Secular music during Christmas?

I recall that the Charlotte NC CCM station, after going all Christmas, has played songs from the Peanuts special and other secular music. I haven't listened or asked about this year.

And while it isn't radio, I was out walking yesterday and a church in the area where I was had chimes as usual at noon. Usually they play hymns. I was amazed to hear the song that, when it has words, starts with "chestnuts roasting on an open fire".

I used to DJ on a southern gospel show, and we played some secular songs, mostly fun ones done by southern gospel artists, but not that many. Our show always featured one Christian comedy song or story during the hour, so we could slip in a funny one occasionally. The ex really didn't like secular songs, so he was very picky about the ones he played. This was a one-hour show on a smalltown station, so we got to decide what was played so long as we respected the boundaries of the stations, such as one station he worked for did not allow secular artists such as country or bluegrass artists who recorded gospel songs.

I don't listen to CCM very much except for The Fish when they go Christmas, but they as well as our southern gospel station incorporate more lighthearted songs such as Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls into their playlists, as the artists have those on their albums as well as Christian songs. Personally I'm all for it. BBN exclusively plays Christian Christmas songs, and the last time I listened it was absolutely awful when they went nothing but Christmas. They kept playing the same songs over and over. I thought if I heard Joy to the World one more time I was going to do something very un-Christian to the radio.

My personal feeling is that there is nothing wrong with having these songs on Christian radio. I think it's no different from southern gospel songs like "Precious Memories" and "Daddy Sang Bass", which we would play on our program. They would not be appropriate for a church service because the focus is supposed to be purely on Jesus, and I believe that there we should only have songs that are going to lead us into worship. However I don't think Christian radio serves the same purpose except for perhaps BBN and stations in that category.

I don't have a problem with the secular Christmas songs being mixed in as long as they don't have any questionable content, but I think that most CCM stations probably do a good job of that. But I'll admit I'd rather hear Christian Christmas songs on CCM radio done by Christian artists. But I'll admit hearing "Chestnuts" coming from church bells is odd.

I can't say how much Christmas music they are playing because I only sampled it the one time, or how much is secular, but K-Love played "White Christmas". Not a version that would be my taste, but much better than most of what K-Love airs.

It's common at Christmas for CCM stations that go "All Christmas" to sprinkle in "classics" that Mainstream Christmas stations play... The logic behind it is that Christmas music classics stir up child hood memories and are "favorites" among the demographic that the CCM station is trying to pull in...

Personally with my Christian formatted internet station I stick to "format specific" artists that I play the other 11 months a year but I understand why CCM stations do it.

Not about radio again, but the church that did Nat King Cole's song played "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" on January 20. That's two weeks even after Orthodox Christmas.

vchimpanzee said:

I recall that the Charlotte NC CCM station, after going all Christmas, has played songs from the Peanuts special and other secular music. I haven't listened or asked about this year.

And while it isn't radio, I was out walking yesterday and a church in the area where I was had chimes as usual at noon. Usually they play hymns. I was amazed to hear the song that, when it has words, starts with "chestnuts roasting on an open fire".

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There's a Christian Radio Station in my area that regularly plays Christian Christmas Hymns throughout the month of December. However, last December I was confused and dissapointed because they only played about 4 hymns per hour and the rest of the music were songs I never heard before. Granted, the songs were Christian and they were about Christmas but have no clue who was singing them or where the songs came from. Simply stated... I think the radio station may have alienated a few of their "over 50 crowd" with their playing Christmas "deep tracks" music.

The Christmas formats I hear on secular stations fall completely flat - all secular generic holiday stuff. I have a Christmas oldies format that I can run, and a traditional Christmas carol format that I can run. I doubt there is much audience for either.

As far as Christian artists doing Christmas songs, there are a bunch of remakes of things like sleigh ride. Personally, I feel more Christmasy with the Ronettes version, or Boston pops (1959) versions. Maybe Amy Grant's from her first Christmas CD. It is pretty much the same with just about every other song - Christian artists making White Christmas, Christian artists doing the Christmas song, etc. Give me the originals from the 40's and 50's every time. And I am not the only Christian saying it!

One thing is for sure, you won't get anywhere close to a Christmas Carol on a secular station that goes Christmas in December. The name of Jesus Christ is not to be heard in anything they play. A lot of them won't even play Silent Night. They would melt at the prospect of Hark The Herald Angels Sing. Have yourself a secular little Christmas should be the name of the format in December. It is depressing when I listen, because Christmas is about CHRIST. At least Christian stations going Christmas don't censor out the true meaning of Christmas. If it takes secular songs associated with Christmas to draw in the listeners, I say go for it.

rbrucecarter5 said:

The Christmas formats I hear on secular stations fall completely flat - all secular generic holiday stuff. I have a Christmas oldies format that I can run, and a traditional Christmas carol format that I can run. I doubt there is much audience for either.

As far as Christian artists doing Christmas songs, there are a bunch of remakes of things like sleigh ride. Personally, I feel more Christmasy with the Ronettes version, or Boston pops (1959) versions. Maybe Amy Grant's from her first Christmas CD. It is pretty much the same with just about every other song - Christian artists making White Christmas, Christian artists doing the Christmas song, etc. Give me the originals from the 40's and 50's every time. And I am not the only Christian saying it!

One thing is for sure, you won't get anywhere close to a Christmas Carol on a secular station that goes Christmas in December. The name of Jesus Christ is not to be heard in anything they play. A lot of them won't even play Silent Night. They would melt at the prospect of Hark The Herald Angels Sing. Have yourself a secular little Christmas should be the name of the format in December. It is depressing when I listen, because Christmas is about CHRIST. At least Christian stations going Christmas don't censor out the true meaning of Christmas. If it takes secular songs associated with Christmas to draw in the listeners, I say go for it.

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It's a strange time to be talking about this, but none of the secular stations that play Christmas music in my area avoid the true meaning of Christmas. They just play mostly the secular music or the winter music that has nothing to do with Christmas.

vchimpanzee said:

Not about radio again, but the church that did Nat King Cole's song played "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" on January 20. That's two weeks even after Orthodox Christmas.

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I have since found out there is an Armenian group that celebrates around that time.

Also, remember that K-Love has been buying up stations in areas that are predominantly Roman Catholic and have never been particularly receptive to the "bludgeon them with God's love" evangelical approach. So mixing in the occasional ode to frozen precipitation and jolly fat men might be a way to ease skeptical listeners into the format?

Two of EMF's more recent purchases have been excellent signals in Hartford (WCCC) and Providence (WBRU). In Hartford, the Archdiocese operates a station (WJMJ) that mixes religious songs with "seasonal" music until Epiphany (Three Kings Day, to the large Hispanic community), along with soft-sell Catholic preaching. That's the sort of Christian radio that works in these parts. As Alabama sang, "If you're gonna play in Texas, you've gotta have a fiddle in the band." So why shouldn't K-Love tailor its product to go down easier in places where evangelical Protestantism has a poor track record?

vchimpanzee said:

I recall that the Charlotte NC CCM station, after going all Christmas, has played songs from the Peanuts special and other secular music. I haven't listened or asked about this year.

And while it isn't radio, I was out walking yesterday and a church in the area where I was had chimes as usual at noon. Usually they play hymns. I was amazed to hear the song that, when it has words, starts with "chestnuts roasting on an open fire".

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When I was in church in 1970, we were all standing around singing "Cecilia", not exactly a Christian song, what with the words, " Makin' love in the afternoon with Cecilia up in my bedroom..."!