My Most Hated Christmas Songs, and tamales

It was a full day of activities yesterday!  I went out to my mom's house because my brother and I decided we were going to be real Mexicans this year and make tamales.  It was a very labor intensive process, and they came out mostly weird and misshaped with a less than ideal masa to meat ratio.  It was what was to be expected from total amateurs.  Here are some pics from the day:

Please enjoy the irony of Jeff's drink: Mexican Coke

Champion of the blender.  Looking hot with wet hair and no makeup. :\

Business time.

Mom helped too

and Santa-Gwen helped keep the floor clean

So the entire time we had the Christmas radio station going, and you can bet I was singing along with every single song (mostly to annoy Jeff, lol) and being the music connoisseur that I am (ha!) I pinpointed the three Christmas songs so offensive to my ears that I want to rip my eardrums out of my head.  And I wish to share those with you now.  :)

3. Christmas Shoes by Newsong

So unbelievably cheesy, unrealistic and it manipulates your emotions.  The song came from a forwarded email story (the kinds that moms are always sending around) and now it is a song, and I think a lifetime movie.  It just ruins Christmas for me.  Patton Oswalt (standup comedian) does a bit on this song, and it is the best!  btw, nsfw.  I love to speak in initials!  

2. Do They Know it's Christmas? by Band Aid

Some thoughts from Morrissey:

In a 1985 Time Out interview, Morrissey gave his views about the song:

'I'm not afraid to say that I think Band Aid was diabolical. Or to say that I think Bob Geldof is a nauseating character. Many people find that very unsettling, but I'll say it as loud as anyone wants me to. In the first instance the record itself was absolutely tuneless. One can have great concern for the people of Ethiopia, but it's another thing to inflict daily torture on the people of Great Britain. It was an awful record considering the mass of talent involved. And it wasn't done shyly it was the most self-righteous platform ever in the history of popular music.' - wikipedia.

To paraphrase, starving children in Africa is no excuse to make awful music.

Phil Collins and Sting really lost some of my respect by putting out something so offensive to the ears with their names on it.  They should be ashamed!

1. I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas - Gayla Peevey

UGH that voice!  The second I hear this song, the station gets changed.  I just cannot stand it.  And I don't know what it is, but little children trying to blatantly to be 'cutesy' is nauseating.  I wish you could ban songs like they ban books, I would gladly spearhead an effort to remove this song from the planet.  

but anyway, 

It soon become 7pm at night and I had a gathering to attend at Chris and Judy's, so I bid the family fare-well.  Here are some pics of the finally finished tamales!

All that work for only 14 tamales.  Only kidding, there were a bunch more.

tasty!

Are there any cooking traditions in your house?  Or Christmas songs you hate that you'd care to share? :)