The eternal argument of Christmas music is what the best song is; I know in my family, we’ve had many arguments about what the best song is, or more precisely, what the worst one is. A debate that often comes up is that of old vs. new Christmas music, and what really makes holiday music what it is.
Initially, it seems like a simple question, but the deeper you look, the harder it becomes to really define what makes some Christmas songs good or bad due to how subjective it is. There’s no objective answer; however, here’s my take on it.
In my own opinion, the prize is easily taken by older Christmas music, because I feel like it aligns better with what my idea of Christmas is. When I say older Christmas music, I mean around the 1960s or older. It isn’t that anything after that is really, really bad– not immediately, at least– but it just feels like most of the classics have it nailed down well. A few examples that immediately come to mind are “White Christmas (1947 version)”, which was released in, you guessed it, 1947, “Silver Bells”, which came out in 1950, and my personal favorite, “Christmas Time Is Here” in 1965 (I’m a sucker for Peanuts). These songs all feel like they have a distinctive soul to them, a feeling of coziness and comfort that I feel like is what Christmas is all about; being with the people you treasure most and spending time with them.
The thing about more modern songs, especially with things like “All I Want For Christmas” (1994), “Last Christmas” (1986), and quite literally every Christmas song released in the 2020s, is that they feel like they lack that sort of coziness. It doesn’t even need to really have a message or concrete theme to it– most modern songs, in fact, have some variation of that– it just needs to have that homely aspect, that feeling of something you can listen to sitting next to the fireplace while drinking hot chocolate and watching snow fall. I feel like you can’t do that with most modern or pop-esque Christmas songs.
The way I personally best enjoy Christmas music is with that description; cozy at home with maybe a blanket or two, a warm drink, watching the snow falling and just enjoying the moment. As such, I like Christmas music that is cozy, that is unintrusive and yet homely and warm. And I just personally feel like I never get that with anything more poppy in holiday music. So if you want my random opinion on what you should be listening to this holiday season, maybe look backwards and dig up something older than us.
