Congratulations rmd!
I, too, don't understand the "date rape" connection, but perhaps it has something to do with the power of suggestion and the printed word. An article such as this one (
Is "Baby, It's Cold Outside" a Date-Rape Anthem? http://www.salon.com/2012/12/10/is_baby_...pe_anthem/) written by someone who clearly is tired of Christmas music, period!, gets published, grabs attention, and then the concept snowballs.
Ironically, if Wikipedia is correct, the song's composer and his wife used to sing it at their parties as a signal to guests that it was time for them to leave. That doesn't sound like "date rape" to me. (I don't mean to sound remotely dismissive of rape or date rape and the subsequent trauma to those who have experienced this disgusting act. I am dismissive of those trying to change the intent of the message of this song.)
I still maintain that it's ridiculous to consider it a Christmas song, and if the Caley version hadn't shown references of Christmas (i.e. Christmas lights, etc.), the video
could be viewed in the southern hemisphere when it actually is cold there.