Why Some of Us Cant Stand Holiday Music Songwriting Professor Kat Reinhert shares some theories. Plus: listen to a playlist of winter songs that ditch the festive baggage.
By
Bryan Parys
December 8, 2023
Image by Kelly Davidson
Back in December of 2020, I went to post on Twitter (as it was still called) some grumbling about how my households penchant for holiday music was messing with my streaming algorithms, only to remember that I'd posted that very complaint in December of 2018.
It's not surprising that I've thus gained notoriety among my friends and family for being Grinchy about holiday music, particularly as it relates to Christmas (though, to be fair, I don't need to hear Adam Sandler's Chanukkah Song ever again either).
The common misconception is that I hate the holidays, which is patently untrue. The first movie I purchased for my kids was The Muppet Christmas Carol, which never fails to elicit from me the kind of silly joy that people say holiday music creates in them.
I'm not alone in my feelings-just ask anyone who works in retail from November to the end of the year. But I also realize that those who don't enjoy holiday music (or at least grow quickly tired of it) are in the minority, as is evidenced by the recent news that Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree just hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100-65 years after its release.
I've been told many times a version of If you don't like it, just don't listen to it-why ruin other people's fun? For a number of reasons, it's not that simple.
Professor Kat Reinhert
Reason 1: There's No Escape I reached out to Kat Reinhert, professor of songwriting, to see if a songwriter's perspective would help make sense of my aversion. Not only was she able to provide insight in that regard, but she spoke from experience. When she was working as a music teacher, Reinhert released Winter Soup, an original album of winter-themed songs for children, and, as she says, I was like, Im not doing another concert with Jingle Bells.' Like, I just refuse.
According to Reinhert, a major reason people grow to dislike traditional holiday music is because it's all-pervasive. We cant escape it. You walk into a store and its playing. You walk into your classroom and your teacher is playing it. You walk home and your moms got it on the radio, right? Theres some sort of oversaturation that [makes] it hard to get away from.
Reason 2: It's Not Always the Most Wonderful Time of the YearA common reason cited by many people who dislike holiday music is that negative experiences can be brought vividly to mind at any bell that dares jingle. There's an intense relationship between music and memory that can be amplified by traumatic experiences.
However, you needn't have experienced a holiday tragedy to feel less jolly. Really, you just need to have experienced a range of complex emotions (aka, being human).
For a lot of people, it is triggering in a way, because all the music is happy, Reinhert says. If youre not really feeling great about the holidays, maybe you didnt have a bad childhood, but lets say your girlfriend or your boyfriend or your significant other just dumped you, right? And youre not feeling very holiday-esque. Everything around you tells you that youre supposed to be feeling this way.
Reason 3: Nobody's PerfectIn that sense, traditional holiday music creates friction-what we're hearing doesn't always line up with what we're feeling. Cognitive dissonance is a great word for it. Its like the Rockefeller Christmas [family photo], right? Reinhert says, referencing an iconic portrait of the extended Rockefeller family at Christmas in 1955. Everybody is smiling, theres no flour on anybodys shirt, and . . . everybodys happy. And youre like, Nobodys Christmas looks like that.' Thats what we all pretend that we try to do, right? And then we create this stress loop.
Reason 4: The Holidays End . . . Until They Begin AgainWhat about the holiday songs with real emotional muscle? The kinds of songs that don't just cover grief with wreaths, such as the aching for home at the heart of I'll Be Home for Christmas (with it's devastating closing line If only in my dreams ), the conviction of John Lennon's War Is Over (If You Want It), or even the indie darlings like Sufjan Stevens and She & Him that artfully interpret timeless classics for millennials.
Sufjan Stevens now even has his own yule-log video with nearly five hours of his holiday music:
But even these earnest and critically acclaimed contributions to the holiday canon are fated to return each year, like a reindeer to grandma, destined to run us over again and again.
So is there an antidote? For starters, Reinhert hopes that society gets more open about its struggles, as that could expand the emotional palette of the holiday music canon. The more interesting holiday music we produce, the less repetitive stress we need to put on the same small handful of thoughtful, emotionally nuanced Lennon and Sufjan cuts.
She's seen evidence of this in her classroom, where each fall semester she has her students write a winter-themed or holiday song. Often people write in minor, she says. They write slow. They write sad-they do not write your traditional happy Christmas song. She also says there's about an even split between happy and sad. Were half crying and half laughing, you know, at the same time. Honestly, sign me up.
To aid in the effort to expand that emotional palette, here's a playlist of songs that provide a wintry feel, but without the holiday baggage. Over time, will this just become another version of lovely weather for a sleigh ride together? Who knows. Maybe the best you can do is just listen once, and then walk out bravely
North America Stories
08/05/2025
A sinister fairy infiltrates a desperate family in Kenneth Dagatan's In My Mother's Skin, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photo co...
08/05/2025
For skyward-bound operators, training focuses on the unique aspects of flying ISR missions, including the management of onboard surveillance equipment and the e...
08/05/2025
The cable industry has told the Federal Communications Commission it supports the National Association of Broadcasters' proposal to allow broadcasters to us...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Consumer Technology Association has continued its opposition to mandates requiring that NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 tuners be included in new TV sets, sa...
08/05/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real time visualization, has named Paul Maroni as Vice Pres...
08/05/2025
This year's UK Pavilion in hall 5, once again managed by Tradefair, will provide visitors with the unique opportunity to discuss and be involved in cutting ...
08/05/2025
Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its latest energy-efficient transmitters and 5G Broadcast technologies, designed to support network operators and content provider...
08/05/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group has tapped Bill Nardi as vice president of station operations, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day broadcast operations ...
08/05/2025
SEATTLE LumaTouch is partnering with CNN Academy to improve mobile storytelling techniques and support training across all of CNN Academy's training simulat...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Society of Broadcast Engineers has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission that support a proposal by the National Association ...
08/05/2025
Senior adviser to the United States Agency for Global Media Kari Lake has announced that One America News Network (OAN) will provide newsfeed services for fre...
08/05/2025
EdMon Expands as AI-Driven Post Production Workflows Gains Traction in Sweden an...
08/05/2025
Using Luma Mattes in Adobe Premiere Pro
Graham Quince May 7, 2025
0 Comments
This very quick tutorial shows you how to take an RGB clip and apply its ...
08/05/2025
OpenDrives Unveils Free Your Data' Initiative with New Astraeus Cloud-Nativ...
08/05/2025
Student Spotlight: Grigori Balasanyan The Armenian composer, who was named Boston Conservatory at Berklees 2025 student commencement speaker, talks about his ...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Unveils New Premieres Spanning Film and Music
Slick Rick's Victory with Idris Elba a...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Announces Lineup for Inaugural Storytelling Summit
11-Day Industry Event Launches with Tal...
08/05/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Vizrt's Nicholas Jameson on AI in Workflows, Pushing Boundarie...
08/05/2025
Creating Alternative Brand Experiences: Live Sports in the Age of Fortnite, Meta...
08/05/2025
PGA TOUR's David Piccolo: Advanced Graphics and Virtual Production Tools are...
08/05/2025
Tech Focus: Advancing Immersion in Sports Broadcasting with AR and Virtual Produ...
08/05/2025
Back to All News
Now in Production: Comedy Action Film Husbands in Action'...
08/05/2025
Artificial intelligence is helping identify and treat diseases faster with better results for humankind. Natural disasters like wildfires are next.
Fires in th...
08/05/2025
Calling all wiseguys - 2K's acclaimed Mafia franchise is available to stream...
08/05/2025
As AI use cases continue to expand - from document summarization to custom software agents - developers and enthusiasts are seeking faster, more flexible ways t...
07/05/2025
Warsaw, Poland - April 28, 2025 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, has released its latest March All Screens Video Landscap...
07/05/2025
LONDON Movie fans hoping to save money by waiting until their favorite new films appear on streaming services will have to wait a bit longer now, according to a...
07/05/2025
MECCA, Saudi Arabia Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA) has selected Grass Valley to provide a major technology upgrade of its broadcast facility here....
07/05/2025
Sony and Nevion provide guidance on IP network architecture options for live pro...
07/05/2025
Media Pioneer Publishing AG Expands Editorial Capacity
Brie Clayton May 7, 2025
0 Comments
Pioneer 2 boat production environment powered by Blackmagic...
07/05/2025
LONDON Movie fans hoping to save money by waiting until their favorite new films appear on streaming services will have to wait a bit longer now, according to a...
07/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau is seeking public comment on a Petition for Rulemaking from HC2 Broadcasting Holdings asking...
07/05/2025
WASHINGTON Following a decision by U.S. Department of Education to terminate its 2020-2025 Ready To Learn to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, CPB has in...
07/05/2025
NEW YORK Fox's ad-supported streaming Tubi made a series of product and partnership announcements during IAB NewFronts in New York, including the launch of ...
07/05/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. Google Fiber (GFiber) has announced a redesigned app that the company said will simplify how customers set up service, manage devices, and...
07/05/2025
WASHINGTON NASAs on-demand streaming service, NASA+, has launched a FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channel on Prime Video....
07/05/2025
NEW YORK The WNET Group, parent company of the PBS station Thirteen, has announced the appointment of Randall T. Decker to senior director, technology, effectiv...
07/05/2025
Atomos announced an executive leadership transition as the Company continues to evolve and expand its strategic focus.
Peter Barber, currently serving as Chie...
07/05/2025
Steve Wagner, Jerry Holway and Robert Orf at the 2024 Scientific and Technical Awards at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
The ...
07/05/2025
nxtedition, the Swedish company behind the leading integrated platform for news and program production, and TASCAM, the iconic Japanese manufacturer of professi...
07/05/2025
Signiant is bringing its Camera-Raw-to-Any-Cloud workflow to the UK for the first time at the Media Production & Technology Show 2025 (Booth# M69) with a live d...
07/05/2025
MNC Software Inc., a global leader in software and network solutions tailored to the broadcast and media industry, has appointed Gencom Technology as an officia...
07/05/2025
Rise AV, the award-winning advocacy group championing gender diversity and professional development in the AV sector, is proud to announce 31 mentor-mentee pair...
07/05/2025
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, is to bring a selection of its leading products for IP, SDI and hybrid workflow requirements to this...
07/05/2025
The Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto announces that the World Skills Caf will return at IBC2025 with an expanded skills and diversity programme,...
07/05/2025
Moments Lab, a leader in AI video discovery, and LucidLink, the pioneer in real-time cloud collaboration, are proud to announce the integration of Moments Lab&#...
07/05/2025
Obvious C Broadcasts Skiing World Cup with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton May 6, 2025
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design cameras capture cinematic sports pr...
07/05/2025
Larry Jordan Interviews Signiant's Jon Finegold at NAB 2025
Brie Clayton May 6, 2025
0 Comments
Jon Finegold, Chief Marketing Officer at Signiant,...
07/05/2025
A new supercomputer offered by Cadence, a leading provider of technology for ele...
Why Some of Us Cant Stand Holiday Music Songwriting Professor Kat Reinhert shares some theories. Plus: listen to a playlist of winter songs that ditch the festive baggage.
