Christmas Muzak

Why do people not understand that the purpose of Christmas music is to inspire warmth and good cheer? Recording a version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," then, featuring only tinny sounding electric keyboards and xylophones would seem to be a poor choice. As would the entire idea of an American Idol Christmas Special. I just came back to the office half an hour early from lunch simply because the Au bon Pain X-mas music selection was so grim. All those pasty sounding voices stretching what used to be one word into what sounds like eight hundred a la Mariah Carey: "HaaaahHHvvee YooooOOOOOOoorseeeeehehehehehlf AaaaAh Meeeeeeeheehereeeeeeeeee..." You get the idea. Nothing can be soft or pretty. Certainly nothing can be sincere. Everything is long acryilic fingernails flashing in the air and hip-hop versions of "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" performed by P. Diddy and the entire cast of Survivor Thailand.
So.