When is the right time to listen to Christmas music?

We all have people in our lives who do not listen to Christmas music until Dec. 24 and people who start months before Chirtsmas. The “right” time for Christmas music varies from person to person. 

Your mood for Christmas music is said to depend on feelings associated with the time. If everytime you hear “Deck the Halls” you are reminded of the endless hours of shopping ahead, you might be less likely to be in the mood for the yuletide carols. 

“There’s a U-shaped relationship between how often we hear a song and how much we like it, what’s known as the mere exposure effect,” according to “Business Insider.” “At first, holiday music may spark nostalgia and get you in the holiday spirit. But hearing ‘Jingle Bells’ for the millionth time can lead to annoyance, boredom, and even distress, researchers say.”

Whether you find Chritsmas music to be an annoyance or you wait all year just to listen to it, it tends to be around this time of year that it can be heard everywhere. 

“I usually start listening to it around Nov. 20,” senior Rylee Merill stated. “But never on Thanksgiving! Only before and after. However, this year, my brother had us listening to it in May and he hasn’t stopped yet.”

While Merill starts Nov. 20, junior Elizabeth Williams starts Thanksgiving night. 

“I think it’s important not to burn out the Christmas music too early so that you can really enjoy it throughout December,” Williams said. 

Sophomore Gabriella Freire doesn’t start listening to Christmas music till the day after Thanksgiving. 

“I start listening to Christmas music then because I feel it’s wrong to listen to Christmas music before then,” Freire said. “In my opinion, Thanksgiving deserves to be its own holiday and listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving takes away from what Thanksgiving deserves as a major holiday.”

Whether you started listening to Christmas music in May or you held out till December, Christmas music definitely adds a little more joy to the 2020 year.