At the end of each year, people all over the world celebrate a variety of traditional holidays, and music gives us a glimpse into these cultural celebrations.
Hear what songs Aperian team members enjoy during the holiday season, as well as some of their cherished memories and traditions. Plus, discover some new songs you can add to your own holiday playlist this year.
“We would always wait for our favorite songs to play on the radio (before the existence of Spotify) throughout the fasting month when we would do bulk baking for Eid goodies into the evening. The songs would keep us awake and upbeat :smile:”
– Adilah Rahim, Team Lead & Project Management, Singapore
“One of Brazil’s most famous Christmas songs is the Portuguese version of ‘Happy Xmas (War is Over).’ Listening to it brings back fond memories of celebrating Christmas with my whole family as a child.”
– Natália Ferreira, Senior Client Success Manager, Denmark
“When I was about 10 years old, we got a Christmas Hits CD that featured ‘[It Must’ve Been Ol’] Santa Claus’ by Harry Connick Jr. Every year since, my mom and I have danced in the kitchen to it and now I dance to it with my kids. It’s silly and fun and we love it 👏🏻”
– Nicole Ury, Global Marketing Director, United States
“For me, Diwali is fun with family and friends, and I love Bollywood dances (however bad I might be 😅). The entire vibe and energy changes during the celebrations. The decorations, clothes, sweets, and rangoli bring such positive energy and everything is so colourful and bright.”
– Kanchan Hira, Head of India Sales, India
“If there is one song that symbolises Christmas in Slovakia, it is definitely ‘Silent Night.’ Each year in the evening on Christmas Eve when we were sitting in the living room at the Christmas tree after we opened all the presents and were just enjoying ourselves, my mom took out her harmonica (the big one) and played this song for us. It was always very special to us because she played on the harmonica only once a year (till it broke beyond repair😅).”
– Miriam Guttmanova, Data Analyst, Denmark
“This is a beautiful, emotional song that is especially significant for Americans. It was released in the ‘40s during World War II and is sung from the perspective of a soldier dreaming of returning to celebrate Christmas with his family. The song reflects the emotional sacrifices military families face—especially during the holiday season. It continues to be a holiday classic—I think given it not only speaks to the sentimentality of being together at the holidays, but also a reminder of hope and resilience during difficult times.”
– Sarah Cincotta, Managing Director, Global Marketing, United States
“There are no Christmases in our Brazilian house in Denmark without The Beach Boys’ Christmas album. ‘Little Saint Nick’ is one of our favourite tracks.”
– João Machado-Guichon, Senior Program Manager, Denmark
“Seasonal songs are really common in Japan and ‘CAROLS’ fits the bill to me as a true ‘winter song.’ This song was new during my first trip to Japan in 2004 (20 years ago now), and I heard it everywhere I went. I then got to hear it live at her Countdown Live 2004-2005 concert in Tokyo, which is an annual New Year’s concert. Tokyo doesn’t tend to get a lot of snow, but we managed to get it on 3 days during that trip—which was perfectly fitting for this song that talks about the white snow falling.”
– Anthony Greco, Managing Director, Learning Solutions, United States
“Here’s a holiday song with a twist. A favorite for Aussies, especially those that are away from family in different parts of the world.”
– Brett Parry, Senior Consultant, Australia
“Щедрик” or “Shchedryk” is a Ukrainian shchedrivka, or New Year’s song, known in English as “The Little Swallow.” It was arranged by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in the early 1900s. The song tells a story of a swallow flying into a household to sing of the wealth that will come with the following spring. “Shchedryk” was originally sung on New Year’s Eve, known in Ukraine as Malanka (“Generous Evening”). Following a performance of the song by Alexander Koshetz’s Ukrainian National Chorus at Carnegie Hall on October 5, 1922, American composer Peter J. Wilhousky turned the song into the Christmas carol, “Carol of the Bells.”
“As a French person now living in Denmark for some years, I’ve noticed that one of the top songs for Christmas is the one from Wham!. I don’t know why it’s so popular, but we hear it everywhere, which is both annoying and fun, because we just need that one on any playlist around that time 😅”
– Noémie Syhler, Senior Program Manager, Denmark
“This one has been playing on loop in our house during Diwali. The singer has a soulful voice, and the slow pace makes you want to sing along.”
– Natasha Shetty, Technical Support Team Lead, India
This is a popular Christmas standard written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson for the 1965 television special A Charlie Brown Christmas, one of the first animated Christmas specials produced for network television in the United States. The song has since become a perennial Christmas classic.
“’Little Saint Nick’ by the Beach Boys is iconic, but ‘Drummer Boy’ by Justin Bieber ft Busta Rhymes is having a social media resurgence.”
– Merry Jaroneski, Technical Project Manager, United States
Many English-speaking cultures (and even non-English-speaking cultures) bid farewell to the old year and welcome in the New Year with the song “Auld Lang Syne,” which translates from the Scots language to “old long since” or “and days of long ago.” It is a version of an old Scottish folk song reworked by the 18th-century Scottish poet Robert Burns. Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians popularized the version sung today—their performance of “Auld Lang Syne” was broadcast nationally from New York City every New Year’s Eve from 1929 to 1976.
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We hope you enjoy listening! Wishing you a happy holiday season and a joyous New Year from all of us at Aperian.
