Christmas Songs: Christmas Bop or Christmas Flop?

As we slowly creep through the month of December, Christmas songs have already started to slide onto playlists around the world. At Loop, we’ve been thinking about the best and the worst of the Christmas songs on offer. Is Mariah still the ultimate Christmas Diva with the endlessly played ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ or do you prefer an alternative (and controversial) classic in the Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’?

Now’s the time of year that you turn on the radio and all you hear are the Christmas classics. Is this a problem or are we changing the station? This year with the lack of Christmas spirit, it might be the best thing to keep the Christmas classics blasting through your speakers with no shame. But the real question we should be asking ourselves isn’t if we should be listening to the songs or not: it’s which songs should we be listening to? Is Mariah the Christmas queen or is Bublé defrosting as we speak to take his spot on the Christmas throne.

Personally, I enjoy Ari’s Christmas single “Santa Tell Me" along with JB’s Christmas albums. These sing-alongs get me in the Christmas mood but this year they don’t seem to be working their magic. Normally Christmas music is a bop but with the lack of spirit throughout the entire year has made it hard to feel festive. I will still be trying to get into my Christmas mood and hope the Christmas music stays as bops. - Em

The Christmas season is amazing for so many reasons, between the hot chocolate, Christmas shopping and festive decorations, there are an abundance of things to love about the holidays. And what better way to get in the festive mood than through listening to some Christmassy tunes? Christmas classics like ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ and ‘Last Christmas’ are perfect for a singalong, or you could go modern with new artists' Christmas albums. A personal favourite is Sia’s ‘Everyday is Christmas’, for a perfect mix between a modern pop song without losing that classic feel of Christmas. Whatever you choose to get you in the mood for Christmas this year, whether it’s the sweet melodies of Buble, the high notes of Mariah or Ariana singing to Santa, if it has a good rhythm and makes you feel festive, it's got my approval. -Isabelle

When you think of Christmas, you think of food, presents and the music. Christmas is the time when songs from 10 or 20 years ago creep up the charts all over again and we’re forced to endure “Last Christmas'' every time we go shopping or listen to the radio for an entire month. Every year artists compete to release the next Christmas classic but only some make it and, let’s be honest, the oldies are the best. There’s something special about “Jingle Bell Rock'' and “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”. However my favourite has to be “My Only Wish (This Year)” by Britney Spears. This underrated bop has a perfect mix of early 2000s bubblegum Britney and nostalgic Christmas feels. I wish it was appreciated more. That’s not to say that the popular songs don’t deserve success. You simply can’t deny that “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is a flawless Christmas classic - annually topping the charts and staying far ahead of the other competition. I’m excited to be constantly hearing Christmas songs - even if they do get repetitive! ➢ Austín

I hate Christmas songs, but overall I like the Christmas season because of the amount of food and the presents. I wish it would snow for once - Matt For me personally I’m not fussed about Christmas songs. Christmas comes once a year and every year the same songs are played. There is something about winter that just makes everything feel nostalgic. The same songs, the same chill in the air, hot drinks. Winter is timeless. And the songs are classics. - Sulena Every year a new Christmas song is released, although it is the classics that we play to give us the cosy and nostalgic feeling of the winter season. From Mariah Carey’s iconic ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ to Michael Buble’s Christmas album; these are the timeless classics that we replay every year. One of the most controversial Christmas songs ever is the Pogues' ‘Fairytale of New York” which is understandable due to the offensive lyrics that feature. However, the song itself was released 33 years ago in November 1987 before that term became offensive; the song itself is a favourite of mine to listen to at Christmas time. Another one of my favourite Christmas songs is WHAM!’s ‘Last Christmas’ because it is a song that you can sing along to in the car. Similarly, I really enjoy both Grande and Bieber’s Christmas songs/albums. Any Christmas song can make me feel better even if it’s October… - Grace

It's less than a month till Christmas which means the countdown has begun, decorations are being put up and the Christmas songs are starting to be played on the radio. My favorite part of the season is the songs because everyone knows the lyrics and can therefore sing along. They will also never get old as they're only played for one month a year. One of my favorites is the Fairytale Of New York despite its controversial lyrics, however I also enjoy Mariah's All I want for Christmas but it can feel a little overplayed by the end of the season. - Annaliese