It is officially the Christmas season. That's right, official, it's December first. I can't really explain how much I love this time of year. I don't know if it's the snow, the reading by a fireplace, the gifts (perhaps), the fact that nearly everyone is in a good mood for nearly a month, or the music. Regrettably, the majority of Christmas music has been reduced to sex-line voiced mothers singing raspily about making out with their second husband dressed up like Santa while their kids look on fearfully from the stairs. But that's not what I'm talking about by music.

Some of you know that two of my favorite things are classical music and anything French. Put those together and you've got yourself some beastly fantastic music. My point is, I really, really love the song O Holy Night / Cantique de Noël.

It was written by a lovely fellow named Placide Cappeau, "a wine merchant and poet," according to wikipedia. I suppose it's unfair for others to try to write Christmas carols when they are up against an 18th century French wine merchant. That's just so awesome to me. The poem was never meant to be sung, really. Just a fine little thing to read. In fact, not only was the poem not set to music until 1906, but it was the very first song ever played on the radio. So cool, again.

I'm not sure who wrote the music because it's beautiful also, but the lyrics are really the best part. I've really never understood the attack upon Christianity as it being a "religion of oppression, judgement, hate, etc." I suppose these attacks are founded by lack of research maybe, I don't know. What I do know is that the opposite is true. Trivial as it may seem, this poem is a brilliant counter to that. Honestly, you cannot read the words and see Christianity as the organized crime it's made out to be.

Le Rédempteur a brisé toute entrave:
La terre est libre, et le ciel est ouvert.
Il voit un frère où n'était qu'un esclave,
L'amour unit ceux qu'enchaînait le fer.
Qui Lui dira notre reconnaissance,
C'est pour nous tous qu'Il naît, qu'Il souffre et meurt.

"The redeemer has broken every shackle... He sees a brother where there was once only a slave. Those who had been chained together, love now unites. Who will tell him of our gratitude? It is for every one of us that He was born, suffered, and died."

Where man has enslaved, Christ frees. Where oppression reigns, sympathy demolishes. Where hatred is spoken, God's love refutes. I understand that for non-Christians it's probably not as beautiful as it is to myself. It's really impossible to explain the beauty of this poem.

You may not agree with me on the truthfulness of the lyrics or you might even just hate the song for some reason. I would honestly find the second the most surprising. I apologize if you think I'm trying to attack your views or shove my beliefs down your throat. But please don't any longer call Christianity a religion of hate if you've been doing so before. And please, for sanity's sake, do not listen to cheap over-Santafied "Christmas" music. There's so much more to this holiday than that.

And, after all, it's the best holiday of the year. C:
Merry Christmas