This song has some pretty lofty goals. The message is that consumerism is getting in the way of the true meaning of Christmas which is, of course, loving Jesus. Sure, why not? Well, I think it maybe goes a little too far in a couple places.
"You'd see that today holds something special
Something holy, not superficial
So here's to the birthday boy who saved our lives"
It's fine. No, really, I mean it. It's a good message! I say it goes too far because the way the thesis is presented makes this really less of a Christmas song and more of a straight up Christian rock-country song.
This is tricky to say the least. There are many classic Christmas songs that are way more explicitly Christian than this song, but don't feel that way while you're listening. Part of this can be credited to familiarity and repetition. Classic Christmas songs are so heavily associated with the holidays because they're played so often. Sure, they're usually about Christmas but that hardly makes them unique. So what are the fundamental reasons why this song can't be a Christmas classic but a simple song like Feliz Navidad can?
I think a big part is that simplicity. Too much complexity makes a song less accessible to the average person. Singing along to Feliz Navidad is so easy it's practically mindless. Or it would be if I could actually speak Spanish, but that's besides the point. Overall, this song is too generic to stand out, too complex to be relatable, and too religious to be readily accepted by the general public. It's a perfectly competent song, but I see why it never rose up the charts.
See you tomorrow,
-C
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