By Akaash Kamdar

Walking out of the house with a cozy sweater or a warm sweatshirt on a regular November day, the crisp air marks the time for a beautiful season: the holiday season is upon us. A joyous time for many who wish to celebrate the successes of a year and welcome a new one, this time also marks the entrance of the nay-sayers who will come to mock individuals who come to seek happiness through the beautiful sounds of holiday music. I come to defend those who not only enjoy holiday music, but also those who just want to enjoy celebrations for more than just one month. 

It is safe to say that everyone may agree that the holiday season is indeed short. When witnessing the infinity of Christmas trees in neighborhoods and stores, it may feel like a while; however, the holiday season leaves in a heartbeat. The icy snowball of seasonal sadness then begins, as all the joyous times of the holidays have left to bring everyone back to reality. Now, we can all agree that listening to holiday music AFTER the holidays are over is a crime in its worst fashion. No one wants to hear “Jingle Bells” towards the end of January and if you do, we need to have a separate conversation. Then, why can we not have a light beginning to our holiday celebration in November to truly savor the meaning of the holiday season? We can cherish it for more than just one month before we are forced to relinquish the beautiful sounds for another 10 months of the year. 

“Holiday music” has built up enough clout throughout its years of existence that it has defined its own boundaries as an entire genre of music. That is unbelievable. Holiday music is not classified under one type of beat, as it can range from love ballads to heartbreak songs to originals to the old-time classics. If we, as a society, have loved a set of music so much to create an extensive genre of music, why would we prohibit ourselves to only listening to it for just above 8 percent of the entire year. 

Furthermore, the decision to play holiday music in November is not an attack on the beautiful celebration of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time for friends and family to come together to be thankful and celebrate what we have. There is no chance that anyone would take away anything from Thanksgiving in this argument. It is true, though, that there is a severe lack of relevant Thanksgiving music that could rival the holiday music vibes. Thus, the introduction of holiday music in November would have no adverse effect on the meaning of Thanksgiving.

Now I understand that some may be worried that overplaying of holiday music may ruin the December vibes. Sure, there are some radio stations that may already play holiday music and stores that are jamming Mariah Carey in the clothing section. If this is not your vibe, then don’t listen to the radio station and block out the store tunes! Holiday music is beautiful in the sense that not everyone must be subjected to its tasteful amount of music is enough to provide the perfect introduction to the holiday season. 

So when I turn on my car or earbuds and bump to holiday jams, ranging from Justin Bieber to Bing Crosby, I know that there’s no need to stop myself from hearing the holiday bangers regardless of the fact that it’s November. In fact, one should never feel the need to stop themselves because everyone is completely valid for listening to some of the best created music that can bring a smile at any moment.