As the Christmas season approaches, the Mariah Carey defrosting process begins. Her song, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” is widely considered a classic and is consistently No. 1 on the Billboard Holiday 100 chart. Skylar Stock | Long Beach Current
Ready to resurrect familiar tunes like “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or belt out the chorus to “Feliz Navidad”?
Coming soon to retail shops nationwide: Christmas music.
No longer waiting until December to sound off, some locations start with holiday music before Halloween items are even off the shelf. While some people turn up the holiday tunes, others steer clear.
“Mariah Carey is breaking out of her ice already,” Mario Cuellar, first-year public relations major said.
Often placed in a narrow box, Christmas music actually transcends genre, cultural and even religious lines. What evolved from Yuletide traditions has turned into a worldwide phenomenon.
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The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and with it comes Christmas music. Some love it, others avoid it, but all are familiar with the sounds of the season. Even though Thanksgiving hasn’t even happened yet, some students are already indulging or putting up with the holiday tunes. 🎥: Skylar Stock, Valentina Villarreal #longbeach #csulb #christmas
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Christmas traditions like caroling can be tied back to ancient Roman pagan winter solstice celebrations. Soon, religious hymns made their way onto the scene.
In the United States, Christmas Day only became an official federal holiday in 1870 after a failed ban campaign led by the Puritans. Originally enacted as a day of rest, it also created a sense of community during a time of rapid industrialization, according to Time Magazine.
Holiday songs even led to a World War I Christmas miracle, when dual trenches came to a truce after German and English soldiers sang “Silent Night” in unison.
To many modern listeners, Christmas music blends genres.
Each year, there is a new remake or cover of a classic that provides a fresh take.
Cuellar doesn’t put himself in a box when it comes to holiday tunes. He finds himself having “Every Snowflake is Different” by My Chemical Romance in his holiday rotation, a more alternative take on Christmas music. At the same time, he doesn’t stray away from the iconic sounds of “Last Christmas” by Wham!.
“We’re all people,” Cuellar said. “We all enjoy music as an art form. So, I think no matter what style or genre you’d vibe with the most, you’re still gonna get the same message.”
For some, religion ties into the equation when searching for the perfect holiday song.
Tristin Baeza is a 2024 music education alumnus who now directs choirs. As a Catholic, Baeza values his faith when considering holiday music choices, especially ones honoring Advent.
“The favorite one that I like to do is ‘O Come, Emmanuel,’” Baeza said. “It’s about the birth of Jesus and redeeming the world.”
On top of that, Baeza enjoys some of the secular tunes that the season brings. He cites Michael Bublé as one of his go-tos to bump during the time.
With many popular Christmas songs outliving their performers, and oldies consistently topping the charts, it is clear that childhood memories play into this seasonal musical nostalgia.
Isabella Olmos, a second-year psychology major, participated in Christmas pageants from first to eighth grade. Now, the iconic oldies she sang then are tied to those moments.
“It kind of just reminds me of when times were simpler,” Olmos said.
Similarly, third-year music education major Doug Lue comfortably allows himself to fall into nostalgia when the holidays come around. One note of “Carol Of The Bells” and Lue is immediately taken back to his family.
“For me, it’s the instantaneous pleasure of hearing Christmas music, it just brings me back to my own childhood,” Lue said.
While iconic to some, others get sick of the annual Christmas tunes due to the repetitiveness.
“I avoid [Christmas music] as much as I can,” Rain Esterline, second-year music performance major, said.
After performing songs like “Sleigh Ride” over and over throughout the years, Esterline is now immune to the Christmas music bug. Esterline also pointed out the high volume that holiday music is played at throughout the season, particularly while working.
“Retail and fast food sort of jobs, you hear it for two months straight, it’s too much,” Esterline said.
Lue challenged the notion of disliking Christmas music, saying there is so much more to be discovered.
“I feel like a lot of people don’t like Christmas music because they’re so used to the same repetitive motion,” Lue said. “[People] don’t get exposed to a variety of Christmas music and that’s not their fault.”
Lue invites Christmas music haters to explore a different way to listen. He recommended minor alterations of Christmas songs, as they offer a “dark taste” twist to the traditionally peppy tunes.
One thing is clear – the phenomenon of Christmas music is a staple in American culture.
“Everyone can get behind a good Christmas song,” Almos said. “I do feel that it’s kind of a unifying factor.”
