Most people wait until December. Others don’t even care what time of year it is. Some start as soon as they take down their Halloween decorations.
For those who have the taste, the art of listening to Christmas music is truly one that takes years of perfection. With my nineteenth Christmas coming up, I can say that I’ve had a few years of trial-and-error, and therefore have officially decided that the most prudent way to go about indulging in holiday tunes is to start in November.
Many may argue with this position; yes, we have over a month left of school, yes, most people haven’t even thought about what they want for Christmas, yes, you’re probably still trying to burn off all that Halloween candy. All of these feelings are valid. However, there are a few reasons why you won’t regret playing some Christmas tunes now:
-
If you start in December, you only get 3 weeks. We can all agree that a mere 25 days is simply not enough time to fully take advantage of Christmas. Plus you have to fit in every other seasonal tradition during that time, like watching your favorite movies or putting up string lights, so listening to music isn’t a top priority. But if you add in an extra month just for listening to music, you can fulfill every tradition to the max.
-
There aren’t any Thanksgiving tunes to get you in the mood. Whoever decided that there couldn’t be Thanksgiving music made a bad choice (Thanksgiving is a part of the holiday season, after all). Christmas music is the only music to get you mentally prepared for the next two months.
-
It will get you through midterms and finals. The next few weeks of school are undoubtedly the most stressful of the year. While the future can seem bleak, winter break is right around the corner. Christmas music reminds me of home and family, so listening can be an incentive to make it until December 21st.
-
You won’t get bored. Christmas music may be labeled as one genre, and there may be a circulation of only about 50 songs, but artists have had many different takes on these classics over the years. Some versions of songs can sound more jazzy, others can have a pop-y ring, and some still could be purely instrumental. Basically, no matter what mood you’re in, there’s a Christmas song for you. In fact, some of your favorite artists may have some Christmas albums you don’t know about (think Chance the Rapper, Snoop Dogg, and Kelly Clarkson).
You will be (almost) everyone’s best friend. Surprise your suitemates one gloomy day in early November by blasting a Mariah Carey Christmas song and their frowns will turn upside down. But proceed with caution: some people actually don’t like Christmas music (I’m surprised too).