‘Tis the season of hymns and jolly tunes mixed with the cold scent of nostalgia flooding the doors where carolers stand and sing.
The last five-peso coin in your pocket would want nothing more than to be blanketed between the warm palms of soulful singers: a reminder that this season of giving will never be complete without a song or two.
What better way to celebrate Christmas than to listen to music that carries the Christmas spirit into our hearts, wrapping the festive season with golden light!
During the longest holiday in the Philippines, it’s time to warm your vocal cords, make your tansan tambourine and sing through the Christmas season in full volume with ten songs in this Paskong Pinoy Playlist: Songs of Filipino Christmas.
- Tuloy na Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Pasko
Number Ten: Tuloy na Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Pasko. Apo Hiking’s classic is the best way to jumpstart your Christmas season. It sings about the resilience of Filipinos that always finds a way to view things in a better light, even if it comes from an old flickering lightbulb. Pockets may be empty but Christmas will always fill the heart with joy that money, or lack thereof, will never amount to.
- Kumukutikutitap
Placing on number nine is Kumukutikutitap, sung by Joey Albert and composed by the one and only Ryan Cayabyab. This song paints a vivid picture of what Christmas is like in the Philippines, with parols and Christmas lights everywhere transforming the feeling of happiness into a concrete thing before your eyes. This version of a winter wonderland is full of warmth and color, a testament that Filipinos never fall short in bringing Christmas to life.
- It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Christmas is the time of joy, and this number eight song by Andy Williams reminds us of the beauty of the season. It is the time for cheer and happiness, moments and memories that leave your heart full and glowing. Truly, when loved ones are near, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
- Himig Pasko
This cozy Apo Hiking song is one that feels like a warm cup of milk during rainy Christmas nights. The number seven song, Himig ng Pasko, brings a sense of comfort to the listeners, a gentle breeze that fills your body with relief and content, and your heart with a promise of happiness. What better song is there to remind us of these things that make Christmas wonderful?
- Bibingka
Number six: Bibingka. Filipino Christmas traditions are anchored in Roman Catholicism but whether you practice the Catholic faith or not, Ben and Ben’s Bibingka will make you twirl your hair in ultimate kilig fashion. Its melody rocks the listeners like a lullaby and the lyrics make the heart flutter as it sings a story of a love born at Christmas time. If you listen to this song as you rise for the nine days of Simbang Gabi, you might just get your wish of buying bibingka for your own tadhana.
- A Perfect Christmas
Jose Mari Chan’s A Perfect Christmas that lands fifth place, is a song that embodies the true essence of Christmas: moments of giving, sharing, and spending time with the ones you love most. It sends the message that a perfect Christmas does not need to be grand, it can be made up of simple pleasures that make everything worth remembering.
- Joy to the World
In a dominantly Catholic country, the birth of Jesus is the epitome of Christmas, and this top four song fills church choirs and households alike with this ever-loved tune. This festive tune will make you stand and dance around the Christmas tree with pure bliss. No Filipino Christmas is complete without singing Joy to the World once or twice.
- Last Christmas
Number three: Last Christmas. This Wham! song is a beloved Christmas classic that Filipinos play everywhere you look. Whether you find yourself in the grocery store, public transportation, or even the door of your own house, this song will follow wherever you go. It’s the perfect song for your Christmas blues that lets you remember that there is hope after heartache.
- Star ng Pasko
Of course, a Filipino Christmas playlist would not be complete without a beloved Christmas station ID. Landing on number two in this list is the all-time favorite of carolers: Star ng Pasko. This song from 2010 has found its way at least once in every doorstep since its release, and we are not complaining! The music helps keep faith that there is a light at the end of the tunnel; a star to illuminate the darkest of nights. This Christmas, may you find the light and be the light.
- Christmas in Our Hearts
And finally, number one: the Christmas song that dominates Philippine radio from the month of September until well into the new year— Jose Mari Chan’s Christmas in Our Hearts. This classic Christmas carol is one that every Filipino knows by heart, activating the Christmas spirit with only the first few notes. Its impact on the Filipino culture has become cemented on the country’s Christmas celebrations year after year, bearing a simple reminder to everyone that Christmas is a time of hope and love.
With these Christmas songs on repeat, the magic of the season will wrap itself around you like a sweater in the cold December air. ‘Tis the season to sit back, relax, and sing along to some good music. Who knows, maybe if you sing these songs you would get a crispy 50-peso bill from your neighbor.
This yuletide season, may we bring to life the messages of hope, love, peace, and prosperity that these songs bring to everyone who listens. Above all, may the spirit of Christmas be always in our hearts.
