Do you hear that? The bells are ringing, and as the old song goes, “ring-a-ling, hear them ring, soon it will be Christmas Day.” That’s right — ‘tis the season for Christmas music starting this Thursday, Nov. 1, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Well, at least there’s nothing you can do to stop me from jamming out to Christmas tunes starting this Thursday. At midnight on Halloween, I’ll be switching from monster mashing to reindeer dashing, and I encourage you to join me in getting into the holiday spirit a little early this year. In my opinion, jingle bells are the only thing that can get you through midterms this fall, laughing all the way, and they’ll carry you on a one-horse open sleigh right through finals season as well. For me, there’s nothing more comforting than Bruce Springsteen reminding me that I better not pout and better not cry this midterm season, and honestly, we all need that kind of positivity with the hefty course loads we have at the College of William and Mary.
Not only is Christmas music light and upbeat, but it can fit the mood of any situation. Having a hard time getting out of bed on these cold, dark mornings? Missed the omelet bar by five minutes? About to conquer the steps of Morton Hall? Just ran out of Flex? Passed by the griffin statue and forgot to look away? These twampy problems can be solved by simply pressing play on your favorite holiday tune. No other action is necessary to instantly feel merry and bright, and I can guarantee you will be bopping along by the time you reach the third floor. In case you need more of a reason to hop on the Christmas-music-in-November train, think about how Christmas music brings people together.
We have all witnessed a spontaneous karaoke moment in the light side of Sadler before, and I’ve already made a list and checked it twice of songs I know will get the hungry people going in the dining halls this season. No matter what your favorite carol is, I hope that you’ll be tuning in with me on Thursday to kick off the holiday season on a jolly note. Get excited, because as pop music legends Aly and AJ once sang, “it’s the greatest time of year, and it’s here.”
Email Lauren Cohen at lhcohen01@email.wm.edu.