The Christmas Shoes

Alright, I know Thanksgiving isn't even here yet, but as we all know, Christmas music is coming!

I love Christmas, I love everything about it (accept the whole battle between "Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays" B.S.). I even love turning on the radio and listening to Christmas music. BUT, there is one song that I absolutely CANNOT stand. And that song is called "The Christmas Shoes".

To watch it, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJcPVB-we7g


Now, I won't deny that I was in fact touched and wanted to cry when I first heard the song........Then I heard it again......and again.....and again......and than after 300,000th TIME, I got REALLY sick of it, REALLY fast.


Now, I've heard many complaints about this song. One of my favorites, is the nostalgia Chick making it her most inescapable nostalgic Christmas songs.

You can watch it here starting at 5:45:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us6v_EG00Vg

Though the Nostalgia chick brings up a lot of points that I agree 100%, there is one point that she, and many others bring up, that I just like to clear up.

A lot of people think that the song is about God killing a poor mother in order to get some dude to get into the Christmas spirit again.

Let me just clear this up. NO Christian really believes that this is what the song is about, and I highly doubt that the Christian Contemporary band "Newsong" was trying to say.

In verse John 10:10 it says:

"The Enemy (Satan) has come to steal, kill, and destroy, But I (God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit) have come to bring you life, and life more abundantly."

When the singer in Newsong sings the Lyrics "I knew that God had sent that little boy
To remind me just what Christmas is all about" He is not saying God made that woman died so he could learn a lesson.

I believe he is saying that God sent the little boy, who just wants to make his mom smile one last before his mom dies, to remind him that Christmas is not all about you, but the ones you love, because you never know how long they're going to be around.

Now the problem I have with the story of this song, is that instead of the little boy spending Christmas Eve with his mother before she dies, he his out.....BUYING her something. Yes, because that is what Christmas is all about.....BUYING USELESS THINGS.

The dying mother doesn't need her soon out at a crowded mall to buy her shoes that she probably won't even be able to wear, she needs her son at her bed side, discussing fond memories of the past and telling her how much he loves her.


If the song was the story of a Little boy saying goodbye to his mom on Christmas eve, saying that he loves her, but knowing that he will see her again someday, maybe name the song along the lines of Christmas Angel, I would Bawl like a baby.

But the Christmas shoes song makes me want to bash my head into a brick wall every time I hear the firs few seconds of it. It's not just the plot of the song that's bad, but the writing is bad (descriptive, yes, but it's just bad) and the style of the song mixed with the style of the singing, just doesn't mix.
The Melody and tinkling instrumental doesn't mix with the raspy trying to be soulful blues like vocals is just confusing.

Well, I hope you all enjoy the upcoming holidays, and please, try and keep this song as far away from me as possible.