Keaton McAuliffe
Reporter
The day after Thanksgiving, the stores and malls update their playlists from today’s pop hits to the carols of the holidays. But, it is not just the malls; students at NCHS have also dusted off their holiday playlists in preparation for this holiday season.
For most, the transition into the holiday season seems to happen overnight. English Department head Heidi D’Acosta said that the day after Thanksgiving is when holiday music becomes more conspicuous, “You don’t really have a choice,” she said, “because right after Thanksgiving I was shopping and it was just in my head because all of the stores you walk into are playing the same music.”
Though holiday music was once reserved for the month of December, Junior Alyssa Berry said that she has heard holiday music even earlier than Thanksgiving. “I start listening probably around Halloween when it first comes on the radio,” she said.
In addition to the music being played earlier each year, popular artists such as Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift have recently adapted their own holiday music albums that have brought “pop” to the holidays.
Sophomore Grace Stryker, whose favorite Christmas album is Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe” (to listen to a song from this album, click here), enjoys the shift from the classical genre of holiday songs to the pop genre associated with today’s music. “The traditional Christmas music is fantastic, but it’s good to see our favorite artists singing just as well,” she said. “Our kids might even have those songs as their classic music and future generations might adopt the pop Christmas music as the classic Christmas music.”
Unlike Grace, Alyssa thinks that the newer pop holiday songs have less of a holiday feel than the classics. “ I feel like the classic Christmas music makes me think of Christmas more than Justin Bieber or the newer music,” she said.
Ms. D’Acosta also enjoys the classics better than the pop; her favorite holiday song is “Winter Wonderland” by Johnny Mathis. “There’s something just very cozy about them going out and building the snowman and going back to farmer Brown’s house,” she said. “I love that. To me that’s the ideal holiday.”
Often, the holiday albums are played more as it gets closer to the holidays, when music then provides a soundtrack to family holiday traditions. Mrs. D’Acosta said her favorite time play the holiday tunes is during the three weeks leading up to Christmas, “It sets a backdrop when you’re wrapping presents or baking,” she said.
Junior Jack Robey agreed that holiday music has been incorporated to some of his holiday traditions. “When my family decorates the Christmas tree we listen to Christmas music and we listen to it while we are opening presents on Christmas morning,” he said.
But Grace thinks that some songs don’t have to be reserved just for the holidays. “Mariah Carey will forever have the best holiday album,” she said. “She tops everybody. I listen to that not during the holidays. I listen to that year round because she’s amazing.”
It seems as though most people prefer the classic holiday songs, such as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” (to listen, click here) or even “Grandmas Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” Yet, the pop holiday songs will still continue to work their way into the holiday culture. “Like language, music is constantly updated by its users,” Ms. D’Acosta said. “So I think its natural and necessary and reaches a broader audience. I think it’s wonderful that people have continued to update and refresh traditions.”
