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“All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey was released on Oct. 28, in 1994, and has been a seasonal favorite for many. It has been a top Christmas music hit for multiple years, and will become a classic as time goes on.

The start of the holiday season is found everywhere in late November and early December; with the weather growing colder, the hustle and bustle of shoppers, decorations all over and the noise many would say marks the beginning of the holiday season: Mariah Carey. The ever-so-familiar riff that starts off one of her most popular songs, “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, can be heard everywhere by the time Thanksgiving ends. However, let’s break the ice on Mariah Carey: is she really the voice of the season?

Up until “The Christmas Song” was sung by Nat King Cole, classic Christmas songs such as “O Holy Night,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “O Christmas Tree” ruled the season. Well-known artists such as Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra shaped the mold of the genre we now wait all year to hear. These days, seasonal listeners are more likely to hear modern tunes such as “Santa Tell Me,” “Last Christmas” and “Mistletoe.” Listeners can choose what era of Christmas music they hear as technology modernizes, so many choose a mix of old and new carols to get them into the holiday spirit. However, overplayed songs don’t even begin to reach the levels of popularity that “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has reached.

Due to its popularity, the song sounds great during the holidays, but hearing it played so much before December even started leaves it with a bitter taste for me. After releasing a video of her melting out of a block of ice once the clock struck midnight on Nov. 1, Carey announced it was officially time to start the Christmas season. I found this to be a bit exhausting, as Halloween had quite literally ended minutes before, and there was still one more major holiday to go before Christmas arrived.

This overpopularized song is a great example of how when a perfectly good song or artist becomes overplayed, many will begin to find it hard to listen to. This has happened many times, and “All I Want For Christmas is You” is just one of the many songs tainted by oversaturation. I won’t deny the tune is catchy, but after hearing it five times a day, it begins to drive the holiday spirit out of the song.

In short, the classic Christmas songs will always remain favorites for many, and soon Carey’s song will become one too. “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, which I admit is quite good, was taken to extreme levels this season that we have not seen a Christmas song be taken to before. As people get ready for Christmas, we all need to remember what truly makes the holiday so special, and overplaying a song is certainly not on that list.