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Home Opinion Sower Debate: When is it Okay to Listen to Christmas Music?

Save it for Fa-la-la-la-later

by Chris Johnstone

Presumably coming down off of a sugar high from Halloween, many people think it is appropriate to listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. Living in the moment and enjoying each season, one at a time, is the key to seasonal fulfillment.

“Life is available only in the present moment. If you abandon the present moment you cannot live in the moments of your daily life deeply.” – Thich Nhat Hanh.

With this quote, Hanh perfectly summarizes why people should not listen to Christmas music before the season begins. It is not appropriate to listen to Christmas music any time before Thanksgiving.

Fall is such a gorgeous and fleeting season, the color of the leaves, the cooling down from summer and the opportunity to pull out sweaters again is something many people want to bask in before being rushed into the next season. Christmas music just does not jingle in fall. Listening to it before the proper date looks over the fact that you need to be thankful for the things and opportunities you have, rather than rushing into the next season because of anticipation for Christmas and gifts that come with it.

Furthermore, there is not really enough decent Christmas music to go around for two months. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great Christmas classics, with wonderful meaning, but to drag the season of Christmas out for a longer stretch that you should does more harm than good. Quality, not quantity.

Christmas and the season of it, is much more fun when it is compacted into three weeks. I prefer to spend more time and energy on a quality holiday, instead of adding to the over-hype of Christmas.

 

Welcome. I’ve Been Here Since September.

by Abigail Wisniewsk

Halloween is over and you know what that means? It means it’s no longer weird that I have a Christmas countdown by my door instead of jack-o-lanterns and skeletons, since November 1st marks the day it is officially acceptable to have Christmas spirit again. The rest of the world will now start hanging lights, sipping peppermint cocoa, and scanning radio stations for the Christmas tunes I have been listening to for approximately a month and a half now.

Is it wrong to break out the Christmas jams this early? Absolutely not!  In fact, I usually give myself the okay to pull out my Spotify Christmas mix about mid-way through September.

Though the pumpkins have not yet rotted, and Thanksgiving is still three weeks away, something about the chill in the air and the taunting approach of snow makes me want to pull out the music I listen to with my mom while we hang up decorations. Christmas music, be it Martina McBride, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, or Amy Grant, carries a nostalgia that we get to revisit every year. There is a sense of peace, family, and hominess with the Christmas season, and what better way to revisit that sensation than with music?

Not only are the holidays a time for family, they tend to bring out the best in people. With the exception of hard-core Black Friday goers, the Christmas season brings out a sense of love and generosity towards each other. If you start to feel that warm fuzzy feeling in October, why shove it down until December?

Christmas music is just fun. I am confident in saying that I am not the only one who gets in touch with a different side of themselves when “All I Want for Christmas is You” comes on. Not only is it fun, there is so much of it. The radio may play the classics over and over again, but that doesn’t mean there’s not an entire world of Christmas music waiting to be listened to. Check out old CD’s, look up covers, or type in a quick search for new Christmas music. Believe it or not, people come up with new songs every year.

To the Scrooges of the world who aren’t quite ready to hear ‘White Christmas’ on every other station just yet, it’s cool. I get it. You can only hear ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ so many times before you want to punch him in his shiny red nose. But remember that there is also a lot of joy to be found in the Christmas season. Is it  wrong to want the most wonderful time of the year to last as long as possible? I say no.

If nothing else, remember that Christmas can be seen as an entire season where we get to sing to God. Along with radio hits, there are favorite church hymns that we break out once a year to remember the birth of Christ. Though we sing in every service, there is a special appreciation and warmth in singing about how our Savior came to earth.

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