Christmas music?

There has been a complete absence of Christmas music this year. You know what I mean don't you?

I have not once heard Bing Crosby dreaming of his white Christmas or Santa's sleigh bells ringing or the little drummer boy banging away in the shops or the shopping centre. Nobody has sung Christmas carols in the shopping centre either. 

Admittedly they cancelled the out door carols because of the weather. It rained - rather a lot. 

There have been almost no decorations either. There are a couple of tacky Christmas trees in the shopping centre. At the library there were a very few "decorations" but they might have been for anything.  Some people have lights up or a festive wreath on the front door but they are in the minority. There are a few big red bows tied to trees (and even the occasional purple bow) but there are even less of those than before. 

What's going on? I asked someone I know. He usually puts up a few solar powered lights and his partner, who makes baskets and wreaths from garden materials, adds a home made wreath to the front door.  

He sighed and said, "We don't want to upset the neighbours. They didn't like us doing it last year. Apparently it is wrong to do it."

Wrong? I suspected as much. It seems we have reached the absolutely ridiculous point where Christmas celebrations have to be held indoors, alone, away from where others might be offended by the celebration of a Christian tradition. It is fine if you wish to celebrate Eid or Divali but please don't mention Hanukah or Christmas...unless of course it involves spending money on gifts people don't need or food for the day. 

How many of those people who are "offended" by Christmas decorations and carols will still get together with family or friends and exchange presents and eat too much food? Why aren't they just going to work in the normal way? Why don't they do what one of the nicest people I know does. K... is Hindu and works in the library. Recently she asked me what I was going to do on Christmas Day. I told her and asked if she was doing anything special over the holiday period. The library will be closed. She smiled and said, "Oh, we will celebrate Christmas as well. It is a special time for a special birthday isn't it? We can honour that too."

I thanked her. There was a generosity there which is lacking among so many people around me. 

I have some hope for the future though. As I was pedalling off a teenage boy pedalled past me. He was singing an excerpt from the Messiah. Perhaps he is in a choir which sings actual Christmas carols.