While Christmas music can be a great way to get into the holidays, it can have an effect on your mental health in good ways and bad ways too. 

Christmas music is meant to promote festive moods and feelings. This type of music creates many feelings for people, mostly happy ones. Music has a strong tie to nostalgia, which is why hearing a song from the early 2000s may bring back memories of elementary school like it was yesterday. It’s also why listening to certain Christmas songs can make people feel warm, fuzzy, and childlike. Part of the reason why Christmas music is associated with joy or the general feeling of happiness, it’s not necessarily just the music itself, but the memories that come with it. Christmas is normally associated with happy times being around family and friends, bright lights, and good smells.

 Christmas music also helps to get people into the holiday spirit, getting them excited for Christmas. This festive feeling can bring people together creating an even more happy atmosphere. Plus people that enjoy listening to music increase dopamine levels in the brain making them feel happy.But, while Christmas music can create wonderful feelings, it can create bad ones for many people. 

Christmas music can be a reminder of all the things that need to be done before the big day arrives. The anxiety over making it as wonderful as possible, and the guilt when you don’t feel festive can make Christmas music create a negative effect.  For example, adults spend lots of time making sure Christmas is magical for their kids. Adults spend time making sure to buy gifts and wrap them up all nicely so their kids can wake up on Christmas morning and see gifts under the tree just for them. Making listening to Christmas music for adults a constant reminder of all the work they will put in. 

The Christmas season is already an emotional time, especially for people who have lost loved ones or are maybe feeling the Christmas blues. Having Christmas music be a reminder of good times can bring back memories for people who have lost loved ones. Hearing Christmas music about being with family or friends can be sad to hear for someone who has lost someone close to them. They don’t need a reminder that something they once had is now gone, making Christmas music leave yet again another negative effect. 

As you can see, listening to Christmas music can be a great way to bring people together, but it can also make or break your mental health.