No, Thanksgiving hasn’t happened yet. No, that doesn’t mean it’s too early.
Seriously, we’ve covered this. Especially this year, we all deserve to start celebrating the winter holidays as early and as vigorously as we want.
So go ahead. Put up some twinkly lights, drink all the festive Starbucks drinks, squeeze as much merriment out of this season as possible while you still can. And if you’re looking for a few yuletide bangers to listen to in the process, try out these nine holly jolly IDS staff favorites:
Mele Kalikimaka - Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters
“I love this Christmas song because I can’t think of anyone else who thinks of this song first when asked about the best ones. There’s nothing like a Bing Crosby Christmas song!” - Jacob Decastro, editor-in-chief
Waltz of the Snowflakes - The Nutcracker
“I performed in ‘The Nutcracker’ every year growing up, and I always think of Nutcracker music around the holiday season! ‘Waltz of the Snowflakes’ is my favorite dance — plus snow comes down onstage and it’s just magical.” - Emily Isaacman, enterprise reporter
Sickly Sweet Holidays - Dallon Weekes
“It’s fun and doesn’t get overplayed, so when I’m bored of other Christmas songs, I turn to it.” - Alex Hardgrave, news editor
Christmas Tree Farm - Taylor Swift
“It’s one of my favorite Christmas songs because I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan and I think it’s one of her more underappreciated works. Everyone knows ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You,’ but everyone should also know ‘Christmas Tree Farm.'” - Caleb Coffman, sports editor
Mary, Did You Know? - Pentatonix
“I love the arrangement and how the voices come together. It immediately gets stuck in my head the day after Thanksgiving.” - Carson TerBush, design editor
Mistletoe - Justin Bieber
“It’s nice to sing along to and I feel like there is just enough Christmas imagery to fit the season, but not so much to the point that it’s ridiculous. Not many artists can say their best album is their Christmas album, but Justin can in my opinion.” - Claudia Gonzalez-Diaz, arts editor
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
“I love the original song for its more haunting tone, which is kind of against the Christmas spirit I guess, but Goodwin’s jazz rendition makes it lighthearted and fun. Plus, I got to play it back in high school as part of my jazz band. It’s one of the songs that stuck with me.” - Stefan Townes, music columnist
Veni Veni Emmanuel - Michael John Trotta, New York Repertory Singers
“I was in choir in high school and we sang that song for our Christmas concert and it was so much fun to sing, and we sounded so good. I just remember my choir when I hear it and it makes me happy.” - Haley Ryan, arts reporter
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra
“I particularly love Sinatra’s rendition, but I honestly don’t really care who sings this classic. It’s beautiful and cozy and sweet, but also epitomizes to me what Christmas is about: taking a break from the stress of regular life to have fun and enjoy your friends and family.” - Hannah Dailey, music columnist
