Mariah Carey performing on stage in Vegas on Nov. 30, 2025. Carey sings the popular Christmas song “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Photo courtesy of @mariahcarey on Instagram
“It’s TIIIIIIIMMMEEEEE.”
Christmas season is upon us, meaning that every mall and public place in the United States will be blasting the same playlist of Christmas music from now until the big day. Today, members of The Daily Campus Life section share their thoughts on what Christmas songs should be recognized more and which ones they’d never want to hear again.
Dan Stark, Life Editor
“A New York Christmas” by Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas is a Christmas song that deserves way more love. Written in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, it’s a plea for peace and unity during the holiday season. Lines like “Hear the sidewalk angels echo hallelujah, and we understand them now more than ever” are incredibly impactful, yet not overly emotional. Thomas’ vocal delivery is also superb, with his soothing mid-range making it a powerful listen.
One song that I’ll never get the hype for and won’t be on my Christmas playlist is Wham’s “Last Christmas.” Maybe I’m just salty because I already lost Whammagedon – where people try to go from Dec. 1 to Christmas without hearing “Last Christmas – on Monday (the first day of the competition), but the dated 1980s synths just don’t do it for me.
And yes, I am very annoyed that I lost Whammagedon already, but at least I won in 2023.
Rob Thomas featured in Christmas special for Live with Kelly and Mark on Dec. 23, 2024. Thomas sings “A New York Christmas,” written in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. Photo courtesy of @robthomas on Instagram
Elijah Polance, Staff Writer
Even if some Christmas music has been overplayed, I find the majority of the most popular songs to be tolerable at worst – That is, for all except Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” and José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad.” There’s something about the cadence and energy of Helms’ classic that can feel a bit tiring, especially when you can listen to a number of upbeat performances of “Jingle Bells” instead. While I appreciate Feliciano tying in some Spanish to spice up the ways we express holiday wishes, the song feels like one long chorus that doesn’t change up enough to stay engaging.
My favorite underrated Christmas music comes from two Christmas compilation albums from famed indie artist Sufjan Stevens. At over 100 songs and almost five hours long, the music varies wildly from acoustic covers of Christian carols to experimental electronic originals. My favorite standout has to be “Christmas Unicorn,” a 12-minute Christmas odyssey that caps off the compilation “Silver & Gold.” Stevens sings about a mythical unicorn that encapsulates everything at makes Christmas the special moment it is, from festivity to Christianity to capitalism’s trappings. It eventually builds into a frantic call and response of “I’m the Christmas unicorn / You’re the Christmas unicorn too (it’s alright, I love you).” An interpolation of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” somehow materializes towards the end, solidifying the music’s magic.
Alex Klancko, Campus Correspondent
The most underrated Christmas song is “Mele Kalikimaka” sung by Bing Crosby and The Andrew Sisters. The song was originally written in 1949 by Hawaiian composer R. Alex Anderson before Crosby and The Andrew Sisters recorded and released it in 1950. The reason why it’s underrated is because it is not like a normal Christmas song, as it makes you feel like you’re celebrating Christmas on the beach in warm weather instead of the freezing weather Christmas is associated with.
The most overrated Christmas song is “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. Yes, the song is arguably the most recognizable Christmas song to ever exist, but my main gripe with it has to do that it is so overplayed. I worked in retail for three years and had to endure Christmas music each year and “All I Want For Christmas Is You” was played every 15-20 minutes. It is like that for any retail store and it gives PTSD to many people who work or worked in retail. Because of that, it has to be the most overrated, overplayed song to ever exist.
