The Christmas song that I hate the most is Santa Baby. The materialistic nature of that song, even if it is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, really makes me cringe.

Off teh top of my head:

Sacred:  The First Nowell

Secular:  Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

I don't like Santa Baby either. It grates on my nerves.

Gord - funnily enough I love both of your choices.

A few years ago I heard one on the radio several times over a few days about  a Christmas cat, locked out of a warm house, hungry and freezing.  A little mouse, in the same position, cuddled up to it to share its warmth.   Here it was - the gift of warm bloody meat that would restore ssome of the cat's energy and perhaps give it strength to seek shelter.  Instead the cat curled around the mouse keeping it safe and warm.  The cat froze to death.  The mouse lived.   And the angels came and took the cat up into the heavens where you can see it today in the stars. 

Fortunately, apparently no one else liked this song either, because it quickly died like the cat and not a trace has been seen or heard since.

How about John Denver's Please Daddy (Don't Get Drunk this Christmas)? Alan Jackson did the remake.

Away in a Manger bugs me(well part of it). It is not because of "no crying he makes". It is because of the last verse -"Bless all the children in thy tender care and take us to heaven to live with you there". It was creepy to me as a child, as was hearing other kids say "now I lay me down to sleep...if I should die before I wake...."

Feliz Navidad - so repetitive that it is annoying.

How about Jingle Bells barked by a dog?

Have to think about this one. I'm sure that there's actually quite a few if I put my mind to it. Gord's choice for sacred (First Nowell) would be in there. I find it a very clunky song to sing compared to many of the other options.

"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer", by contrast, is an ROTFL for me so can't really diss it.

I'm kind of ambigious on "Do they know it's Christmas?". On the one hand, it's probably the best of the charity supergroup songs that came out in that period (I'm comparing primarily to "We are the world" and "Tears are not enough" here). I certainly liked it at the time and, as such, it has some sentimental value even today. The message still stands, esp. since the Horn of Africa (and much of the continent for that matter) is still from being a paradise. OTOH, there's a certain amount of superstar show-off going on there that turns me off. They could have donated the amount of money that it's ultimately earned from their regular profits and still done as much good without the rather showy "event" or over-the-top performances, though I suppose the "event" helped raise awareness.

Mendalla

Here Comes Santa Claus.....  I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

TOPIC DRIFT ALERT!

At a Worship Matters event a few years back TOm Long asked people to list their favourite hymns and then to list ones they would be perfectly happy never hearing again.  He then invited folks to share.  The point was that some hymns appeared on both lists (from different people of course).  And Long then took that to make a point about the ethics of being a part of a worshipping community and accepting that you will not alway like everything that is donwe.  Very well done.

WE now return you to our regularly scheduled ranting

'the cat carol' by meryn cadell... it makes me want to slit my wrists when i hear that one. 

Thank heavens I have never heard this one.

I will always change the radio station when this song comes on.

God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen

"to save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray", pointed at atheists and pagans, really angers me with it's arrogance and holier than thou'ness. That's not what my christmas is about.

Away in a Manger, sorry, it's just Yuk! in a big way for me.

Feliz Navidad is terrible too, and I heard a nerve grating Jingle Bells by I think it was Mariah Carey this weekend that made my toenails curl. The only Jingle Bells I like is a really old recording from the 20's.

I like Feliz Navidad.

Maybe my tastes are...awful.   At the age of sixty, I no longer care!  

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer happened to come on the radio today while I was running an errand at work today - and I thought of you and smiled!

I've always enjoyed that one too!

LOL...that reminds me...of all the truly useful gifts (sarcasm) one could get, last year I got a toy chihuahua that sings Feliz Navidad (it's mouth moves and it shakes maraccas). Actually, the intent was to cheer me up, and it makes me burst out laughing everytime I look at it/ turn it on (so I guess it is useful)...but takes away from the song somehow.

As a kid we sang 'we 3 Kings from Orient are-tried to smoke a rubber cigar-

It was loaded and exploded  etc.

Also  Rudolph the Red Gunned cowboy-had a very shiny gun....

I don't like Rockin around the Christmas tree

I do giggle at Granny got run over by a reindeer tho!

Silent Night ... Good King Wencelas ... Little Town of Bethlehem

Seriously though ... I really can't stand Holly Jolly Christmas

I didn't really realise this until today.  I had seen Gord's thread earlier so I started noticing the lyrics that I heard on the radio.  It's amazing how you can sing along to a song for your whole life without really listening to the words.  This song has moved to my naughty list.

Gosh - do we really have to analysis the theology of the carols we sing.  Then I would have to nix Hark the Heald Angels Sing. "Veiled in flesh the God-head see, hail the incarnate deity".      But it is such a joyous hymn to sing!

"In the Bleak Midwinter" - now that one is bleak.   And it describes a real winter - thei snow and frozen ground.  How often in Bethlehem is the earth frozen 'hard as iron, water like a stone'?   Or 'snow on snow'?   

Thanks Hilary.

I think it is important to know what you're singing, then you can choose to either disregard it or come up with a different interpretation or ban the song from your repertoire! I think it's important to think about everything we participate in, especially religion and consumerism!

I seem to recall "In the Bleak Midwinter" being an English song, so set in England. Maybe the English figured palestine must have a winter too! lol! Or else they were applying it to themselves. It reminds me of "Did those feet in ancient times walk upon England's mountains green, and was the holy lamb of god on England's pleasant pastures seen?" hubby sang it for me as I typed ; ) He was taught all that as a kid. It sure seems strange to me, middle eastern religion adopted as England's own, mixed as it is with pagan custom and meaning.

Remember Christmas day it was minus 26 F and cars would not start - earth and water were kind of hard -
I LOATHE the gramma got run over by reindeer song

I suppose "In the Bleak Mid-Winter" conveyed to the British the same message as 'The Huron Carol" was meant to convey to the native people of North America.

Well it's not so much that I hate certain Christmas songs as much as I prefer not to hear so much of them. It starts to fill our radio stations and malls very early and the 60 days of Christmas feels way too long for business to celebrate trying to take my money from me.

I agree Waterfall!

While I love most Christmas songs, there is one that I simply LOATHE. It is called something like "Can I Buy These Shoes for my Mama Please, Before she Meets Jesus Tonight." It is just SO sappy and SO emotionally manipulative that it is indeed utterly.horrid.

I heard the Chipmunks on the radio today.

That is Christmas music that I hate!

At my age, I'm kind of getting tired of all Christmas songs. Just too many years of hearing the same mawkish, silly, pompous, offensive music, but here are a few of my least favourite:

Blue Christmas

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Little Drummer Boy (really awful IMO)

Honky The Christmas Goose

Christmas Is A'coming

I Saw Three Ships

Speaking of mangling carols, my Dad was good at that.

"........angels bending near the earth to kiss their ass of gold...."

"While shepherds washed their socks by night with all their dirty duds,

The Angel of the Lord came down and brought them Super Suds"

I still get shivers hearing a grand and glorious rendition of Joy to the World though.

My least favourites ...

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose ...

Jingle Bell Rock

I think the song is just called The Christmas Shoes Morning Calm :)  I actually don't mind the song, I read the book before hearing the song.  I do agree that it is sappy.

I like most Christmas songs, it's certain versions that drive me nuts!  I'm with Tabitha, the chipmunks belong here!  Also, there's the new version of All I Want for Christmas is You.  Seeing Mariah and Beiber together is just wrong and the video gives me the creeps.

Hi chemgal. Perhaps the book is better than the song.?

I heard one of the most beautiful duets last night. It sounded as close to two angels as   I've ever heard. So beautiful that I was discretely dabbing away tears.

It was "O Holy Night"

Wow!  I like some Christmas music again