Cecilia Mazanec
Freshman, Journalism major
“Five Golden RINGS”
A girl belts out the line in a low, masculine voice, imitating her father’s rendition of the song she enjoys the most. Yet for some, the response to my “What is your favorite Christmas song?” while standing in the sixty-five degree weather in Turlington Plaza was not as easy to answer.
“But there are so many” and “I just love them all” were common replies (as was “Can I say the entire Michael Bublé album?”), and with such a multitude of songs dedicated to this holiday, it is easy to see how it may be difficult to pick just one.
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The draw to Christmas songs may be due to the emotions that they produce, even upon hearing just a reference to this music. As was no surprise, when approaching people, I received some nervous looks at the prospect of having to waste a substantial amount of time hearing about some new student organization or cause. However, after I asked my question, the first reaction tended to be a relaxed smile.
“Well, that’s one I haven’t heard before,” one boy answered with a laugh.
And though a few said that they didn’t enjoy Christmas music, the majority of students I approached (twenty-six females and twenty males all between the ages of seventeen and twenty-four) were all able to give me their personal favorite. Below is the complete list for you to add to your Christmas playlist:
12 Days of Christmas
All I Want for Christmas is You
Baby It’s Cold Outside
Carol of the Bells
Dong Fengpo
Frosty the Snowman
Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Jingle Bell Rock
Jingle Bells
Let it Snow
Merry Christmas Baby
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Santa Baby
Silver Bells
The Christmas Song
White Christmas
However, now we come to the real question. Of the answers, what songs were the most popular? Due to the variety of songs, it was hard to see a real arrangement of “favorites,” but the three below were the most consistent answers (drumroll please):
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Jingle Bells
Baby It’s Cold Outside
Christmas music seems to just make people happy. Many individuals I approached spent extra time to ensure that the song they gave me was the one they felt the most attached to. One girl even paused to look up the song title on her phone because she refused to leave without relaying the correct title of her choice.
Near the end of my time in Turlington, I approached a boy who answered me immediately. The girl who accompanied him, like many, struggled to come up with a song on the spot. As I turned to write down their answers, scribbling furiously on my paper, I heard the boy singing the words to “Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer” as the two walked away.
If we can’t get enough of the songs, you can imagine the excitement for the day that inspires them. Merry Christmas, everyone!
UF PRISM 