The holiday season is among us, which is an overwhelming time of shopping, relative-seeing, and nonstop Christmas music blaring from every speaker in the world. Okay, that last one isn’t so bad — Christmas music is awesome, and there’s a little something for everyone, from the classic crooning of Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” to the joyful noise of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” to Run- DMC’s perfect “Christmas in Hollis.” It puts everyone in a good mood full of holiday spirit and cheer.
Of course, if you work in retail, it’s a different story. People who work in stores have to listen to that stuff all day, everyday, where it becomes crushingly monotonous and associated with the most stressful times of the year at work.
“People working in shops at Christmas have to learn how to tune it out. Because if they don’t, it really does makes you unable to focus on anything else,” clinical psychologist Linda Blair told the U.K.’s Sky News. “You’re simply spending all your energy trying not to hear what you’re hearing.”
Store owners and managers argue that it “sets the tone” and puts people in a Christmas (and Christmas shopping) mood. Shoppers and those shop workers, however, seem split on whether Christmas music is good or bad for their health.