Does hearing Christmas music too much before Christmas make you feel more like The Grinch and less like an elf on the shelf? Don’t feel bad. You are definitely not alone. Furthermore, some recent research indicates that Christmas music can contribute to a decline in your mental health.
Christmas cuts can be triggering
Linda Blair, a British clinical psychologist, told the press that Christmas music can cause stress triggers. She reports that listening to a series of Christmas songs at stores on in one’s car actually reminds some people of all of their various daily troubles. Additionally, it reminds them of all the different things they need to do before Christmas Day.
Today most stores begin their Christmas song salvo by early November. Thus, Blair states “the stress period” is now getting longer. She adds that in that environment you are “simply spending all of your energy trying not to hear what you’re hearing.”
Problem
According to Blair, people who work in retail stores and similar situations are reportedly most at-risk of being “mentally drained” by the constant bombardment of Christmas music. Hearing those same seasonal songs over and over again, in reality, makes it difficult for the employees to fully focus on the various tasks at hand.
Solution
Blair notes that there is a simple solution to this problem. Simply stop playing Christmas songs so early. After all, a lengthy period of exposure to cheerful tunes not only mentally drains employees but it also irritates shoppers.
Research also indicates that the unfortunate fact is that now Christmas music is hitting the stores prior to Halloween. For example, online sources reveal that this year Best Buy began playing Christmas carols on October 22. Within the next couple of days, other stores like Michaels, Sears, and Ulta, also began their own Christmas song salvos.
“Survey said!”
An extemporized poll in the Florida-based Tampa Bay Times asked several people when they thought it was apropos to play Christmas music. Almost 55 percent of the participants replied that playing Christmas music is not appropriate until after Thanksgiving. More surprisingly, 11 percent of the participants claimed that it is acceptable to play Christmas music “any time after Halloween.” Interestingly, these respondents are tied with those who said they enjoy Christmas songs any time at all.
The Bottom Line
Retail businesses have musically morphed the “12 Days of Christmas” into something more akin to the “65 Days of Christmas” for store employees and frequent shoppers alike. Stores cranking up the Christmas carols earlier and earlier has become “exhausting.” Perhaps this is yet another reason why some people prefer using taking advantage of grocery pick-up services and online retailers. There’s no danger of being submitted to endless assorted audio offerings of “Jingle Bells.”
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