Halloween just passed. It is early November and Mariah Carey just defrosted so the most passionate debate of the season is back. How early should we be playing Christmas music?
First of all, I fully support Christmas music this early. It makes me feel good and gives me something to look forward to during the winter. On the night of Halloween, I set a Christmas playlist as my alarm and I am listening to Christmas music as I write this.
I understand the distaste for Christmas music since I used to be a Christmas music hater. It completely takes over radios and popular music for about a month and a half every year, so hearing it even earlier can be dreadful. No other event in America has close to the same amount of star power. It is completely overwhelming and burnout is inevitable for anyone who is not deep in the Christmas spirit.
I also think that it is cool to hate on Christmas music right now, similar to music by Ed Sheeran, Nickelback and Coldplay. Christmas music isn’t intrinsically bad and I think that most people will agree that it sounds good overall. But I think that in November it is socially easier to be against Christmas music than to defend it. I used to think the same way too.
Some of my favorite memories of the holiday season as a kid were being embarrassed by my dad since he would start playing music in early to mid-October; he was passionate about it. He would belt it as loud as he could and slap his chest or stomach as a pseudo percussion instrument to make or stay in beat. It was incredibly uncool and lame, but I would do a lot now to live through that again.
Similarly to my father, my love of Christmas music this year started in early October. I was asked to play carols with some of my music buddies. While playing I was hit with a warm feeling in my chest, so I made random Christmas music part of my daily practice routine. I have gotten happier and more hyped for the holidays every time I have played or heard them, and I think that the people who play with me have done the same. My bandmates who don’t play definitely have not grown to like it.
Paying attention to the differences between the people who like Christmas music and the ones who don’t gives me an idea about it. I think that to enjoy it this early into the year, you have to be part of it or the people playing it. Being forced to listen to any type of music without choosing it is going to make that music feel bad.
At the end of the day liking or disliking Christmas music is mostly an opinion-based thing, so I can’t tell people that they are wrong for not liking it. But I personally love Christmas music and hearing it this early into the year.
