What's the earliest time a store should play Xmas Music?

[King Kool]

We just got Christmas music at work (thankfully, it's not ALL Christmas music, it's mixed in with the pop). We got it on Sunday. How early do YOU think Christmas music should be played?

[Dubious_wolf]

SHOULD be December 1st.

However I'm willing to say that black friday is a socially acceptable start to the xmas season and thus music could be played at this time.

[Valkyrie-Lemons]

Dec 1st at the earliest.

I'm officially not talking about the "C" word until then.

The music isn't so bad, but the adverts...BUY GOD THE ADVERTS! Start WAY to early. I like "C Word" as a family occasion, and non religious as I'm an atheist, but I just hate the commercialization of it all.

Also, really bad "C Word" hits can go and die. Traditional songs, the occasional goods ones "Merry "C Word" Everyone" by Slade for example) or the "Sailor Moon sings "C Word"" only please!


EDIT: I would agree with the person above me if we had Black Friday here in the UK, since Black Friday is normally around a month away from "C Word" right?

[Angnor]

12/24/3025, at the earliest.

[Metcarfre]

I will begrudgingly accept Christmas music on December 1st, and no earlier.

Please recall Thanksgiving (being in November)/Black Friday (in this context) is an exclusively American thing.

[King Kool]

Edited the poll to reflect SICK BURN.

[Elomin Sha]

I voted Later because it was the closest to Never available.

[DuelLadyS]

I picked November 15th- this is based solely on the volume of said songs, though- the more Christmas music you want in the mix, the later it needs to start. A song or two in mid-november is OK, a full-blown yuletide mix is not.

[Valliac]

As someone who worked in retail, never seems fine, but...

Dec 1 at the earliest. Christmas is a December thing, not before.

[Yaxley]

I voted for Black Friday because that is, in my mind, the absolute earliest stores should be marketing for Christmas.

It would never happen, but I'd vote for Never if I could. I only ever worked retail at Christmas for 2 weeks and if I ever have to hear the song "Santa Baby" again, I will commit unspeakable acts.

[Metcarfre]

I heard that Mariah Carey Christmas song last week and it made me super mad in the grocery store.

[Foxmar]

Dec. 1 at the earliest but I know when I worked at Walmart they started playing it on Halloween.

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

Dec 1st because Flack Briday doesn't exist in Britain.

[King Kool]

I heard that Mariah Carey Christmas song last week and it made me super mad in the grocery store.

I love that song!

But yeah, that's a little early.

[Metcarfre]

Really? Oh man, all my hate for that song.

[Evil Jim]

I vote the week of Christmas (or mid-December, on the poll.) I really wish it was just a holiday for those whom it directly affects & not some global shopping extravaganza.

Also of interest: The Top Ten Most Disturbing & Inescapable Christmas Songs
Part 1 &
Part 2

[King Kool]

Met: wait, do you mean All I Want For Christmas Is You or some other song?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY

[Metcarfre]

Yeah, that one.

[King Kool]

Hah, I made you listen to a few seconds of it.

I LOVE that song. It's one of the only Christmas songs I can tolerate pretty much whenever.

[Metcarfre]

This is mine.

[Lord Hosk]

I dont think people really have a problem with christmas as a subject for music... The problem is that there are only like 15 songs that get played over and over for so long. Its worse than when we had top 40 at work, When I was at the hotel for 8 hours at night I would hear the same 10 songs repeated at least 8 times. 8 hours, 3 minutes per song is the average pop song, should be 150-160 songs, nope.

[AlexanderDitto]

I actually really love Christmas, so I'd say any time after American Thanksgiving (which shouldn't be erased) is fine. December 1st would be a nice start date, but Black Friday is a huge Christmas shopping day for stores so that's probably when it's going to end up being.

The main problem is this:

I dont think people really have a problem with christmas as a subject for music... The problem is that there are only like 15 songs that get played over and over for so long. Its worse than when we had top 40 at work, When I was at the hotel for 8 hours at night I would hear the same 10 songs repeated at least 8 times. 8 hours, 3 minutes per song is the average pop song, should be 150-160 songs, nope.

This is ridiculous and unacceptable and stupid. There's no reason this needs to be true, which is why I hold that we should do away with all of this shitty pop christmas music and switch to strictly instrumental/orchestral/standard works. Rotate by hours: one hour can be Christmas-y Classical music, the next can be Jazz interpretations of Christmas tunes, maybe some Dixieland verisions, then an hour of standards. Heck, just play Irving Berlin for an hour.

No human being should have to listen to Feliz Navidad. Ever. How is it not banned under the Geneva convention?! Surely it's a form of torture.

[Metcarfre]

Ol' Blue Eyes singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" gets me every time.

[Dubious_wolf]

Ok this is what REALLY irritates me.
I just heard 3 different remixes of "all I want for Xmas" IN A ROW. >:( this is not acceptable.

[EikoandMog]

My store is apparently trying to ease us in to it as well as it's mixing good music with the christmas music. On the plus side, they're decent ones like this one, a personal favourite of mine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN4Uu0OlmTg