What is That Song Playing in My Ear?

Jews have played a crucial role in popularizing Christmas. They have enhanced the national observance of Christmas by composing many of the Christmas songs beloved by all Americans. More secular than religious, these songs, among them Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” Walter Rollins and Steve Fletcher’s “Frosty the Snowman,” and, most recently, Paul Simon’s “Getting Ready for Christmas Day,” remind celebrants that Christmas belongs to all Americans who share in the spirit of patriotism, generosity, peace, and good will. Ironically, other Jews in the United States have developed strategies to downplay the significance of Christmas by composing poems and songs—in print, performance, and the media—that satirize and neutralize the religious nature of the holiday. Humorous songs and comedic performances offer outlets for the disenfranchised to vent disappointment over society’s fixation with the crass commercialization of Christmas.

Harboring an appreciation for music, I listened to many Hanukkah record albums and compact discs that introduced new songs to the public. This led to my discovering musical parodies of Christmas and Hanukkah that were recorded on specialty labels and eventually recreated on CDs, DVDs, and YouTube.

Check out the following:

The Visiting Scribes series was produced by the Jewish Book Council‘s blog, The Prosen People.

Discover More

Hanukkah Songs 2011

If you’re getting ready for Hanukkah — lighting candles? doing seasonal meditation? throwing a party? — and you need the ...

Hearing the Women’s Songs—in Torah and in “The Big Sleep”

Although I live in California, I don’t share the New Age belief that there are no coincidences. I think many ...

The 10 Best Hanukkah Songs on YouTube

From the classics to the most creative acapella, here’s a list of Youtube’s best Hanukkah music.