>
No Pugmadkate. You misunderstood. I do not exclude men as my pastor does. I like men. I like women. </p>
<p>See the difference? Try. You can do it.</p>
<p>
Removing men is inclusive how?</p>
<p>Well, I am still trying to figure out which is the perfect rendition of O Holy Night. I love the song, but each and every version just needs… something. Incredibly picky, I know. As long as the Chipmunks are silent, the rest doesn’t bother me too much.</p>
<p>I also become a little sad when I hear the magnificent voice of Karen Carpenter.</p>
<p>Treetop, I really like Celine Dion’s version of O Holy Night and also O Come All Ye Faithful.</p>
<p>My most favoritest version of O Holy Night is by Kathleen Battle. Her version of Mary Did You Know is also lovely.</p>
<p>I will feel a little sad when I hear Dan Fogelberg’s " Same old Lang Syne "</p>
<p>Songs that drive me CRAZY:
Anything by Mannheim Steamroller - EEEWWWW
Christmas Shoes (I was gloating at dinner just yesterday, that I have NOT heard this song all year!)</p>
<p>I really like Jimi Hendrix’ version of Silent Night</p>
<p>Your pastor is trying to say something about the exclusive of women for thousands of years in your religious tradition. Did you seek her out and have an honest conversation with her about this? </p>
<p>That you feel so passionately about defending the horror of these men being “excluded” from a few hymns is perhaps a sign that you are in the wrong house of worship. There are plenty that are as dedicated to preserving the traditional status quo in the words of hymns over exploring the larger, much more difficult issues of living a religious life.</p>
<p>Cant we all just get along? Its about the holidays—yah know…now lets discuss our opinions on the chipmunks, Celine Dion, and Manheim Sh***roller—the REAL pressing issues.</p>
<p>No my pastor is not trying to say any such thing. Women are included in Christmas songs, as are men. Individually and appropriately. I have spoken to her about it and know her personal history. Do you? Where do you get off making such assumptions? You are factually incorrect here and, again, should step back.</p>
<p>Rocking around the christmas tree will get me to change the station everytime. Most of the songs mentioned above also fall into the category of “yuck”…</p>
<p>I do have to say that for Christmas carols I am a traditionalist - and generally speaking this time of year I just listen to CDs with stuff I know I will like!!!</p>
<p>zoosermom–keep on singing the songs the way they were originally written. The louder, the better. LOL</p>
<p>Zoosermom, the blue Presbyterian hymnal that I think came out in the early 90s made a lot of gender neutral changes. I’ve been singing in church forever and I hate it when I can’t sing the songs by memory.</p>
<p>The Christmas hymn that I hate: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - so boring! My friend used to say that “Lo How a Rose Er Blloming” made her want to slit her wrists.</p>
<p>We have “Lessons and Carols” on Christmas Eve - just like at Oxford, it starts out with a child (or counter tenor) singing the first verse of “Once in Royal David’s City”, then the choir and congregation comes in. Finally, when the descant (by Sir David Willcocks) comes in, that’s when I know it’s Christmas.</p>
<p>
My least favorite hymn is away in a manger. No idea why.</p>
<p>ANYTHING by Manheim Steamroller. Their Christmas CDs are simply awful.</p>