As usual, the early days of December have brought a slew of BRAND NEW Christmas songs: Ed ‘n’ Elton, George Ezra, and, although I may have imagined it I’m certain I heard somebody say ‘Sinitta’ the other day.
Naturally the airwaves are also full with a whole load of OLD Christmas songs, and if I was short of something to say I could easily reach three hundred words just by running down the list, all the way from I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, via Stop the Cavalry and Stay Another Day, to December Will Be Magic Again and Santa’s a Scotsman.
I always think hyping up a BRAND NEW Christmas song is a pointless exercise – even for the Sheeran/John gestalt, chances are it’ll be three or four years before we decide if we like it or not. If we do, then it’ll gradually become a regular on the annual playlist (just as, in recent times, Sia’s Santa’s Coming For Us, and Leonna Lewis’ One More Sleep, have joined the gang). If we don’t… then it’s doomed to the occasional ‘novelty hit’ special, or to just making up the numbers on a Readers Digest compilation.
In an odd sort of way Christmas is one time when we eschew the new in favour of the old and the familiar. Maybe that’s why we regard it as a time to go back home (and not just in a ‘Ceasar’s census’ sort of way) to be with, to spend time with, family.
I worry now that I’ve written myself into a corner, as I appear to have just labelled my assorted family as ‘old’. Awkward.
You know, in hindsight maybe I should have just carried on listing Christmas songs. Like Shakey’s Merry Christmas Everyone, or Cliff’s Mistletoe and Wine, or…..
Andrew Curnow's Ramblings 