This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
Music for the holidays was once limited to the season. After Thanksgiving, radio stations would start playing holiday music, retail stores would play familiar classics on repeat, and families would bring out the same few CDs annually. However, the advent of music streaming services has radically changed that tradition, turning holiday music from an annual cultural event into a year-round, algorithm-driven business.
Holiday music has been much more personalized due to streaming. Rather than depending on our radio stations to determine what qualifies as a “holiday hit,” listeners create their own playlists featuring whatever they want their December to sound like. While some individuals opt for the classic tracks, others lean toward lo-fi holiday beats, indie covers, or contemporary pop remixes. The effect is straightforward: holiday music has transformed from a single, shared soundtrack into a reflection of personal taste.
Algorithms have changed the way certain songs gain popularity. Previously, for a song to enter the holiday rotation, it needed to be played on the radio or sold in stores. Nowadays, services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music can promote a song to millions of users simply by adding it to a curated playlist. That is why classic tracks unexpectedly become viral sensations and why emerging musicians have increased chances of having their festive singles noticed.
The effect is particularly evident in chart performance. Every December, holiday songs dominate the charts, not due to radio stations’ decisions to play them, but because streaming numbers surge dramatically. Individuals return to the same beloved tracks, playlists are stuck in a loop ad infinitum, and nostalgia is quantifiable. Consequently, songs classified as holiday hits have turned into some of the most consistently lucrative tracks in the whole music business.
With streaming, the definition of “holiday music” has broadened. Now there are playlists for every mood and micro-moment: cozy winter mornings, sad girl December, holiday party hits, Christmas jazz, and many more. With this change, the season seems more flexible and less like a single entity. While not everyone relates to conventional carols, streaming has opened up opportunities for every type of listener to discover something that resonates with them.
The most significant change may be that streaming allows holiday music to be accessible well before and after the season. Listeners can play “Jingle Bell Rock” in July if they wish, and many do, but streaming data indicates spikes at other times of the year, particularly during finals season or stressful weeks, when people turn to nostalgic music for comfort. Holiday songs are now more than just December tunes; they serve as emotional touchstones that people revisit whenever they need them.
Streaming has not replaced the shared experience of hearing a holiday song in a store or starting a classic playlist with loved ones. However, it has transformed holiday music from something we anticipate into something we manage, customize, and experience according to our own preferences. Streaming has made holiday music more accessible in many ways, contributing to its democratization and deeper connection to personal memory, mood, and nostalgia.
