No, not at all? Okay, great…glad we got that settled! At least, that’s my opinion. I consider November 1st to be the day on which I can officially start listening to holiday music without getting funny looks from my husband. Now that we’ve just about reached the middle of the month, my Christmas playlists are in heavy rotation.
Last year I wrote about my 8 favorite Christmas albums, and this year I’ve added a few more to the mix. My current favorite is one that just came out last month: A Very She & Him Christmas (I pre-ordered it on iTunes for $9.99, but you can get it on Amazon for $5 by following that link). You’ve probably heard of the actress Zooey Deschanel, who makes up one half of this duo. The other half is M. Ward, and together they have this great 60’s throwback sound that I really dig.
The sweet sounds of holiday music are already filling my studio, too. Just last Friday, one of my students recorded “O Little Town of Bethlehem” for a Christmas album we’re putting together as a gift to his parents. And I just picked up some new holiday piano books, which for some reason always motivate my students to practice much more frequently than their regular repertoire.
But I’m not skipping over Thanksgiving by any means — I’ll stick with turkey day tunes in music therapy sessions until December. The Ten Days of Thanksgiving is the perfect precursor to all the Christmas songs that I’ll be breaking out in a few short weeks.
What is your take on the official start of the holiday (listening) season? My husband just popped in and added his two cents: “No Christmas music until Thanksgiving!” Do you agree with him?
Having a birthday right around the time that the Holiday mayhem starts, I stand firm that there is to be “NO HOLIDAY MUSIC BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY!”. Thankfully, that lands on November 10, so chime on and sing those holiday tunes!
I grew up in a very traditional family – no Christmas music until a week before Christmas. Since marrying, we have developed our own tradition – Christmas music can start after Thanksgiving music. Part of the reason we chose a late start is we play through the 12 days of Christmas (stopping on January 6th).
Practicing for performances doesn’t bother me. Holiday recordings on sale also is fine. So, enjoy! I figure there is room in this world for all views.
I don’t want to listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. However, it’s unavoidable – I have caroling to prepare my clients for, and we have to get started early. Outside of work, however, the policy is that if we hear Christmas music before Thanksgiving, we gripe. I’m not a Christmas scrooge, it’s my favorite holiday. But I don’t want to think about it for two months. I’d rather give Thanksgiving its due first.