From the festive ringing of sleigh bells in Mariah Carey’s song titled “All I Want for Christmas is You” to the melancholic harmonies of Taylor Swift’s song titled “Back to December,” a diverse range of music can be found in the AirPods of students at Edison High as holiday spirit and excitement for the winter break arise. 

The Eagle’s Eye has yet again created a compilation of favorite holiday music in a public Spotify playlist. With 54 tracks by 58 artists, the playlist’s top genres were hip-hop and pop, with R&B and alternative soul coming in as close seconds. The most repeated artists were Taylor Swift and Drake, featuring songs such as “champagne problems” and “Rich Flex,” respectively. 

Commenting on seasonal music preferences, Adarsh Barot ‘25 said that cold winter weather creates a depressing atmosphere, but with the holidays around the corner, “everything seems more magical.” Thus, his music taste transitions from sad, solemn songs (fitting of dreary winter weather) to more upbeat music as the holidays approach.

In a sentiment shared among EHS students, Emi Shiju Thomas ’26 said, “Media such as TikTok affects my music style most.” Many songs found on the playlist were popularized through social media (particularly TikTok) including “rises the moon” by Liana Flores and “Evergreen” by Omar Apollo. In fact, holiday songs are in the minority of the playlist, with only three classic Christmas songs being featured in total.

Despite a surprising lack in festive music, many songs featured on the playlist are written about topics related to winter or the holidays, or simply involve instrumental or vocal cues that sound Christmassy. 

When asked what makes a song sound Christmassy, Sreshta Mitta ‘26 said that Christmas songs just have a “warm and cozy” feeling about them. Many songs can unintentionally sound festive if they happen to emulate that warmth. For instance, Steve Lacy’s “Infrunami,” in spite of being a simple love song, sounds Christmassy to many because of Lacy’s carol-like vocal harmonies. 

The transition of EHS students from the gloominess of winter weather to the cheerfulness of the holidays is parallel to their transition in music style. Whether winter break means curling up in a blanket with a mug of hot cocoa or spending time with family and friends, we can all count on music as a form of expressing holiday spirit.  

Check out the EHS holiday playlist on Spotify here.