The Day The Music Died (almost!)

  As promised in an earlier blog, I've been
enjoying this Christmas season since the
first signs of its coming showed up in
decorated trees set up in ceiling displays
in Home Depot sometime in September!
   I noticed them on the 29th of that month.
   Yea...many do "rush" the season. But
it sure comes and goes quickly!
   Part of my enjoyment comes from the
Christmas music. It slips into a lot of
radio station formats gradually, although
some play it continuously for a couple
weeks just before December 25th.
   WLSH in Lansford used to play
Christmas music from Thanksgiving till
"Russian Christmas" on January 7th.
   I was disappointed this year when they
returned to their regular format the day
after Christmas.
  There must be a few "Bah, Humbug
listeners" out there!
  Sirius XM Satellite radio filled the
void for me....but only till New Year's
Day. It's special "Holiday channels"
have gone dark till next year.
   Now I know a lot of you (probably
most) are more than ready to give up
"Here Comes Santa Claus" and
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer."
    Chances are the only lyric that
sounds popular about now is...."Mom
and Dads can hardy wait for school to
start again!"
     But the nice thing about radio is
there are so many frequencies,
including the new HD channels,
that a broadcaster can offer its "regular
format" and something completely
different on it's other channel.
     I wouldn't mind losing some of
the music I've heard lately in favor of
some "Christmas time" standards.
    Cracker Barrel and Cabela's stores
seem compelled to offer a constant flow
of Country Western tunes that quite often
fall off the ridge into the "Hillbilly
category." I need some sort of radio
closed caption to understand what they're
whining about!
     On the other hand there are a lot of
songs we tie to Christmas that don't
hang their stockings on "Santa."
    "The Christmas Song", and music
from "The Nutcracker" are just two
examples that come to mind.
    But they're dumped along with
Frosty the Snowman" on or about
December 26th.
    Oh well, at least "Sky Piano" is
still offering a bit of the season on
line.....at least for the moment.
    I'm not "Russian" but I'll continue
to tune in at least till my friends of the
Orthodox faith have enjoyed their day!
    Hope you'll keep a few of the tunes
in your heart and mind, if not on the air,
and that all of your NEWS is good!