Now, I love Christmas music as much as the next elf, but I just don't get how radio stations can just turn their entire format over to holiday music 24/7 from Thanksgiving up through December 25. I remember how New York's Z100 -- and then WPLJ -- would sprinkle in the Christmas songs into its regular playlist through the month of December, then kick off "The 24 Hours of Christmas" at noon on December 24, playing nothing but commercial-free holiday songs through to the next day.

Somewhere along the line, weekends became nothing but holiday songs, at least on 94.3 FM on the Jersey Shore. But then last year, I believe, I was in a doctor's office or somewhere with 106.7 Lite FM playing nothing but the holiday hits all the way through the big holiday. Now, PLJ has joined the extreme music makeover fad.

The only reason I'm mildly complaining is that, in addition to classics like Nat King Cole's version of "The Christmas Song," Bruce Springsteen's amusing "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town" or Adam Sandler's "The Chanukah Song," playing nothing but holiday songs 24/7 for a month or more means we have to put up with crap like Mariah Carey screeching "All I Want For Christmas Is You," Whitney Houston bellowing "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and Rob Thomas meeting people beneath "the big tree" in "New York City Christmas" -- a song which PLJ has decided is worthy of being played like it was written in the 30s and sung by Bing Crosby himself.

As a result, I've realized that I've yet to hear "Dominic the Donkey," "Do They Know It's Christmas?" or The Eagles' "Please Come Home For Christmas." It was only on Monday that I heard Wham's "Last Christmas" and today I was treated to "Feliz Navidad."

It's clear why the radio stations are now able to go to this 24/7 format leading up to Christmas: the proliferation of current "pop" acts who have put out Christmas albums. My god, Clay Aiken put one out before he even came out ... with a sophomore album to follow up Measure of a Man. I'm sorry, but there are only so many variations on "White Christmas" that can work. I'm annoyed at Coca-Cola for its hideous commercials with some sort of punk arrangement of the song, and PLJ won't get away from some band's attempt at the Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick." But if there is one example of Christmas albums gone too far, it is this:

I shouldn't complain too much about what's on the radio, because my collection of Christmas music is quite extensive and most of my favorites are in my possession. But even when you own copies of songs, there's still a little thrill in hearing them pop up unexpectedly on the radio. But this year, for our Christmas Day playlist, instead of selecting a station on the radio or putting five CDs into the player at my parents' house, Casey and I are planning on taking over the DJ duties and tuning the stereo to 87.9 and transmitting the holiday tunes from her iPod. We may have to temporarily add a few of my favorites that she loathes or a few more classics to appease my mom, but we should have a good block of songs to set the mood for a house that will have no less than 10 and maybe as many as 15 people sitting around throughout the day.

For years, my memories of "contemporary" Christmas songs played on the radio included abrupt lead-ins or endings to songs, and either a DJ or a recorded Z100 station ID played over the fade-in or -out because I had filled up a 90-minute cassette with my favorites. Someone at the station had deemed "We Are The World" a holiday song (maybe because of the children), so that was part of the tape and, by extension, became something of a holiday song to me. I played that tape every year until it either wore itself out, got lost or was simply replaced when I started buying tapes and then CDs of Christmas songs. With only a few exceptions, I now own nearly every song that I would care to own that was on the tape.

I remember in years past sitting in a room lit only by the lights on the tree, savoring the last few hours or minutes of Christmas, yet not wanting to hear any more music because I knew that would be it for 11 months. Now, I'm finding it a little more difficult to enjoy the music, because I'm innundated with Madonna's horrific "Santa Baby" every time I flip through the presets on my car radio.

But all is not lost. sometimes, I still find myself bouncing along the road, my chest tingling with excitement, thoughts of Christmas dances and tree lightings and holiday parties mingling with the music. It happened this morning with "Disco Santa" by Holiday Express and on Saturday with Bruce at Giants Stadium (Peter King agrees), so the spirit lives on.