Many residents are likely to agree that Christmas music is an essential part of the festive season, and West Rand guitarist Paul Hodgson shares his thoughts on the tradition.

Paul, guitarist for After Wonderland and The Parlotones, isn’t the biggest fan of the ‘same-old’ Christmas songs, but he believes the classic Christmas carols still hold an important place.

“It’s always the same songs and albums getting played over and over for as long as I can remember,” he said.

However, he has a sense of nostalgia and familiarity, but he added that Mariah Carey and Boney M are starting to get a bit too much now.

“I think the older Christmas music, like the hymns, conveys the traditional and original message of Christmas. I think it’s important people listen to hymns such as Joy to the World, O Holy Night and Silent Night,” he said.

For Christmas music, Paul enjoys a pop-punk band called Relient K, who did a Christmas album called Let It Snow Baby…Let It Reindeer, which he really enjoys. He likes modern takes on the traditional Christmas message.

In 2020 and 2021, The Parlotones were mostly unable to perform due to the lockdown, curfews and other restrictions, and so they had time on their hands to write and record their Christmas album, Strike the Harp.

“We wrote a few original songs, did our versions of various Christmas-themed songs, and even a cover of a Taylor Swift song. We got voice note messages from friends, family and fans around the world and put those into the recordings, which added a nice personal touch,” he explained.

He describes this album as a collection of songs relating to Christmas and covering a variety of styles, but all in the style of The Parlotones.

Christmas music plays a role for him during this season, and he concluded that it feels like the music has been part of his life since childhood and brings a sense of nostalgia and happy memories.