People have long debated over many important questions: Should we send humans to space? Should billionaires pay higher taxes? Is water wet? But perhaps the most debated topic of all time is perhaps the simplest: When should people start listening to Christmas music?
There are three categories of thinking when it comes to this debate:
- You can listen to Christmas music starting in early November.
- You can listen to Christmas music after Thanksgiving.
- You can listen to Christmas music starting in December.
However, there is only one option that truly makes sense as it gives Christmas music lovers a full season (at least one month) of listening and still gives each holiday room for itself. The clear winner is people can start listening to Christmas music after Thanksgiving.
When thinking about ‘November Christmas music’ it is easy to think about why many people like listening to it so early. The music is always blasted in stores, and it is just fun and catchy. However, it can feel a bit suffocating listening to Christmas music everywhere you go in early November, and it starts to wear on people until they just stop listening to Christmas music altogether for a long time. Unfortunately, this can lead to Christmas music fatigue, which causes people to boycott the joy before the season is even over. This is mostly seen in people overindulging in Christmas music. The BBC discussed this with a music therapist, who said, “Even if they had certain tracks that they love, hearing them day in day out – that positive association with that song and the impact that they would have had emotionally, would decrease definitely by the time Christmas comes around.”
That’s why listening after Thanksgiving is the best time to start. Listening after Thanksgiving lets everyone celebrate the season a little early, but it still leaves you time to prepare yourself for the onslaught of Christmas music that comes December 1. Also if you start listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving the holiday has no time for itself. You end up “choking” Thanksgiving between Halloween and Christmas.
Students at Lakeland also seem to agree. 40% of interviewed students started listening to Christmas music after Thanksgiving. This means that not only is listening to Christmas music after Thanksgiving better for the holiday itself, but it’s also when most people prefer to start listening to Christmas music.
Listening to Christmas music after Thanksgiving, but before December 1, means people can start the holidays a little early, but still can keep Thanksgiving feeling like Thanksgiving. So, hold off the Christmas music until after Thanksgiving desserts to make all the holidays feel special.
