Here is the why . . .
In years past we listened to Christmas music through a pretty limited bandwidth. Radio stations weren't dedicated to 24/7 Christmas music, television channels weren't saturated with Christmas movies, Christmas decorations didn't show up in September, and we weren't bombarded with holiday emails, social media holiday content on a mobile phone that never leads our sight, and finally the effects of ramped up consumer advertising. Instead of a mere three weeks of being exposed to Christmas content, now we get a minimum of two months. Wow, it makes me tired just typing this content.
Confession time, I really love Christmas music. It triggers memories of wonderful times in Christmas pasts, as well as helps me to refocus on the selfishness of Jesus and the way He lived His life. It also helps me to celebrate the passing of time as each Christmas holiday reminds me of not only the past but the future.
But too much of anything can be a bad thing.
Scientists call it ‘mere exposure effect,’ and Victoria Williamson, Ph.D. says it can have a legitimate psychological impact. An endless loop of “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”, “Drummer Boy”, and “Let it Snow”, can be considered torture for some people, and the more you hear the more you are mentally affected.
I think we all can agree that holidays are a stressful time, you're having to deal with your family, possibly traveling, buying gifts, and figuring out how to pay for those gifts. If in addition to all of those holiday stresses you keep hearing Christmas music over and over and over again, you brain can become over saturated and you start to hate those songs and by default the holidays. One experience becomes permanently linked to the other and that reality becomes compounded throughout your life.
Think back in time, you probably enjoyed hearing “Frosty the Snowman” at first, but the more you hear this classic you eventually find yourself wanting to kick that manger scene across the front lawn.
So what's the answer to this dilemma?
Balance.
Self awareness is key, you have to be aware of an issue before you can correct it. First, you could start this exercise by being strategic about the what and the amount of the content you are consuming. Perhaps try turning off devices that are feeding you non-stop holiday content, and build in media breaks into your daily schedule. Another aspect of balance is in the area of spiritual discernment. Allowing Jesus to conform our thoughts and reality through studying and applying His Word, will provide you the benefit of the supernatural peace that He alone can give. "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)
Second, structuring our lives to reflect an attitude of thanksgiving. This reprogramming will then culminate into the act of giving. Giving not only helps our fellow man but it redirects our focus from our self to others. This is key, if our thoughts are always focused on our own issues, good mental health will be difficult to achieve. And reminding ourselves to look for ways to share our resources is a great way to guard against selfishness. Remember what Jesus said about the importance of putting others first? The secret to a successful life, a life well lived is following His words:
"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
This is one of the secrets to living a balanced life, during the holidays and beyond. That and changing the station on a regular basis during the holidays . . .
