Picking the holiday playlist for the Foo Bar

Everyone knows that Foo likes to keep things upbeat at her bar and so, with holiday season coming on, she has been screening Christmas songs – trying them out on the regulars. It hasn’t been working out too well. She included two versions of “I’ll be Home for Christmas”: Bing Crosby and The Irish Tenors, but not consecutively. She started off with Bing and some people were feeling a little nostalgic for those who wouldn’t be making it home in person; then she moved on to “The Littlest Angel”, again by Crosby.

Not a good idea; read the lyrics.

Let me tell you a tale that is often told
In the great Celestial Hall
All about an angel only four years old
The littlest angel of all

How all day he would play with a little box
That to others had no words
Oh, but there were treasures in this little box
The treasures he brought from Earth

Just a butterfly with golden wings
A little piece of a hollow log
Two shiny stones from a river bank
And the worn out strap of his faithful dog

Then the angels all heard that the holy child
Would be born in Bethlehem
And they all brought present for the holy child
And each gift was a heavenly gem

Then the littlest angel put his little box
With the presents fine and wrapped
And the littlest angel sat alone and cried
For his gift was so meager and sad

Just a butterfly with golden wings
A little piece of a hollow log
Two shiny stones from a river bank
And the worn out strap of his faithful dog

But the Lord chose the gift of the little box
That the child had blessed with love
And it started glowing that very night
It became the star up above

When you see that star as it shines on high
In the great Celestial Hall
You will know the proudest angel in the sky
Is the littlest angel of all

With his butterfly with golden wings
A little piece of a hollow log
Two shiny stones from a river bank
And the worn out strap of his faithful dog

(We got these lyrics and songlyrics.com, and if you really want the full impact, you can find it on YouTube.

Then “Fairytale of New York” came up, followed by the same Irish Tenors reprising “I’ll be Home for Christmas.”

People were sobbing, the kind of sobbing that involves snorts and gasps lots of nose blowing. Yes, it was a new kind of festive. Of course, after all those tears, a lot of stress was released and I suppose some of the patrons felt better, but, gee, I don’t think that is exactly a Deck the Halls type of gaiety.

She’ll be reworking the list, maybe going more Rudolph and Frosty and, of course, this upbeat tune: