Holiday music not joy to all of the world

It probably does not legally constitute a hostile work environment.

And it might be overstating the case to suggest that it tests the limits of human endurance.

But those who find themselves involuntarily listening to nonstop Christmas songs on the job know the answer to the musical question, “Do you hear what I hear?”

“Mostly I tune it out,” said Stephanie Kilpatrick, standing at her kiosk in the Spokane Valley Mall as the Beach Boys hit the gas on “Little Saint Nick.”

That, she admitted, can be easier said than done.

Sandpoint’s Doug Kimball is retired. But he still winces when recalling the seasonal music marathon at the bank where he worked. “It was terrible, just awful … the endless, monotonous repetition.”

Or, as “Jillian M.” of New Orleans put it in an online forum, “My work has been listening to Christmas music nonstop since December 1st … I am going to hurt someone or myself.”

And it’s still early in the month.

Chances are, those who work with holiday songs in the background will hear Mariah Carey declare that she doesn’t want a lot for Christmas many, many more times before the 25th.

Yes, yuletide earworms are crawling in their direction.

Pa rum pum pum pum

So how can they stay sane?

“My main advice is to pick a strategy and stick to it — wavering is where people go wrong,” said Victoria Williamson, a British lecturer and researcher in music psychology.

She is the author of “You are the Music: How Music Reveals What it Means to be Human.”

Her email continued. “Either join in with the music, enjoy it, hum along, let yourself be entertained or focus elsewhere.”

At NorthTown Mall, the sonic parade of “We Need a Little Christmas” and the Phil Spector-produced “Frosty the Snowman” is not all that loud. And certainly a case could be made that it is entirely appropriate at this time of year.

“But I perceive it enough that I want to listen to my own music,” said Casey Franklin, staffing a kiosk.

You had to look twice to notice the subtle earpieces he was wearing. He said he prefers indie pop.

Over at Barnes & Noble, the bookstore plays its own Christmas recordings.

As the voice of Frank Sinatra serenaded shoppers, store employee Lori Wakenshaw was asked if she listens.

“Yes and no,” she said.

If it is a song she likes, she might allow herself to hear it. If it is one she doesn’t care for, she blocks it out.

She said it’s a trick she learned working at a big record store years ago.

Of course, you don’t have to toil in retail at this time of year to get run over by a sleigh full of Christmas music. It’s there, over and over, as we stumble through the day.

Too much of a good thing? You make the call.

For some, it is one of the pleasures of the season. For others, well, let’s have retired electrical engineer Mike Storms speak for the loyal opposition.

“By the time Christmas actually comes, I’m pretty sick of the music,” he said.

So just imagine hearing it throughout your entire work shift.

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock

Maybe you would be thinking it’s the right time to strike an Edvard Munch pose. Or go a-wassailing.

At the Spokane Valley Mall last week, the main sound system occasionally interspersed a non-Christmas song. But inside the women’s apparel boutique where Jennifer Rambo works, the music was all-Christmas/all the time.

Does she savor it or does it make her crazy?

“It depends on the song,” she said. “I like the upbeat ones.”

There’s nothing wrong with slow and soothing holiday music, she added. It’s just that when you are trying to keep your energy up and engaging with customers, music that makes you want to lie down for a long winter’s nap is not ideal.

Silver bells, silver bells

Store owners want shoppers to be full of holiday cheer and ready to make purchases. One need not be a cynic to assume that this trumps any concern about employees’ minds being turned into figgy pudding.

Kiss her once for me

Perhaps though, there is one step that could be taken.

Instead of playing the same songs relentlessly, some thought could be given to mixing things up.

Just a little.

Jeanette Bicknell, a Canadian psychologist who is the author of “Why Music Moves Us,” has a suggestion. “Encourage a wide variety of holiday music from different cultural traditions,” she said in an email.

Though some might say “If it ain’t broke…”

“I love the music during the Christmas season,” said Lyndon Harriman, who can’t get enough. “It is so festive, lively and memorable, it makes me sing along. Indeed I usually start singing Christmas tunes right after Halloween. This of course drives my wife of 43 years crazy.”

But that’s what you get when you are married to the guy who plays Santa Claus at Coeur d’Alene’s Silver Lake Mall.