Christmas music, and more specifically the timing by which it is considered socially acceptable to start listening, is an age-old debate. Only the other day the slight drone of Mariah Carey creeping into my ears made me visibly wince, as 15 November came and went.
But what are the rules?
I’ve broken it down into three possible scenarios which could dictate when the first Christmas song of the year should be played.
Snow. Christmas and cold weather go hand-in-hand, and nothing quite exemplifies the festive period as well as that freezing white precipitate. Unfortunately, on the frost covered hills of Sheffield, there is a part of everyone with a shameful desire to find the worst possible Michael Bublé cover and play it through the speakers, right?
The argument is certainly there but with the British weather so unpredictable, the pumpkins may still be on the lawn by this point, which is a terrifying thought. No pumpkin should ever have to endure Ed Sheeran’s sixth attempt at a Christmas number 1. This year brought snow on 17 November which to some may be ideal, but let’s look at some of the other timings when Christmas music becomes acceptable.
1 December, unequivocally the only right answer on this list. When the clock strikes 12 on the night of 30 November, Christmas can commence musically. Before this, in my eyes, there should be no ‘rockin’ around the Christmas tree’ and Santa should certainly not be ‘comin’ to town’. It is far too early, and to force the unemployed grey-haired man into employment so early would be everything wrong with this generation. Festive music should be associated with the Christmas lights and merriment that comes with the putting up of the tree and eating mince pies, not with the… well very dreary, boring end to the month that is November.
Much like Usain Bolt in 2011, anyone playing music before the commencement of 1 December, should be considered to have jumped the gun and therefore be disqualified from Christmas. I’m no Grinch, but these people are taking Christmas for granted, much like the scam artists who without fail steal £15 from me every year for a stale Yorkshire pudding wrap – but that’s a discussion for another day.
Growing up, the tradition was that Christmas music arrived when the Christmas tree went up, not before and not after, but with it. That moment can bring the inner child out of anyone and that is predominantly down to that eager wait of the Christmas build-up.
I can’t pretend for longer than a month, the music is not that good and whilst it delivers what it needs to for the month, any longer than that and the magic wears off. By 31 December there is nothing I would love more than for LadBaby to be forced back into hibernation as not everyone needs a sausage roll.
Whilst this article has seemingly put a dampener on Christmas music, it is definitely a force for good in December, when the time is right. People may argue otherwise but in my opinion they are wrong, just wrong.