Forget politics. One of America’s most friendship-rattling, civility-testing debates is reemerging: How early is too early to listen to Christmas music?
Mariah Carey kicked off the discussion this year with a viral video starring the queen of Christmas music herself. In the clip, posted on Nov. 1, Carey falls asleep in her costume on Halloween night and wakes up at midnight to a phone call from Santa. “Santa!” she exclaims. “It’s time.”
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” begins to play, Carey blows viewers a kiss, and then, curtain. The first week of November marked the 25th anniversary of Carey’s bestselling song, but not everyone is ready to listen just yet.
Only about 10% of Americans start listening to Christmas music on Nov. 1, according to Cloud Cover Music. More listeners crank up the tunes after Thanksgiving, and the most significant jump comes Dec. 1.
Yet Christmas music is a money-making enterprise, and it’s already here for the season. Radio stations in Ohio and Illinois have started playing Christmas music full time. U.K.-based Pret a Manger, which has dozens of stores in the United States, has also made the switch to Christmas music. Hugh Grant, for one, isn’t happy. “Christmas hats and music off please,” the actor tweeted this week. “It doesn’t make us merry or spend more.”
Some retailers have argued that playing Christmas music is good for business. “Festive jingles are force-fed to Christmas shoppers in a bid to change their mood, influence their sense of time, and what sort of products they buy,” Alan Bradshaw of the University of London told the Telegraph. “In other words, this is an attempt to manipulate your shopping habits in a way that you might barely be aware of.”
Experts debate whether Christmas music is more prone to empty consumers’ wallets or drive them from the store. Retailers may think they’re getting customers to buy more, but if they’re of the Christmas music-delaying sort, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas“ might be more of a warning than a source of cheer.
Whenever they choose to start listening to Christmas music, most Americans will get there eventually. Nine out of 10 Americans celebrate Christmas, which means Bing Crosby, Michael Bublé, and especially Mariah Carey will be playing in your neighborhood soon enough.
