The unique aspect about holidays is that every individual celebrates them differently. While some are persistent in beginning Christmas festivities only after Thanksgiving, others eagerly await the morning of Nov. 1 to bring on the holiday spirit. There is one major point of contention, though, for all of those who celebrate Christmas. When is the proper time to start playing Christmas music? At Auburn, students have many answers, varying from July to December. Multiple factors affect their preferences, such as family traditions or just personal opinions.
Some students believe that it is never too early to play Christmas music. For them, the holiday spirit can be separated from the music, and Christmas tunes can be appreciated for their musical quality.
"November first is a valid day that you can start listening, but sometimes, my friends and I will put it on during random times of the year," said Francie Garrison, freshman in business.
While some students embrace Christmas year-round, others hold back on the music for a little longer. Nov. 1 is a common date for students to start listening to Christmas music, but so is the day after Thanksgiving. Many students understand the Christmas season to begin after Thanksgiving, only embracing the holiday tunes then.
“My dad has a strict rule in our house that we can’t start listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. That’s probably a lot of the reason that it doesn’t feel like Christmas until after Thanksgiving," said Jana Smith, junior in materials engineering.
Family traditions play a massive part in how Auburn students celebrate Christmas and consequently, when they start listening to Christmas music. Many families celebrate differently due to personal preference and an assortment of other reasons. Due to these differences in opinion, Auburn students, from all various backgrounds, have different views on when Christmas really starts.
Some students don’t start celebrating Christmas as a holiday until after Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t stop them from listening to holiday music early.
“I’ll listen to Christmas music in July. I love Christmas music,” Smith said.
For some Auburn students, even the day after Thanksgiving is too early for Christmas music. There are students who like to wait until right before Christmas to begin celebrating.
“I feel like November is a little too early for Christmas music," said John Lee, freshman in biomedical science.
Students like Lee wait until December to bring out the festive music. While it may be a familial preference, some students just don’t enjoy the repetitive nature of holiday music and festivities.
“I’m working at Target. They already put Christmas music on. It’s kind of annoying,” Lee said.
Some students are apprehensive about getting into the holiday spirit until right before Christmas, because according to them, they can only handle so much of it.
“I think that it’s commercialized, too," Smith said. "That has pushed it really early. I’ve started seeing all kinds of Christmas stuff the day after Halloween.”
Holidays are personal, because everyone can adapt their own traditions and create views about them. Auburn students have varying opinions on Christmas music, with some listening whenever they want and others listening on a strict set of dates. The date when Christmas music is officially acceptable will never be the same for everyone. However, all can still be unified by their enjoyment of the holidays, whenever that starts for each person.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Lorelei Young, sophomore majoring in English language arts education, is from Columbiana, Alabama. She has been with The Auburn Plainsman since the fall of 2025.
