#NowPlaying: Red Branch Holiday Playlist

By Kyle Christensen

It’s December. A month of holidays, gift-shopping and time spent with family. Last year the average American spent $830 on average for various Christmas-related purposes. When we were growing up, all the radio stations would immediately start blasting Frosty the Snowman and I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas on repeat.

Today, we have a little more control over the holiday tunes we get to spin. Thanks to Spotify and Pandora, and literally every artist ever having a Christmas album, we can create custom-crafted playlists to help drum up even more (free) Holiday Spirit!

What better way to enjoy this month than with a little holiday cheer from your friends at Red Branch Media? That’s right, our second playlist is live and you can even listen to it while you shop. Get in the holiday spirit with Red Branch Media, and don’t forget to follow us on Spotify so you know exactly when our next playlist rolls out!

What Makes it a Special Playlist

This is a special time of the year for us here, and we love celebrating it. If you listened to our first playlist already, you might have noticed that our musical tastes are quite diverse… and that’s what makes us so awesome. This month, each of the Branchers have picked out their favorite holiday songs and we’re so excited for you to listen in with us as we work our next big project… or yours if you’re one of our lucky clients! We might even have your favorite holiday song on there too.

Missed our first playlist? Check out “Brancher Top 5” right here!

Holiday Music: A Brief History

I love them, you love them: the classics. From “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” to “What Child is This?”, the earliest Christmas songs date back to the Middle Ages by unknown writers. That’s a long time ago (over 300 years).

It wasn’t until famous composer George Friederic Handel published a book of Christmas carols with familiar songs such as, Joy to the World, Angels We Have Heard On High, and O Come All Ye Faithful that the holiday spirit started to gain traction in music. Next came the German (yep!) traditions we know and love today: the Christmas tree, gifts, cards and caroling, made possible by royal couple Prince Albert and Queen Victoria of England. From then, more and more songs you know today were published one after the other like dominoes and formed the holiday you love today!

Want the full Christmas music history? Check out the article I got my facts from here!

How We Do Christmas at Red Branch Media

Speaking of our new holiday playlist, this is the perfect opportunity to share with you how we celebrate here at the RBM HQ. Each year, Branchers Shaley & Shalaina set up a Christmas tree, Kristine draws an amazing chalk picture on our chalkboard wall, our holiday music plays in the background each day and we do a gift exchange. It’s always an amazing experience each year, and it never gets old. How does your company celebrate?

“I’m a firm believer in starting Christmas on Thanksgiving and not a moment sooner. When that turkey hits the table, though, it’s time for Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and all the classics. Hint to the writers out there, instrumental carols with strings (Apocalyptica is amazing) and piano won’t break concentration but still warm the Christmas soul.” – Marissa Litty, Corporate Communications at Red Branch Media (@MarissaLitty)

Did you know Kristine is a Christmas fanatic too? She even has her own mini-tree on her desk she lights each day — check it out!

How To Find Us & Follow Us on Spotify

There are a few ways to find us on Spotify. First, you’ll need a Spotify account. You can do that by going to www.spotify.com and creating a free account. Unless ads drive you nuts, a free account is all you’ll need. After you’ve got your account, go to our page and click follow. By following us, you’ll get email notifications each time we put out a new playlist. We’ll be creating fresh lists for you each month, so you can listen to them as soon as we publish them! Now go download the desktop application for your computer, the app for your phone or stream music online by taking a listen to our playlist here.

Listen to our Holiday Playlist while you shop for gifts, wrap presents, drive, exercise or hang out — and make sure to follow us on Spotify to stay up to date with our newest playlists! Our holiday playlist is sure to get you in the spirit. What are you waiting for?

Escape the “Bah Humbugs” and listen to the Red Branch Holiday Playlist now!

Kyle Christensen

Kyle is the Brand Director at Red Branch Media.

Kyle leads our Graphic Design Department at Red Branch Media. His ability to manage incoming tasks, collaborate with the design team, hit deadlines and keep our file storage system well-organized has helped to shape the design department clients love today. While he’s away from the branch, he spends his time playing drums, video games, cranking the latest emo, pop-punk and screamo songs on Spotify, drinking local Omaha brews, and enjoying life with his wife. Kyle has a BASA with a Concentration in Graphic Design and a Minor in Art History from UNO.