a playlist for when you need a break from christmas music

By Jess Santacroce
Music Writer, Phoenix Radio 
 
Christmas songs. Love them, dread them, or fall somewhere in between, you will probably need to play something else at some point during these next couple of weeks. When you need a break from Christmas music this season, consider adding these five everyday songs that still reflect and remind us of the teachings of Jesus...the reason for the entire Christmas season...to your playlist. 

Humility: Humble and Kind: Tim McGraw (2015)

Perhaps the simplest and most straightforward song on the topic ever written, “Humble and Kind” is a gentle tune about the need to remain humble, even when you’ve accomplished a lot in the world or are seeing the things you dream about coming to you. Although the song itself does not have  Christmas or Christian themes, it is sung by a Christian artist, and reminds us of something we often forget in our race to have the biggest party, the house with the most elaborate decorations, the most glam outfit at the holiday party, or the priciest holiday haul….the event we celebrate on Christmas day was the birth of a child to a seemingly ordinary young woman from a town everyone looked down on, one that occurred in an enclosure meant for livestock. If the one who came to save the world entered it this humbly, we honor Him best when we approach our own celebrations with humility. 

Love: Less Like Me: Zach Williams (2019)

Entire books could be written about romantic love, and that type of love is certainly a gift from God, as is the platonic love we have for our family, friends, and pets. Suggesting a song about the love for humanity in no way attempts to put down these types of love. It’s just that these types of love are not as often forgotten during the holiday season as love for our fellow human beings in general. We remember to buy our spouse a special gift and thank our mothers for the holiday recipes and take our friends out for coffee. We don’t always remember that all the people we see as obstacles in our holiday rush are just as worthy of being here as we are, or that they are feeling the same frustrations and hopes that we feel. 

This song, written from the perspective of a narrator who professes to be a Christian but often ignores opportunities to behave in a loving manner toward those he encounters throughout his day, notes that the obstacle is his inability to “see past myself.” He then prays for the ability to “give what I receive.” 

Patience: A Thousand Years: Christina Perri (2011)

When we think of “patience” during the holiday season, we think of the most mundane version, the ability to resist growing irritable when the cashier at the mall rings up other people’s purchases slower than we would like or brushing off our child or spouse when they want to watch a holiday movie more times than we think are necessary. Patience with ordinary holiday inconveniences is indeed important, but this song is for those who are dealing with a need for patience on a much deeper level. It is a song in which “time stand still,” and of course, love is pledged for thousands of years. It can serve as both a comfort for those who are struggling this season because they are going through a difficult time they must wait out, and as a reminder to those who are not grappling with a difficult situation that some people are, and that we should be patient and gentle with them. 

Enjoyment in the simple pleasures of life: Play That Song: Train (2016)

One unfortunate Christian stereotype is of someone who is not allowed to genuinely enjoy life. In far too many popular portrayals, the Christian character is the one glaring at everybody then retreating to their drab room to study the Bible, emerging only for work and church. This stereotype is sadly perpetuated by many of today’s Christian content creators, who seem to be looking for evil spirits in everything from alarm clocks to lipstick tubes.  It may surprise many non-Christians and even some Christians  to learn that while selfishness, greed, and materialism are certainly forbidden, enjoyment of the simple pleasures in life is encouraged in the Bible.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 and 3:12-13  encourage rejoicing, eating and drinking, and finding satisfaction in one’s work. They are just a few of many verses that teach us to take delight in those little happy moments, making this upbeat, joyful song about a character who can’t wait until the DJ plays that one song that makes his beloved think of him and want to dance a perfect non-Christmas song for a Christmas time playlist. 

Generosity: People Help the People: Birdy (2011)

Songs about freely and joyfully giving your time, money, and energy to serve others are apparently pretty rare. Of course a few have been written over the years, but most songs on “generosity” playlists either use “giving” as some type of euphemism for romantic attention, or express gratitude for “generous” responses to bad behavior. 

British singer Birdy’s “People Help the People” is one of the few that is truly a call to action to share your resources with those in need. The lyrics invite the homesick to “give me your hand and I’ll hold it” and declares that “no one needs to be alone.” 

May these songs about humility, patience, love, delight in the simple joys of life, and giving to others both entertain and inspire us this Christmas season.