Argh: Modern Pet Peeve: Use of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at memorial services.

[LisaM]

26. They sang it at a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony I went to last year.

Normally in this little town (the day after Thanksgiving), they gather in the town's little park and plug in all the town's holiday decorations to loud, local applause, then all the businesses plug in their lights. The locals gather, there's a Santa, cookies, hot chocolate, and people sing holiday songs and carols. There's also a parade of sorts, with people swinging lighted lanterns and carrying fire batons, etc., all of them dressed in long white gowns.

Well, last year, I guess in response to the election (it's very liberal there), things took a very dark turn. The druid-like light swingers took over everything. There was no caroling to be heard. Instead, they all gathered in a large circle (just them, the rest of the town residents were in a sort of stupor looking at them) and eventually a thin, ghostly sound arose - they were singing a really morose version of "Hallelujah". For the holidays! A song that - to me - is somewhat erotic, on top of everything else (I don't mind that about it, it just doesn't spring to mind as a Christmas song).

All the little kids who'd come to sing Christmas carols and their parents were looking around as if to say, "what just happened?" Then they started gathering in small groups and singing carols in retaliation (I joined them; I love singing carols and Christmas songs).

Strange and inappropriate, though I laughed for weeks thinking about it. I was as upset about the election as anyone, but I wouldn't take it out on little kids.