Christmas music is something just about everyone experiences. While some people dread the time when “Jingle Bells” and “Frosty The Snowman” flood every storefront and car stereo, others can’t wait for that Christmas feeling that the seasonal music brings.
While going around campus and asking Yamhill-Carlton High School students and staff members whether or not they like Christmas music and then why or why not, it was pretty split. Those who said they enjoyed it, and even looked forward to playing/hearing it, always mentioned nostalgia. Taking the time to answer the question with a memory from childhood or a statement that you only get to experience Christmas music during this time of year, making Christmas music a novelty.
However, not everyone thinks of Christmas music and thinks of the good old days. The number one reason for people disliking the festive music at YCHS is simply because they hear the same songs every year, on repeat, for sometimes three months out of the year. Some people believe that after Halloween, it’s Christmas time. Others can hold out for Thanksgiving but Christmas music can get started in a workplace or in the home rather quickly.
Online, there’s memes of Mariah Carey ‘defrosting’ when it hits December. Her holiday hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” starts playing grocery stores, on the radio, at work. Carey’s only relevance in pop culture nowadays is her vocals, which are impressive no doubt about it, and her Christmas music. This goes for other artists as well.
More musicians that fall under this umbrella of irrelevant outside of the holiday season include Brenda Lee with songs like “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” and “Jingle Bell Rock”, Michael Bublé with his most popular songs being “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas” and “Holly Jolly Christmas, and then there’s Frank Sinatra with his songs “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”. While obviously these artists have other music that gets listened to, most may not know who they are outside of their Christmas music.
With all of these songs being overplayed, one must ask, why isn’t there new holiday music being made? That’s not to say that pop stars like Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande haven’t released their own original Christmas songs, but in the bigger picture, how often does one hear these songs? Those at YCHS who aren’t diehard ‘Swifites’ had no idea Swift has a few Christmas songs of her very own creation. These songs include “Christmas Tree Farm” and “Christmas Must Be Something More.”
Alex Lee from WIRED UK has written an article on this very question and essentially comes to one conclusion; Nostalgia is key when it comes to Christmas music success. Lee’s article, “Science explains why there hasn’t been a hit Christmas song in years”, makes good points on human emotions being directly linked to the holiday season.
Whether that’s related to the joy the holiday brings or the bittersweetness that comes with mourning and grief. Christmas time is inherently nostalgic, making the music that comes with it nostalgic as well. Some get excited for the same music we’ve always known and others dread it. Seemingly, the reason why Christmas music hasn’t changed much in the last fifty years is largely because of nostalgia. Our grandparents grew up with this music, raised our parents with it, they passed it onto us, and then the Christmas music trail continues from there.
