Here it is, one day after Thanksgiving and the official start of the Christmas season, and I'm already sick of Christmas songs. Earlier this week, while shopping in a local Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I was treated (or was it tortured?) to the sounds of 'contemporary' Christmas tunes. You know, classics like the hip-hop version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" or a techno-influenced rendition of "Deck the Halls." I've never been 'in' to Christmas music per se, but I suppose I can consider myself 'out' of it at the moment. Apparently, everybody who's anybody in the music industry has recorded an album of Christmas songs. And there exists an unwritten convention amongst retailers that these songs are to be crammed into shoppers' ears. You know, so as to "get them in the spirit."

I'm all for celebrating Christmas. In fact, it's my favorite holiday of the year. But I think it's time that we, as a society, take things down a notch. Christmas displays went up at stores as soon as Halloween was over, and in some cases, days before. Holiday commercials are being aired on TV and radio every 5 minutes, each one with its own variation (nay, perversion) of a beloved Christmas tune. Like Andy Rooney says:

It ought to be against the law to start Christmas before December.