An Austrian trade union has called for restrictions upon the duration for which department stores may play Christmas carols as background music.

As a long-time busker (violin), I know only too well that the best money always comes from Christmas carols, so I can see why department stores are keen to permeate every corner of their premises with the all-pervading sense of guilt conveniently provided by musical invocations of generosity and the consumerist rationalisations to which they give rise.

On the other hand (and again speaking from the experience of playing them for hours on end), the infuriatingly simple melodies and lurid images of early childhood conjured by the darstedly tunes do indeed have the potential to be a kind of "psycho-terrorism".

I'm sure there is a movie about a deranged store worker engaging in a bout of pre-Christmas commercial terrorism. Frankly, with music like this, who can blame them?