’tis the season to be jolly fa-la-la-la-la-la…
You have been hearing a lot of these holiday songs everywhere lately because the holidays are fast approaching.
Indeed, it’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Whether you love them or hate them, holiday songs are powerful.
Why?
This type of sound carries strong emotional triggers that could make a person feel nostalgic.
There’s something special about holiday music.
It has the power to transport us back to our childhoods, to a time when we woke up on Christmas morning, eyes half-open, in our pajamas, and our parents yelled that it was Christmas day.
We would run down the steps, eager to see what Santa had left for us.
The tree would be surrounded by presents, and the house would smell of pine and cookies.
As we grew older, our holiday memories changed.
We started attending parties and festive dinners with friends.
We’d exchange gifts and laugh until midnight.
But no matter how our holidays changed, the one constant was the music.
Whether it was carols playing in the background as we wrapped presents or Christmas songs on the radio as we drove home from a party, holiday music has a way of evoking memories and making us feel nostalgic for a simpler time.
So this holiday season, take a break from the hustle and bustle and take a moment to listen to your favorite holiday tunes.
Close your eyes and let the music transport you back to a time when life was less complicated, and Christmas was the best time of year.
Most holiday music is uplifting—from Frosty the Snowman to Jingle Bell Rock, these songs can naturally uplift your mood.
This has been proven by scientific studies!
The emotions we feel when we listen to holiday music are sorted into two categories:
Perceived emotions: When we appreciate the tone of the piece, but we don’t feel the emotion.
Felt emotions: When we connect to the emotion behind the piece, and it has a direct influence on our emotional state.
If you have ever listened to holiday songs and you felt nostalgic after, don’t be surprised.
Sounds have a strong tie to nostalgia, which is why you get a warm, fuzzy feeling every time you hear Christmas songs.
Part of this is because the holiday music that we hear is associated with joy that brings happy memories with it.
Nostalgia is closely linked to psychological resilience and social bonding development.
For many people, these holiday songs can unite and act as a lovely reminder of the joy the season brings.
It’s normal to feel blue during the holiday season—in fact, this is one of the most common issues of many people.
An excellent way to uplift your mood is to create a playlist of holiday songs that could take you back to the great times during your childhood.
Crank up the jingle bells, and get in the holiday spirit!