I enjoy the holidays. There’s the nippy weather, or the snow depending on your location, hot cocoa and fireplaces, excited kids running around, Santa, charity, family and good food. There’s a lot to enjoy about the holidays and it’s considered one of the cheeriest times of the year.

 

There’s also the holiday music. We all have that friend who hates holiday music or you yourself may tire of hearing “Jingle Bells” or “A Merry Little Christmas” ten times a day.

 

Perhaps you have even worked in a company, store or office where holiday music is played every day from the Friday after Thanksgiving until Christmas – a month of listening to the same songs on repeat over and over. No matter how much you like the holidays, which I do, you are bound to get irritated after a while.

 

There’s also another aspect of it. Every song about the holidays and the spreading of good wishes and cheer is not always accurate and doesn’t resonate with every listener. I know for certain that I am not smiling and full of cheer every minute of every day for the month of “the holidays”.

 

With Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice or however you celebrate your winter holidays, there is also a downside. There are the extra costs, the stress of gift shopping, family drama, the added pounds, not having a significant other, loneliness and many other problems which the holidays magnify.

 

I always have thought that the negative aspects of the holidays also need to be taken into consideration, at least somewhat, as it’s the dichotomies that life is defined by. It’s the lows that make the highs high, you know? That’s why I am always looking for a variety of music filled with ups and downs even on the holidays.

 

I was lucky as a friend had me listen to Linda Tourje’s, Bah Humbug, I instantly turned up the volume and listened to it not once, but three times. Bah Humbug is a new Christmas song, which alone is a reason to listen to it, and it’s catchy and easy to sing along to.

 

And, perhaps, most importantly, it’s real. It’s upbeat and has a bright composition which is in contrast to the lyrics which tell of a woman who is fed up with Christmas and just wants to leave town. The lyrics go over the negative aspects of the holidays including being cold, the repetitive boredom, the crowds in the mall, the pressure of getting gifts, money being tight, getting the annual flu and just feeling very “bah humbug” about it all and leaving town.

 

The song was punchy and honest, and I enjoyed it very much. If you didn’t listen to the lyrics, it would easily disguise itself as a song of holiday cheer, but listening closely, you can relate. The combination of the music and lyrics melds perfectly to make a fun and meaningful song to add to your holiday playlist this season.