WE as in IYAD and I believe that Christmas music should NOT be played before Thanksgiving is over, even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. So many people begin listening to Christmas music as soon as Halloween ends, and personally, we find that very offensive on Thanksgiving’s behalf. Just because there aren’t any Thanksgiving songs doesn’t mean you can just skip over that whole season.
The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility (Shoutout Mr. Cormier) says that the more you consume a good the less you gain satisfaction from it. This can also be related to the satisfaction you gain from listening to Christmas music. If you begin listening to such music too early, by the time you get to Christmas, you feel less of that sweet Christmas spirit. This will not only ruin the reputation that Christmas has fought so hard to establish for itself, but will also continue to decrease the reputation of Thanksgiving. This whole scenario is a complete lose-lose situation; Christmas loses its spirit, and Thanksgiving loses its deserved popularity.
One of the main reasons that people start listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving is because there are no Thanksgiving songs. Music is a key part of the holiday season, as it sets the mood and brings people together. However, a little known fact is that some popular songs associated with Christmas actually originated as Thanksgiving songs. One of the more popular songs in this situation is Jingle Bells, by James Lord Pierpont in the 1850’s. The lyric “One Horse Open Sleigh” was written for his church’s Thanksgiving celebration for sleigh races, and was only considered a Christmas song after it was published and performed at other holiday events (NBCLA). The assimilation of Thanksgiving songs into Christmas songs shows that people value Christmas over Thanksgiving. This is because Christmas is seen as the more rewarding holiday due to the positive incentives associated with it such as gift giving. On the other hand, the only positive incentive that Thanksgiving has that Christmas doesn’t is the specificalities of the food that is made and eaten. Due to the high level of cultural attraction that Christmas brings, there will naturally be a more of a variety of Christmas songs which further uplifts its reputation. This will only negatively impact Thanksgiving as the excitement for Christmas rises.
WE as in IYAD and I believe that Christmas music should NOT be played before Thanksgiving is over, even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. In our personal lives, we have both lived by this belief for years. We go to our grandparents for Thanksgiving, and then turn the radio on and listen to Christmas music for the first time on the drive home. Never before, only after. The straight disrespect that Thanksgiving has had to endure throughout its history is simply appalling, and we will NOT stand for it.
Bustle Magazine Poll:
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/holidays/what-holiday-was-jingle-bells-written-for-thanksgiving/3265967/
