Once Halloween is over and it’s officially November, my Christmas vinyls come out of hiding, begin to spin, and I know I’m not the only one who jumps directly into Christmas music.

The population seems to be split when it comes to the socially acceptable time to listen to Christmas music. Half the population begins the second Halloween ends, while the other half gets offended that people are skipping over or forgetting about Thanksgiving. This is not the case, though.

The time that somebody begins playing a certain genre of music doesn’t dictate their preference for holidays at all. Christmas music is considered one of the only music genres played during a certain time of year. Love songs are played year round, not only on Valentine’s Day. What some may call scary metal music is not only played during Halloween, but it is also played whenever one feels like listening to it. Christmas music should be treated the same, just like a movie that has Christmas themes; it can be watched and enjoyed at any time of the year.

Yes, some songs are overplayed and mainstream, and retail employees may feel like the music is insufferable when they hear it all day every day at work, but there is such a wide range of Christmas music that isn’t typically played over the speakers at stores, and I feel that a change in the Christmas playlist may ease up on the overplayed aspects.

Christmas is not only for buying each other gifts. It’s for the feeling of togetherness with family, of giving — and not only giving gifts, but love and hope and joy. If Christmas music is played more often or even just earlier than December, it can emphasize these feelings at all times, instead of only around the Christmas season.