It’s Beginning To Sound Too Much Like Christmas

Is it me, or have the Philly radio stations been playing Christmas music since Labor Day?

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy Christmas as much as the next Jew. But this kind of auditory overkill would drive Christ Himself to an iPod.

We’re not talking about an occasional “Jingle Bells” or “Deck the Halls” between Top 40 tunes. We’re talking about entire formats changing overnight from Agnostic Pop to All-Carols-All-The-Time.

How much Christmas joy can a non-Christian take?

It’s gotten so bad that several weeks ago, I had to re-program all my favorite stations. For someone mystified by a garbage disposal, that was not a simple task.

In the old days, it was an unwritten rule that hymns wouldn’t hit the dial until after Thanksgiving, and they wouldn’t go wall-to-wall until Christmas Day. It was easy to get caught up in the holiday excitement, even if it wasn’t my holiday.

Then a funny thing happened. Radio executives discovered that listeners loved non-stop carols, and the earlier in the season, the better. “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” could be a hit in October. The whole thing was a gift-wrapped ratings bonanza.

Sure, but is it good for the Jews? Ho, ho,  no.

It is un-American that I am forced to give up my best-loved stations for two months – 17 percent! – of every year because they’re flooded with music for a holiday I don’t celebrate. Where’s the justice? Where’s the Chanukah playlist?

I want my stations back. The Little Drummer Boy does not drum for me.