When I was a kid, one of my favorite things about Christmas was when Z-100, a popular New York radio station, would play, "The 24 Hours of Christmas." From Noon on December 23rd to Noon on December 24th, they would play nothing but commercial-free Christmas music. During that 24-hour period, I loved putting fresh batteries in my radio and carrying it around with me so I would not miss a single song. This year, two New York radio stations - 102.7 Blink FM and 106.7 Lite FM - have decided to play Christmas music 24 hours a day - from now until Christmas.

Would I be a Scrooge if I said, "Ba Humbug" to 24-hour Christmas music on two different radio stations lasting an entire month?

I love Christmas as much as anyone else, but I do not want to hear Christmas music all day long and all night long four weeks before Christmas. To me, that is some serious overkill - especially if two radio stations are doing it at the same time. There is absolutely no need for two separate radio stations to play the same songs in a different order every single day for a month straight. I understand that as we approach the holiday season, radio stations will begin to fold holiday music into their playlists - but is it really necessary to eliminate all other types of music and just play Christmas songs?

I will confess that I have no love for New York radio stations to begin with. Throughout the year, they waste my mornings with senseless frat house banter and spend the rest of the day drowning me with way too many commercials and way too little songs. But now that I have to skip two of the seven presets on my car radio because I know I will hear nothing but Christmas music makes me hate New York radio even more.

And if playing holiday music a month before the holiday in question is the new theme, shall I look forward to July 4th type patriotic songs in June? Can I enjoy Irish music in February? And why not play romantic Valentine's Day music in the beginning of January? Sound ridiculous? So is 24 hours of Christmas music at the end of November.

So with 23 days until the 2003 holiday season arrives, I am sure that I will never want to hear another Christmas song ever again after having to endure them for 24 hours a day for the next three and a half weeks.

Ba Humbug.