Imagine it’s the day after Halloween. Exhaustion aches your bones as you force yourself out of bed and your eyes squint to catch the time on your phone. At the sight of a number lower than eight, an annoyed groan slips out and when you drag your hand down your face, costume paint smears your fingers. Your head falls back onto a pillow, yet you are unable to fall back asleep when faint but familiar lyrics enter your ears. “Make my wish come true, oh, all I want for Christmas is you….”
Would you huff and cover your ears, or start singing along?
For ages, there has been an intense debate on when the holiday season, and thus the playing of Christmas songs, should begin. The magazine Bustle conducted a poll and found that 52 percent of people believe Christmas music is appropriate any time after Thanksgiving, and nine percent only deem it alright when December begins. Two percent think Christmas music should never be played and 11 think it’s a year-round event. However, I would like to argue the benefits of us falling in line with the 26 percent who think Nov. 1 is the perfect start to jamming songs such as “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”
This year has been a rollercoaster that we can’t wait to get off of, and we need more of the positivity Christmas music radiates — even if it means listening to it right after the spooky season.
On the other side, I recognize that Christmas music can be repetitive; no one can deny that. Especially in winter, we are indoors more and therefore hear the same jingles in malls, shops, restaurants, cars, etc. Yet, this year we have been hit with a lot of unexpected events such as COVID-19, wildfires and other natural disasters and a lot of tension. We need something familiar, something that won’t catch us off guard or drain us of the little energy we have. The tunes are nostalgic and physically make us feel better and more energized. Dr. Rhonda Freeman, a clinical neuropsychologist, told NBC News that many of us link Christmas music to happy, bright childhood memories and traditions and therefore stimulates our brains.
“When the brain makes these associations with something very positive and pleasurable, the rewards system is being activated [which triggers] a number of chemicals including dopamine,” Freeman said.
With finals lurking and a pandemic still raging, an extra burst of dopamine can be the extra push we need to finish out the semester and the year. So, turn your radio to the holiday station, switch your Spotify/Apple music accounts to Christmas playlists and allow yourself to rest and experience joy this time of year. Our breaks don’t last forever and a great way to embrace them is to remember what we’re thankful for while we catch up on sleep and listen to some Christmas music.
