Okay, I admit it…I really enjoy Christmas music! The sounds of the season are some of the must beautiful (and some of the most hilarious) songs ever written. Whether from a sacred point of view (“O Holy Night”), or a bit more light-hearted (“Holly Jolly Christmas”), the great thing about these songs is we only hear them for a few precious days out of the year, so it’s hard for me to get sick of them.

For as long as I’ve been in radio, the standard operating procedure around the holidays has been to begin playing one Christmas song an hour (or possibly every other hour) immediately following Thanksgiving. As the days go by and we get closer and closer to Christmas, the number of Christmas songs per hour increases until at some point (usually after the morning show), it’s wall-to-wall holiday music. Then, at the stroke of midnight on Christmas night, it’s back to the station’s regular musical format.

That’s it…no more Christmas tunes for another 11 months and so-many days! You want to hear “Silent Night” just once more? Sorry, no. It’s as if there is some sort of commandment that says, “Thou shalt not play ‘Joy To The World’ or even ‘Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer’ until after the next Thanksgiving Day hath passed.” Or, something like that. So, someone like me, who has just started to remember all of the words to “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year,” is now left like a soap opera addict whose cable has been shut off!

Why does it have to end so suddenly? Why can’t we do a gradual withdrawal during the week between Christmas and New Year’s? Take it back down to a couple of songs an hour on the day after Christmas, then one an hour, then one every other hour, etc. This would allow the type of “weaning” process someone like me needs, ultimately culminating in one last holiday melody being heard just before midnight on December 30th. I can handle heading into New Year’s Eve without another round of “12 Days of Christmas.” It’s the sudden, dramatic halt to decking the halls that I find jarring. I guess I could listen the collection of holiday CD’s I’ve gathered over the last few years, but it’s not the same as hearing (or playing) them on the radio.

The Who to perform at halftime during Super Bowl - NFL - SI.com.

The rumors have been confirmed: Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Pino Palladino (bass), Zak Starkey (awesome drummer & Ringo’s kid!), ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick (keyboards), and Simon Townshend (guitar/vocals/Pete’s brother) will perform during halftime at the Super Bowl in Miami on Feb. 7, 2010!  If you’re a regular listener to the Night Flight (weeknights 7pm-midnight) on 100.5 The Eagle, you know that I am a HUGE Who fan!  I’ve seen them live FOUR times now…1976 at Oakland Coliseum, 1980 at the LA Sports Arena, 1982 at the LA Coliseum, and I’m so glad I got to see them when they came to Little Rock a couple of years ago…the still ROCK!  I know I’ll be watching/DVR’ing!  I wonder what songs they’ll include, as the Super Bowl seems to let that act do a couple of full-length tunes, and some sort of medley.  What songs do YOU think The Who should do?  Hit “Comments” and give me your suggestions, and I’ll read ‘em on the air over the next few days!