You’re running some errands on a bright and somehow still warm November day. No matter if it’s a department store, a restaurant, or a gas station—as the days get shorter and the air gets slightly less humid, the incessant ringing of sleigh bells and lyrics about old Saint Nick, fir trees, and snow that never comes seem inescapable.
The holidays are supposed to be the “season of giving,” yet every year it seems like the first present the world springs on us is forcing the same few songs onto us until the ball drops on New Year’s Eve. Some even play holiday games like Whamageddon—a game centered around the idea of not hearing “Last Christmas” by the band Wham! for the entire month of December. Many, including myself, have a split opinion on the genre. For some, it can provide a sense of comfort and indicate that the festive season is approaching . Others can find themselves dreading the day the Halloween decorations come down and the loop of holiday songs begins again.
Opinions on holiday classics tend to be rather intense. Songs like the nonsensical tale of “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” by Elmo & Patsy, or the newer “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson make me wish that summer never ended. Perhaps the worst offender is the bizarrely performed and produced “Wonderful Christmas Time” by Paul McCartney, who is undeniably a music legend, likely because he never tried to release another holiday song on his own.
However, there are also classics like “Let it Snow” by Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra’s holiday works that I can’t help but love, regardless of whether I’ll hear both 312 times between now and New Year’s Eve. The slower and more melodic tracks embody the holiday spirit to me. Additionally, the world peace-centered track “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band-Aid has always been a central part of my own celebrations, with an instrumental that walks the tightrope of catchy but not irritating.
The undeniable most popular holiday song is “All I Want For Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey. Along with its popularity, it’s one of the more divisive songs of the genre. Personally, I think it’s a nice song that is a fun listen. However, it is easy to understand how people can get tired of it. The song was streamed almost 25 million times on Christmas Eve last year, smashing the single day streaming record for a song, and more than likely to the resentment of others.
Overall, festive tracks that one holds near and dear are like nails on a chalkboard to another. Many of these intense feelings originate less from the actual sound of the song and more from personal experiences during the holidays. I can remember laughing and sharing presents with my family listening to Sinatra’s classics in the background. I can also remember groaning hours into a family shopping trip when the ridiculous instrumental for McCartney’s smash hit began for the fifth time that day. Part of the spirit of the festivities is first finding the right people to spend it with, then finding a soundtrack that won’t drive you all mad.