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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Emma Brockes

Digested Week: New York’s Christmas music is no fairytale for me

People walk past Radio City Music Hall, which has a Christmas tree outside
Radio City Music Hall in New York City. If British festive music is stuck in 1984, then the American equivalent hasn’t budged since 1953. Photograph: Jimin Kim/Sopa Images/Shutterstock

Monday

New York is a Christmassy town where the holiday spirit is strong, but for British people in the city at this time of year there is one sizeable drawback. Over the last few weeks, in department stores and supermarkets, on the car radio and streamer playlist, I have been reminded of the wrongness of the American holiday songbook. For anyone raised on Wham! and Wizzard played on repeat since November, it requires a small but painful annual adjustment.

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