Pooch Cafe by Paul Gilligan for December 22, 2009

Christmas music is contagious, like the flu, maybe there’s a shot…… I prefer rum.

My dog used to bark to Inna Gadda Da Vida. This is indeed an improvement.

Dog Gone It - Now I’ve got that song stuck in my head;-{

Now it’s finally Christmas time, I’ve Finally heard barking jingle bell for the tenth time before Dec. 25….

I haven’t heard any animal Christmas music yet, so lucky! :) And Cleo, that is HILARIOUS!

Also see Marmaduke, over on comics.com.

Christmas music, decorations and christmas displays in stores should be ILLEGAL before december 1…

It should be illegal for every artist to sing Winter Wonderland. I’m so sick of that song. I’ll take Jingle Bells over that anytime though I prefer Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World, Silent Night, The First Noel, the ones with real meaning.

I’m not a Christian (by most definitions), but I can understand and respect the preference for the religious-type Christmas songs. Of course, “Winter Wonderland” isn’t really a Christmas song at all; neither is “Jingle Bells”, for that matter. They’re both songs about winter and snow, with nary a Christmas reference (neither Jesus nor Santa) to split between ‘em. There’s no real reason they can’t be played and enjoyed any time from November through February (or May through August, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere). Songs about Summer don’t need to be tied to a particular holiday, nor do songs about Spring or Autumn (I can’t think of a heckuva lot of Autumn songs, tho). But somehow every song about Winter automatically ends up being considered a Christmas song…

What I like about “Winter Wonderland” is that the couple cudding by the fire aren’t married. It isn’t explicit in the song, but I’ve always imagined that they’ve checked into a charming little Bed-and-Breakfast somewhere, registering as “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”…

One lovely Autumn song is “When October Goes” (Lyrics by Johnny Mercer, Music by Barry Manilow). This can be found on what I consider to be Manilow’s best album ever, “2:00 AM Paradise Cafe.”

Remember Porkie Pig’s version of Blue Christmas? This is one I can go the season without hearing.

Actually, I like “I’m Gettin’ Nothin’ for Christmas.” One hearing per year is sufficient, but it beats the heck out of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” every hour on the hour…

Speaking of Blue Christmas I love how Elvis sings that!

I had jingle bells stuck in my head until May last year