It’s all about Christmas

By Drew Millard

Some people say life is about love. Others say it’s about being content with who you are. A few coldhearted souls say life is about money.

But I have good news. All of those people who say those things are full of it. Life is about Christmas.

How do I know this? The day after Halloween, they officially started playing Christmas music on the radio.

Yes, it’s that time of the year, and it keeps coming sooner and sooner. Next year, you’ll be hearing “Silver Bells” just about when I head off to college. And I love it. Nothing shows more holiday spirit than playing Christmas music as soon as possible. Back when I was really really young, I can remember that holiday tunes were never really played until after Thanksgiving. Man, what a jip. I’m super-pumped that somebody decided that Christmas unequivocally superseded Thanksgiving, therefore giving it priority over all other holidays in the universe.

I adore the fact that Christmas music exists, because it (1) shows that people care enough about this holiday to make a soundtrack for it, which is always nice, and (2) forces my friends to listen to artists I like.

I am seventeen. I have delved into my mind many a time in search of material for this column, but I don’t think that I’ve ever told you that I — unlike many teenagers — like to listen to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Nat King Cole. Well, I do. These men happen to have made some of the greatest music of all time—more importantly, they also have made some of the greatest Christmas music of all time. Ironically, my generation seems to acknowledge this group’s latter contribution to the musical lexicon, as opposed to the former. In plain English, that means that everybody listens to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Nat King Cole during this time of year, but only their Christmas music. Right now my friends are listening to the artists I like, and they will cease on Dec. 26. Life goes on.

Christmas is clearly the greatest holiday in the universe. There are those who criticize it for fostering a spirit of commercialism and greed, but they’re missing the point. Christmas isn’t about that, just like life isn’t about love. It’s all about the music.