We all love Christmas music!
Well, everyone in the Christmas Organised community on Facebook and Instagram did when I asked you last week!
I guess it’s one of those love or hate things and, I suspect for a lot of people, connected to whether they enjoy the festive season in general.
For me (and most of you!), Christmas wouldn’t be the same without seasonal music, whether that’s in the shops or at home as we decorate the tree.
But why do we love Christmas tunes so much? I’ve been doing some research, and apparently the more often we hear a song, the more likely we are to enjoy listening to it.
So, the theory is, that with the same classic Christmas songs played so frequently, we hear them hundreds – if not thousands – of times over the years!
I’m sure nostalgia is also a big part of our festive music addiction – the songs I love the most are those I associate with happy memories of childhood traditions.
I’ve continued with many of these traditions throughout my adult life, and continue to associate them strongly with specific Christmas songs. They make Christmas Christmas!
There are, of course, some people who dislike a particular Christmas song (or festive music in general) and no matter how frequently they hear it, they still hate it – or their dislike might even increase.
I haven’t got to the bottom of why this might be, but in some cases it could be because of a negative association with the particular song (or the time of year) – but I don’t have any definite answers on this one.
Christmas music planning
If you’re in the Christmas-music loving camp, now’s a great time to tick off some of the time-intensive jobs like creating Christmas playlists you love for every occasion.
It’ll save you so much stress at the time if you do any hosting over Christmas and you’ve got your music ready to go months in advance!
I like to use Spotify for my online playlists, but you can also use YouTube, Amazon Music and others, adding only the songs you like best or fit the situation or mood.
There’s nothing more annoying than realising your ‘tunes’ are an afterthought half an hour before your guests arrive (this was definitely me for many years!).
If Christmas music is a big part of ‘getting you in the mood’ and enjoyment of the festive season, then I also suggest adding plenty of music-related fun to your December schedule right now so you don’t miss out.
I find Christmas carol concerts and festive song sing-a-longs never fail to take me back to my childhood, lift my spirits and give me that warm, fuzzy Christmassy feeling!
If an organised event isn’t possible, you can plan a sing-a-long with family and friends at home, do some festive busking for charity – or simply make a note to play your favourite Christmas playlist while you’re baking or crafting.
Look after yourselves
Finally, I want to share with you a new concept I read about recently as I’m finding it super helpful. It’s all about taking care of your ‘future self’.
‘Future Alex’ doesn’t want to be dealing with this stuff in December (even if I enjoy it), so it’s time to get ahead and look after ‘Busy Alex’ in December by taking action now.
She’ll definitely thank me for it.
Give it a go (and put Jingle Bells on repeat)!
Love,