Have you ever noticed that around the holiday season people tend to separate into two different groups...Those who LOVE christmas music and can’t get enough of it from the 1st November and the opposite, those who find Christmas jingles nothing but irritating and outright annoying
Well, whichever side you’re on, there might be a few reasons why! One recent study has shown that in the same way when we listen to regular music we are able to attach songs to emotions, Christmas music does the same - But bigger!
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Being an incredibly emotional time of year, it’s no surprise that Christmas songs (generally) tend to cheer most of us up when we hear them every so often. Dr Becky Spelman, a psychologist at The Private Therapy Clinic said in this article that Christmas music: “Brings back fond memories of our childhood and stimulates excitement for the forthcoming season.”
So it’s no surprise that the feel good sounds of joy and fun help release endorphins which help us get excited for the holiday seasons - It’s the same hormone that lets us enjoy everything else that comes with Christmas, hugs, games and of course...food!
This being said though, in the same way that many associate Christmas with joy, others, particularly those in retail, can find quite the opposite effect! If you’ve ever worked in retail over the holiday season, you’ll probably know the pains of listening to the same Christmas songs on repeat again and again and again, after an 8 hour shift, that’s pretty taxing on anyone!
According to psychologist Linda Blair “People working in the shops at Christmas have to tune out Christmas music because if they don’t, it really does stop you from being able to focus on anything else,” Likewise, for anyone who perhaps associates Christmas with loss or breakups, perhaps it’s best to avoid those ‘lovey’ christmas songs a little more as they’re more likely to remind you of what you’re missing most this holiday season.
But of course, we’re all human and our emotions change all time just because a song reminds you of something negative one day, there’s no reason it might not remind you of something positive the next day!
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In short, Christmas songs aren’t so powerful to completely overthrow your emotions and Mariah Carey isn’t secretly mind controlling you to have a nice time (...or is she?!), but that being said, there is a reason ‘All I Want For Christmas’ has finally reached number 1 after 26 years. Ultimately, our emotions will still dictate how we respond to any song at any given time but Christmas music can be a fantastic enhancer of that festive mood if you’re looking to start feeling that Christmas spirit in your home!
In our opinion, that can only be a good thing! The cheesier, the better, and we really could all do with a little festive cheer after this incredibly long year. If you want to wow your family, check out our favourite easy songs to learn on piano this Christmas!
...Now take it away Mariah!