It might not be December yet, but Christmas has already arrived in Nottingham. Winter Wonderland has taken over Old Market Square with its glowing lights, Yorkshire pudding wraps, and a beautiful outdoor ice rink. George Green Café has even launched its festive menu however, I strongly recommend avoiding the peppermint hot chocolate, unless you enjoy drinking toothpaste. But as campus slips into Christmas time, something else also begins to stir. The quiet, unspoken tension within every friend group where favourite playlists that once were a source of unity, have turned into a source of chaos causing, fights over what December (well late November) should sound like.
Team Classy fanatics:
These are the people who crack open the same Christmas playlist they’ve been using since approximately 2010, untouched, unedited, and sacred. The only updates they have allowed in the last decade are the addition of Ariana Grande’s Santa Baby and maybe one rogue Michael Bublé track they swear “just fits the aesthetic.” They are fiercely loyal to the Queen Mariah Carey (a fandom close to ARMY) believing ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ cannot and will not be topped. Their vibe is soft, elegant, and timeless fitting with warm, cozy Christmas vibes think fairy lights, vintage ornaments, and the warm, cozy glow of Frank Sinatra crooning Let It Snow in the background. If they get the aux, expect classy classics only. No remixes. No TikTok edits. No debates.
Team Santa’s Minions
Maybe they’re an actual child. Maybe they’re just a kid at heart. Either way, this team lives for the playful, party side of Christmas. Their playlist proudly features Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town unfortunately, including the unsettling ‘he sees you when you’re sleeping’ lyrics. But don’t be fooled: they also know how to bring the party. Nothing gets them going like ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’. Their vibe is pure festive chaos. If they win the aux, expect jingles, jingling, and jingliest jingles.
Team Heartbroken Mistletoe
This team manages to be heart-broken every Christmas even if they’re happily in a relationship. Something about December unlocks their tragic energy, and suddenly Christmas becomes the perfect outlet for their seasonal heartbreak. Their playlist is more like a shrine to ‘Last Christmas’ which is played with cultish devotion. From this team expect slow ballads, wistful lyrics. If they control the aux bring tissues as everyone is getting feelings, they did not sign up for.
Team Holiday Haters
This team is tired. They are too emotionally unavailable for anything even vaguely festive. If a song so much as hints at sleigh bells, snow, or merry, they’re already skipping it with the speed of someone avoiding their ex on campus. Theyprefer their ‘normal music’ so, the same playlists they’ve been vibing to all year, clinging to them like a lifeline. December (…late November) assaults them from every direction: shops, TikTok and cafés are all guilty of playing Christmas jingles on loop. Their irritation grows by the day, and honestly? Fair enough. If they get the aux, expect zero festive influence, just pure, unbothered, non-seasonal vibes.
Well, no one truly wins this playlist war, except the person who grabs the aux first. But maybe that’s the chaotic beauty of December where, the real win is having friends to argue about the aux playlist with.