In the spirit of the holiday season, the overplayed Christmas music craze has commenced. From “Santa Baby” to “White Christmas,” most of us can admit to songs like these being stuck in our heads at one point or another when coming out from our favorite retail or grocery stores. As an ethnic Jew, I find that Hanukkah hits home for me during December. But we hum along to different songs while spinning the dreidel, a game popularly played as a Jewish holiday festivity.
According to Pew Research Center, 70.6 percent of the U.S. population practices Christianity, making the Christmas holiday one of the most widely celebrated in the United States. However, with Christmas so highly commercialized, holidays practiced by the other 30 percent of U.S. citizens get lost under the Christmas rush. The other 30 percent take part in less publicized holidays such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, amongst many others, which all have their own rituals, songs and cuisines.
However, the holiday months are retailer’s biggest income bracket, with their primary goal to generate as much revenue as they can. Therefore, playing Christmas music in their stores appeals to about 70 percent of the shoppers, tackling their biggest circle of consumers. By doing this, stores can reach the hearts of many as the music puts them in the Christmas spirit of giving, which in turn means spending. But with all of these marketing strategies and the religious demographics of the United States, another question arises; where is the love?
America is the melting pot of today’s society, it’s built on a multitude of ethnic cultures, and we as Americans should celebrate our cultural differences and diversity. Therefore, businesses should consider a shift to a more diverse playlist of holiday music to create a more accepting and neutral atmosphere for all consumers regardless of their origin.
The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Anna Klauz at [email protected].