How old is Christmas music?

[TruckDriver]

I'm just curious as to when was most of it written & how old it is. The reason I wanna know is because I was talking to the neighbour, and we were talking about classic rock. I was saying how I can't listen to most rock radio stations anymore, and I been switching to county music, because the rock stations keep playing the same ol' songs they were playing on the radio 20-30 years ago like they are current songs. It is sickening to me, and the songs are getting boring. I don't mind hearing them once in a while, but I like to hear new rock (even from the classic rock bands which no one ever plays), to a few years old rock too. Anyway, I told him that is the same reason I hate Christmas music. It's like most of it is a zillion years old, and they NEVER change the lyrics in anyway   I was tired of it by the time I was around 6 years old already. Even now, my 13 year old son hates Christmas music, and even rates it worse than rape, hip hop & opera. (Although, I agree with him)

[justin1987]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_carols

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_music

[Daytona R/T SE]

Many years ago I worked in a grocery store. You don't know what torture is until you've had that damned Christmas music piped through your head all day long...day... after day... after day... after day... after day...

[TruckDriver]

"The tradition of Christmas carols hails back as far as the thirteenth century," "can be traced directly back to the Middle Ages, and are among the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung" "The first appearance in print of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen", "The First Noel", "I Saw Three Ships" and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" was in Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (1833) by William B. Sandys." "many Christmas carols were written prior to the 20th century"

I knew they were old, but not that old. No wonder I don't like them

[Musicman]

OK, their old.... but who has produced anything recently that will withstand the test of time (meaning hundreds of years)? At least have the common courtesy to place credit where credit is due. If you don't like something old, then create something new. I'm driving an old car from the 60's... but when I look at the current alternatives, I feel pretty good about that. My car may be old, but at least it's unique, and I don't think that I will ever grow tired of looking at it, driving it, or listening to it.... The day I do please shoot me, because obviously I have grown ungrateful and unappreciative.

Merry Christmas

Mike 

[bull]

Even now, my 13 year old son hates Christmas music, and even rates it worse than rape, hip hop & opera. (Although, I agree with him)

Oh, come on. You can't tell me your kid thinks Christmas music is worse than rape. Rape is a very bad thing.

Anyway, I think there's more to Christmas music than you and your boy are giving it credit for. The other genres of music you mentioned do not typically strive to incite a feeling of tradition, and tradition plays a very strong role in Christmas. That's why you hear a lot of Christmas music from guys like Gene Autry and Bing Crosby. I think people who enjoy the sentimentality and tradition surrounding Christmas would rather listen to the older more traditional Christmas songs than something George Michael or "Weird Al" Yankovic can come up with. Still, it seems to me that almost every year someone comes up with a new Christmas song but like Justin's link above shows us, some of the Christmas carols that you can still hear today date back to the Middle Ages.

BTW, I don't think listening to Country music is going to solve your dilemma. I was listening to a lot of it back in the early '90s and every once in a great while, when I catch some of it now, they're playing the same stuff they played back then. What I've always done is switch genres about every six months and here lately I switch genres during the day. I head to work listening to Christian rock or Christmas music, then start my work day with new age music for the first couple hours, switch to heavy metal or pop for the middle four hours and then listen to some talk radio on the way home. Variety is the spice of life.

[TruckDriver]

I didn't even realize in misspelled rap

Some of the county I been hearing is harder then some rock I hear on the radio now. "Johnny Cash" by Jason Aldean for example, or Trace Adkins' "I Got My Game On". Pretty cool songs   My girlfriend likes some Hip Hop, so I have to deal with it

[bear]

Many years ago I worked in a grocery store. You don't know what torture is until you've had that damned Christmas music piped through your head all day long...day... after day... after day... after day... after day...

i've been going through that for the past month where i work. but today was the last day i work before christmas so i probably wont hear it until next year

[dukeboy_318]

I didn't even realize in misspelled rap

Some of the county I been hearing is harder then some rock I hear on the radio now. "Johnny Cash" by Jason Aldean for example, or Trace Adkins' "I Got My Game On". Pretty cool songs   My girlfriend likes some Hip Hop, so I have to deal with it

im the same way man, love country music, i was born a hick and i will always be one, my girlfriend is a country girl too, but she listens to anything but rap or classical, drives me up the wall on long trips, but hey she lets me have my charger affair so i guess its a small price to pay