Masuk Free Press

Sheppard.Whatever Happened to Christmas Classics? 
Every December, the same familiar movies and songs are played. When was the last time you turned on the TV and saw a new Christmas movie that has lasted in popularity? Or a Christmas song that is as timeless as Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. Movies like Elf or Home Alone are ones that are constantly rewatched, but there hasn’t been a new lasting movie in over a decade. In an age of on-demand everything, has Christmas lost some of its magic? 

New movies and songs arrive yearly, but none compare to the classics that high schoolers grew up with. The question remains, when will a movie or song be released that will remind high schoolers of the same familiar feeling as these classics? 

For years, the holidays meant White Christmas, Silent Night or All I Want for Christmas is You on repeat from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. These songs and movies were more than happy pictures on a screen and creative lyrics. “The older movies are just better; they have more nostalgia to them. Like effort… I don’t think anyone can live up to the name of that legacy, just because it’s just so unique and a different take,” said junior Brayden Hershberger. 

Another reason for this shift in how people listen to music is streaming platforms. Everyone finds themselves opening up Spotify or Apple Music rather than turning on the radio. Algorithms are designed to create fresh, popular content, usually giving priority to newer

releases that drive engagement. As a result of this, older holiday music can get stuck under these new releases. 

“We’re now using apps and choosing our own music instead of the radio. The radio usually dictated what song went on. So a certain song may play multiple times a day, and that might get stuck in your head… nowadays, like later in life, you think of it as something from your childhood…now we just got Spotify, so it’s not the same,” said senior Evelyn Crawford. 

There are many questions as to why new movies do not compare to the classics. Maybe repetitive, bad quality, or the fact that high schoolers are older. “I think new Christmas movies like Hallmark are always have the same plot over and over again, and like… the old ones were so original,” said senior Emma Troesser. In a way, the formula for a “classic” has changed. Holiday films today are often released directly to streaming and consumed quickly. Audiences now scatter over many platforms. This nostalgic feeling has become rare. Instead of waking up on a December day to watch a classic or listen to a Christmas song, people are finding themselves streaming, and it’s simply not the same. 

Some might say that part of what makes older Christmas hits so special is their simplicity. Many of these hits were written and recorded live, without special effects. 

“All the Christmas movies today, some of them are okay, but none of them are actually the quality of a true classic…they just don’t have the classic charm,” said junior Sebastian Riera 

The meaning of Christmas itself has shifted for many, with busy schedules, online shopping, and a shift to the digital age, people may not be searching for new traditions in the same way. Instead, they stick to familiar classics.

“As generations grow older, more and more of the past classics bring an easy familiar feeling… we’re going to have our kids watch them,” said Crawford. These movies and songs become easy options that remind people of past Christmas experiences. 

Music faces a similar issue; while Ariana Grande and other known artists have tried to make fresh christmas hits, they struggle to compete with the weight of the classics people have grown up with. 

“ I think our society has become much stricter with our expectations of what we deem as a good song, and I think that those classics really met those standards. Those formed the checklist of what becomes a classic… I just don’t think that any songs these days are able to live up to it,” said Emma Troesser. New songs, no matter how catchy, have not yet earned the years of repetition that turn them into classics. 

Still, the door has not closed for these new songs or movies, with time and a shift in audience. Maybe future generations will remember and take these movies and songs that come out present as classics in the same way as teens remember Elf or Polar Express today. For now, though, the classics maintain themselves. It reminds people of when the holidays felt more lighthearted.