Trend Analysis
December 24, 2024
Designed by Clotilde Pedron
As a child, my Christmas music repertoire was limited to “Silent Night,” “Mary, Did You Know?” and “Joy to the World.” Being half Filipino, the Christmas season started as soon as the clock struck midnight on September 1st, meaning that these few songs were on repeat for the four months to come. Gradually, my festive listening expanded to modern Christmas classics like “Last Christmas,” “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” and of course, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Just as my repertoire expanded, modern Christmas jingles experienced a shift – they became increasingly more about romance and potential love interests rather than Jesus’ birth. How can we explain this shift?
The answer is quite simple – the commercialization of Christmas has transformed it from a religious celebration to a more widespread cultural event, which is reflected in popular culture. It is much easier to appeal to a wider audience when the theme is about love, as it is something everyone can relate to, whether religious or not. Past loves, heartbreak, and nostalgia are all key themes in modern Christmas songs. “Last Christmas,” for example, is a Christmas heartbreak song that’s been re-interpreted by various artists over the past 40 years:
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
The festive spirit cannot exist without Christmas music. Most songs have the same formula, the same production composition and revolve around the same stories. While there are ongoing criticisms about how the top artists from this generation have not released timeless hits like Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” there have, in fact, been notable Christmas album releases from contemporary pop stars. Notably, Justin Bieber’s Under The Mistletoe (2011) encompassed a mix of unique renditions of traditional Christmas songs like “Little Drummer Boy” and original songs like “Mistletoe” that incorporated the story of Christmas in a fun, modern style with lyrics such as:
“The wise men followed a star
The way I followed my heart
And it led me to a miracle.”
While Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” received a lot of traction and is becoming a contemporary Christmas classic, her Christmas & Chill EP deserves all the more love. Unlike most 21st century Christmas music, which tends to reimagine Christmas classics, Christmas & Chill consists of six original songs.
The evolution of Christmas music is emblematic of changing times. Recently, artists have been finding more creative ways to reignite the Christmas spirit. On December 6th, Netflix released A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter, including comedy sketches and musical performances featuring Tyla, Chappell Roan and Shania Twain. The special ends with Carpenter’s Christmas version of her hit, “Nonsense,” where she alters the lyrics to fit the holiday theme.
The special was an effective way to reach a larger audience who may not know much about Sabrina Carpenter, but are familiar with the Christmas songs she covers – a clever marketing technique as her fame continues to rise. A clip of her performance of “Last Christmas” with Chappell Roan has been shared widely across social media platforms and already been viewed over a million times.
Whether it is through timeless classics or chart toppers by celebrated pop stars, Christmas music continues to thrive. As it evolves over the years and blends traditional styles with contemporary themes, it ensures its place in our playlists and in our hearts. While they are not always rooted in the religious celebration itself, modern Christmas songs continue to evoke strong emotions that warm us during the cold winter months.
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