Illustration by Eva Wilhite
The moment I hear those festive tones, I raise my head up from my pile of books and smile because, in the midst of a sea of papers, projects and finals, I know Christmas is coming soon and with it, a much-needed break.
However, everything after that first glimmer-of-hope-in-the-darkness note just becomes an obnoxious bell to my ears that I can’t stand for one more second.
Christmas music is horrifically overplayed, repetitive and, frankly, boring.
“I hate Christmas music because it’s not creative anymore,” said senior business management major Derrick Dubon. “It’s practically the same music that’s 40 to 50 years old now. They’re all classics that need a new, contemporary twist.”
Dubon raises an excellent point. The majority of Christmas music is the same: decades-old songs that almost everyone has heard since their first Christmas.
According to a 2006 study by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, the top 10 most-played Christmas songs were written between the early 1930s and late ‘50s.
This list includes songs like “Winter Wonderland” and “Jingle Bell Rock,” which are still just as loved, overplayed and no different than they were seven years ago when the study was conducted or when they first came out.
Every year people fall into the same, cold trap of “Frosty the Snowman” and “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” How many more years will it take before people warm up to the idea of new Christmas music?
For sophomore music major Hannah Dyslin, it doesn’t take long to grow tired of the monotony of Christmas music.
“It can get annoying because I play it for months before it shows up everywhere else. I’m in UCO, Symphony Orchestra and the Wind Ensemble. I estimate by the time we reach Christmas, I will have played over 10 Christmas concerts just with UCO alone,” Dyslin said.
The only thing worse than Christmas music is Christmas music played before Thanksgiving passes.
“I’m definitely a devoted fan of Christmas music, but at the right time,” said Dr. Emily Griesinger, an English professor. “I don’t like to ‘jump start’ the season before Thanksgiving.”
People can’t be afraid to let go of the past. I know Rudolph’s nose will always be red and Santa Claus will always be coming to town; I just don’t care anymore.
Christmas music is begging for an update.
While some argue that there’s new Christmas music every year, most are covers or styled very similarly to the traditional songs that blast through every store, house and radio station annually.
Kelly Clarkson’s new album “Wrapped in Red” is a perfect example; whether you like it or not, it’s undeniably similar to most Christmas albums, and being “like” something isn’t necessarily being better than it.
New songs must move forward. Covers might be a solution if they’re drastically different and better (like what Trans-Siberian Orchestra did with “Carol of the Bells”), but that’s not enough either.
Innovation is needed now, more than ever.
With music constantly changing, it would be refreshing not to hear new takes on old Christmas songs, but entirely original ones that incorporate interesting topics that don’t focus on reindeers or snowmen.
I love Christmas. It might even be my favorite time of the year. I’ll be walking around and enjoying the decorations, good vibes and delicious food, but only with my iPod on me at all times, both ears covered to ignore the avalanche of repetition that we call “Christmas music.”