As soon as Halloween weekend was over this year, I immediately put my AirPods in, started blasting classic Christmas hits, and listened far away from the judgment of those who think Christmas music before Thanksgiving is criminal. Some will say that my tradition of listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving is an atrocity, but it’s truly one of the greatest things of all time. Those who think otherwise are clearly related to the Grinch.
Throughout my whole life, I have always listened to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. As someone who grew up in Southern California, I never experienced the changing of the seasons around the holidays; it stays relatively warm year-round, and there are no magical mornings where I wake up to the first snowfall. This means that every year, it’s up to me to set the vibes for the holiday season, and my first step is usually to cue up a cozy Christmas jazz playlist. My parents and brother openly judge me for my tradition every year and continue to deny me the aux cord before Thanksgiving Day, but I stay strong with my Starbucks caramel brûlée lattes and Michael Bublé’s Christmas album on repeat. Seriously, I need to know: What is so wrong with listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving?!
I’ve heard the ridiculous argument that listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving will take the focus away from the turkey holiday, but in my opinion, festive music only makes the day better. Plus, “Thanksgiving music” is not really a thing, and when I’m sitting at the dinner table debating politics with my extended family members, I at least prefer chaos with a side of Pentatonix in the background. By the way, they released their new holiday album “Evergreen” on October 29 — before Halloween even happened! If that’s not giving us full permission to blast holiday music ASAP, I don’t know what is.
Another crucial aspect of this debate is that getting into the holiday spirit is the one thing that truly keeps me going during finals season. There’s nothing better than sitting down at my desk, turning on my wax melter to fill the room with the scent of pine, and playing Leslie Odom Jr.’s “Simply Christmas (Deluxe Edition)” album while writing a 10-page paper. The vibes are immaculate. In fact, Christmas music is one of the sole reasons my essays even get finished during the holidays. Taking holiday tunes away from me mid-finals would send me into a spiral of despair and let’s be real, no one wants that.
The truth is, if I were to limit my Christmas music intake and start on December 1 every year, I would only have 25 short days to belt the words to “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.” That is simply not enough time to enjoy all of my different Christmas music moods, from classic Nat King Cole to Mariah Carey.
All I have to say is if you find me listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, don’t judge me. I speak bravely on behalf of all Christmas music lovers, and I don’t think listening to festive tunes hurts anyone, unless you are Ebenezer Scrooge. If my favorite artists are releasing Christmas albums immediately after Halloween and everyone is partaking in holiday festivities before Thanksgiving anyway, just give me a break and leave me and my Christmas playlists alone. And for those who cry “bah humbug,” chill out. I promise I’ll use my AirPods.