Forgotten Christmas Melodies
It’s the most notorious time of the year.
While some may sit on their recliners flabbergasted at how another calendar year stormed by so quickly, many others override the sentiments of Thanksgiving, Halloween, Labor Day, and even the summer months by letting the needle drop on music that was really meant for “25 Days of Christmas” and “Home Alone” reruns.
Don’t deny it, reader; you probably do it, too. Otherwise, you’re probably the real grinch who stole Christmas.
In any case, there’s no turning back now. Thanksgiving turkeys and tofurkeys have long been consumed, and as we try to not think about the sudden change in society’s hearts from thankfulness to over-consumerism:
It’s finally time for Christmas music in all its glory!
Now, we all are familiar with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” the many renditions of “Silent Night,” and the brilliant holiday record by Michael Bublé.
However, let’s take a second to put the spotlight on the less-loved Christmas songs. Under the upper echelon of pop Christmas songs, there lies a vast amount of holiday hits worth a introductory discussion. With that in mind, I asked a few members of the student body the following question: What are some forgotten Christmas tunes that you love and enjoy?
Specifically speaking, I'm talking non-traditional Christmas songs, and excluding oft-revisited Christmas classics such as “Joy to the World” and “Deck the Halls.”
Taking a step back in time, senior accounting major Rosten Dieter shared a few oldies-but-goodies-yet-somehow-forgoties: “Fum Fum Fum!”, “I Saw Three Ships,” and “Pat a Pan.” If you dig deep into a Christmas carol archive at your grandparents’ place, you may blow the dust off of sheet music such as these.
Another suggestion came from halfway across the world, where J-fiah Reeves, a junior theology major, is teaching as a student missionary in a small Micronesian island called Kosrae:
“‘The Christmas Waltz’ by Frank Sinatra. In fact, any Christmas song by Frankie, but that one in particular.”
“A fun one I enjoy that brings a pop-y feel to the traditional playlist is ‘Walk Out to Winter’ by Aztec Camera and ‘All That I Want’ by The Weepies or even ‘Baby Please Come Home,’ especially the version by Death Cab for Cutie,” recommends sophomore secondary education for language arts major Bluann Saladier.
Sophomore music education major Renae Cross then suggested the track “Jesus is Alive” by Christian singer/songwriter Josh Wilson.
The list keeps growing. With Sinatra and Wilson having entire Christmas albums, one must wonder how a 24-hour holiday could earn a season worth of glitter and hours of studio music? It’s no secret that Dec. 25 is important to most of us as we exchange presents and spend time with friends and family. What often evokes this nostalgia is music for the occasion, which is why the abundance of holiday music is warranted.
Personally, my song of choice for the holidays is “Christmas in Harlem” by Kanye West, CyHi Da Prynce, and Teyana Taylor. The hip-hop groove from the get-go puts me in my New York home, strolling along the never-sleeping Times Square and basking in the glow of big screen TVs—because stars are too mainstream to wish upon.
Ultimately, any song—especially during this holiday season—should bring you to that happy place that feels like home, or even is home. Keep spinning those records that mean the most to you as you look back on the past eleven months that seemed to have gone by so quickly.
Stay festive, my friends.
AJ Valcin is a super senior who enjoys communicating and contemplating. Every state he has lived in begins with the letter “N.” He is the most obsessive music nerd you may know, and anything involving vanilla ice cream and gummy treats are his weaknesses. AJ also wants you to “download my mixtape, bruh.” - a Soundcloud exclusive under the alias “A2nelito.”