Seventh Generation’s depressing carols taint your holiday cheer with the threat of climate change

Eco-friendly household goods and personal care brand Seventh Generation has been known to turn to humor to call attention to our environmental woes. Previous work from 72andSunny featuring “SNL” alum Maya Rudolph saw the comedian singing a "vajingle" and a tune about trees unnecessarily slaughtered for the sake of our clean butts. Now, for the holiday season, the company’s new effort out of Portland shop Opinionated, which took over the creative account earlier this year, turns typically cheery Christmas carols into darkly comedic warnings about climate change. The campaign includes a retro-looking promo (above) in the style of classic ‘70s K-Tel record ads. It promotes a new album of “Climate Carols,” which compiles familiar holiday melodies but now, with lyrics decidedly more grim. They’re meant to “bring you tidings of joy, but not necessarily comfort,” the announcer says. The playlist includes songs like “Up on the Icecap” (a twist on “Up on the Rooftop”), “Hark the Herald Scientists” (“Hark the Herald Angels Sing”), “Climate Strike, Climate Strike” (“Jingle Bells”) and more. The cautionary songs that are quite educational too. The album’s take on “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” sings, “Weather’s not the same as climate, weather’s not the same as climate, weather’s not the same as climate, which is trends over years. The planet warms up, but we’ll still have snow, in fact more extreme weather, hot as well as cold.” The company’s twist on “Deck the Halls” turns out to be an instructional call to action to make environmentally-friendly lifestyle changes and also push for legal reform: “Let’s install some LED lights also change the laws, the laws, laws, laws. Make a switch to plant-rich diets, also change the laws, the laws, laws, laws. Don we now thrifted apparel, also laws, also laws, laws laws laws.” The "Jingle Bells" cover is a rallying cry to listeners to partake in peaceful protest for the sake of our environment: The songs aren’t actually being sold on vinyl or tape like K-Tel albums, but they are being streamed on Spotify and Apple Music. According to Opinionated founder Mark Fitzloff, “It’s the perfect thing for awkward holidays spent with climate change-denying parents and in-laws.” A digital campaign supporting the album featuring the album promo and music videos above will be rolling out this week.

Seventh Generation’s depressing carols taint your holiday cheer with the threat of climate change

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