There are two types of people in this world: people who start listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween, and people who wait until after Thanksgiving. I am the former.
As an early celebrator, I’m used to the judgment and general mocking that the latter presents each year in protest, but I still struggle to see the harm in it all. The holiday represents so many positive attributes of society, including family ties, generosity and cheer; why limit that concept to one month out of the year?
Perhaps my tendency to begin listening to Christmas music comes from the fact that a metro Detroit radio station, 100.3 WNIC, usually begins mixing holiday music in with the rest starting the day after Halloween, slowly making the transition to 100 percent Christmas music at about the time of Thanksgiving. But regardless of the motive of the listener, a month of Christmas music simply is not enough.
Maybe the reason I’m so willing to skip over turkey day comes from the fact that I have no interest in the actual turkey itself. As a vegetarian, the big Thanksgiving feast always has felt pretty empty for me, consisting mostly of some vegetables and other everyday foods. Although I can appreciate the sentiment of being thankful, I don’t see why we should be any more thankful on this one day than we are on any other. In my eyes, the entire holiday seems like just a warm-up for the following holidays.
Some stick to the argument that we shouldn’t be listening to Christmas music yet because it’s still technically fall. If we are ignoring the fact that temperatures are down into the 30s, then I can see the argument here. But if that’s the case, then no one should listen to Christmas music until four days before the big holiday, since fall doesn’t end until Dec. 20. You might not be ready to listen to it yet, but less than a week of it seems a bit extreme.
As a Christian, Christmas music also holds an entirely different meaning for me than for some others. For me, Christmas music isn’t all “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” — it brings about classic hymns, such as “Ave Maria” and “Silent Night.” Christmas music is meant to be shared by everyone; but for me, listening to Christmas music is a part of my spirituality.
Ultimately, all arguments aside, holiday music is full of positive messages of love and compassion. This is a moral set that I can get behind year-round. Although I might occasionally listen to a Bing Crosby song in July, for the most part, I can agree to restricting Christmas music for the fall and winter seasons. I don’t, however, agree that it only should be played during the one-month period separating Thanksgiving and Christmas. Whom is a little Christmas cheer hurting?
Katie Ziraldo is a State News features reporter. She can be reached at ziraldok@msu.edu.
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