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Christmas Song Madness

19.12.2014 15:35

It's the holiday season -- and that means it's time for Christmas music and lots of special traditional preparations. Christmas is less than a week away. The next few days are going to pass very quickly for many of us as we prepare to celebrate Christmas. Part of the celebration is listening to our favorite Christmas tunes.In America a group has been conducting a survey to determine which Christmas tune is the nation's favorite.

It's the holiday season -- and that means it's time for Christmas music and lots of special traditional preparations. Christmas is less than a week away. The next few days are going to pass very quickly for many of us as we prepare to celebrate Christmas. Part of the celebration is listening to our favorite Christmas tunes.
In America a group has been conducting a survey to determine which Christmas tune is the nation's favorite. So far, in the Christmas song madness survey, the results show that Mariah Carey's 20-year-old modern classic "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and Paul McCartney's 1979 "Wonderful Christmastime" are among the favorites. But what about Elvis Presley's 1957 version of "Blue Christmas," or John Lennon's 1971 "Happy Christmas (War is Over)” and many more…?

Christmas carols have been around for centuries and make the season special. I enjoy listening to those ever-favorite special songs of Christmas time: “Silent Night,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Joy to the World” and, of course, popular Christmas songs such as “Sleigh Ride” and “White Christmas,” with words about snow falling, sleigh rides and munching on gingerbread cookies.

As I spend time in traffic jams around the city, I've been enjoying listening to Celine Dion's Christmas CD as well as a few others. In Turkey, you can hear all kinds of Christmas music being played in shopping malls and most who hear it are not aware of the words but may recognize the tunes. I heard “Silent Night” in English being played in a shopping center the other day over the loudspeaker. You would not hear that in most public places in America these days because of everyone wanting to be politically correct.

There has been a trend in recent years in America to take Christ out of Christmas. Following on from research he conducted, Ed Stetzer states that Americans want to keep Christ in Christmas. I know this is true, but there are many who celebrate Christmas as a holiday with no spiritual significance. At my bookstore, staffs are often asked by many expats if we have non-religious Christmas books. You know, more about Santa and so on. Oddly enough, the forth Sunday in Advent -- the Sunday before Christmas Day -- is the second most well-attended service in the year. In a blog by Ed Stetzer called The Exchange, he reports the following about opinions on Christmas:

· 63 percent of Americans say people should visit church for Christmas
· 39 percent say "X-mas" is offensive
· 29 percent say "Happy Holidays" is offensive

In the retail sector in the West, shop workers are being told to say "Happy Holidays" and the displays focus on Santa Claus, wintry snow scenes and elves on the shelf. No manger scenes. Though Christmas is celebrated by millions around the world, it is not a spiritual experience for all.
Silent night is probably one of the best-known Christmas carols around the world. It is also a religious one. The words are as follows:

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace
In Turkey, non-English-speaking people hearing the English words rarely understand the significance of the words. Of course, many would recognize the carols "Jingle Bells" and "Winter Wonderland" and maybe even "The Chipmunk Song." In the first round of the Christmas Song madness contest, "Silent Night," proved itself to be a real favorite of many.

If you are away from the family and friends you would normally be celebrating with, it will be a different experience for you, but it can still be a good time.

Speaking of favorites, most people around the world are familiar with the opening lines of the well-known Christmas poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore, which goes like this:

“'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…”

Whether you are someone who likes to say “Happy Christmas” or prefers “Merry Christmas,” I wish you peace and joy and fun as you celebrate this holiday!

CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON (Cihan/Today's Zaman)



 
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