An old Paul McCartney Christmas song.

One year before John Lennon's death.

Isn't it strange how so many artists have tried to create a new Christmas song, in hopes that it might catch on. But Christmas music seems to be a genre of it's own. The elements that should combine to form a memorable song don't always work as expected.

Here's a tip from some of the Christmas shows of the past. 

Say you're making a Christmas movie or TV special. The key is to fill the special with "non-Christmas" music because the Christmas spirit arises from the story, not the songs. If you do use a Christmas song, be careful where you place it in the story, for greatest impact.

Remember how Clarice sang about "Tomorrow", in the Rudolph special? It's a "non-Christmas" song that conveys a sense of hope that's shared with the Holiday spirit.

remember that one song from the 2001 grinch remake that got two versions?

That's interesting, Ben. If you took that song and substituted "Christmas" with a different word, it would still feel like a Holiday song.

I hear "Christmas" in songs that have nothing to do with the Holiday. Take the song "Sweet Life", by Paul Davis, from 1978. It's a song with the "feel" of a Holiday ballad. 

Paul Davis died in April 2008, about the time I joined RetroJunk. His song, "Sweet Life", always sounds like it's right out of a Christmas movie.

Change around some of the lyrics and "Sweet Life" could be a Holiday song.