Christmas in Australia is very different than Christmas in the United States.
At first I was thinking that it was the warm weather that made me feel like it wasn't really Christmas time, but then I noticed it....
One of those subtle things that you don't really miss until it is gone*...
I am talking, my friends, about Christmas music.
While in any major city in the United States, at least 2 or 3 stations on the dial are playing non-stop Christmas music, I have heard one, count it, ONE Christmas carol on the radio in the month I have been living here and listening to the radio daily. Now, if you are in the U.S., it is likely that you have had enough with the Christmas music and are ready to take an ice pick to the radio the next time you hear a carol....
I, on the other hand, have gone into Christmas music withdrawal.
I've been listening to the Christmas stuff I have on my iTunes, and expanding my collection with my first foray into the world of the iTunes music store! Within the last week I have decided that I NEEDED these songs to make my Christmas repetoire complete (well, as complete as it can be when iTunes does not have the Royal Guardsmen's Snoopy's Christmas or Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey Song):
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Barenaked Ladies
- All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
- (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays - Perry Como
- Christmas Wrapping – The Waitresses
- Last Christmas - Wham!
- I Saw Three Ships - Sting
- It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams
- Merry Christmas, Baby - Otis Redding
- You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch - Boris Karloff
- Feliz Navidad - José Feliciano
*Another example - 9 times out of 10 I don't watch "It's a Wonderful Life" when it is on at Christmas, but this year, since I know it won't be on, I want to see it more than ever! White Christmas, on the other hand, I watch EVERY year, and I am sad not to have it on DVD here with me. Luckily, I do have Love Actually, so at least I have ONE fabulous Christmas movie !
2 comments:
currently in *$s... no holiday music here. straight old standards from the 30s and 40s. all right.
Funny, I thought that there would be straight old holiday standards from the 30s and 40s there! I found a *$s in the neighbourhood here, and they too were Xmas music-free (but they had gingerbread frappachinos, yum!)
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