While listening to music can boost your focus and productivity, the type of music you listen to—or more specifically, the beat of that music—can play a big role in determining whether the music is helping or hurting your concentration at work.
Research reveals that songs with a BPM, or beats per minute, of more than 150 can increase cognitive load, elevate stress responses, and make task-switching more difficult, whereas music with a BPM between 60 and 80 supports steady productivity and improves focus.
To help employers curate a more productivity-friendly holiday soundtrack, TopResume analyzed Spotify’s most popular Christmas songs and ranked them by BPM to reveal the tracks most likely to derail office concentration.
And the research reveals that Ariana Grande’s “Last Christmas” is the most distracting Christmas song.
| Rank | Song Title | Artist Name | Beats Per Minute |
| 1 | Last Christmas | Ariana Grande | 206 |
| 2 | Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) | Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters | 203 |
| 2 | Merry Christmas Everyone | Shakin’ Stevens | 203 |
| 3 | It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year | Andy Williams | 202 |
| 4 | Santa Tell Me | Ariana Grande | 192 |
| 5 | Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 – Instrumental | Trans-Siberian Orchestra | 186 |
| 6 | Please Come Home for Christmas – 2013 Remaster | Eagles | 183 |
| 7 | Driving Home for Christmas | Chris Rea | 180 |
| 8 | The Prayer | Céline Dion, Andrea Bocelli | 176 |
| 9 | What Christmas Means to Me (featuring Stevie Wonder) | John Legend, Stevie Wonder | 170 |
| 9 | Holiday Road – Spotify Singles Holiday | Kesha | 170 |
| 10 | We Wish You The Merriest | Seth MacFarlane, Liz Gillies | 169 |
Ariana Grande’s “Last Christmas” comes in at a staggering 206 BPM, which is more than triple the recommended BPM of 60-80 for maintaining focus during tasks.
Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters’ “Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)” and Shakin’ Stevens’ “Merry Christmas Everyone” tie for runner up with 203 BPM. Rounding out the top five are Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (202 BPM), another Ariana Grande Christmas classic, “Santa Tell Me” (192 BPM), and Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 – Instrumental” (186 BPM).
What is the best Christmas song for productivity? According to the analysis, it’s Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
| Rank | Song Title | Artist Name | Beats Per Minute |
| 1 | Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree | Brenda Lee | 67 |
| 2 | The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) | Nat King Cole | 73 |
| 2 | Do You Hear What I Hear? | Whitney Houston | 73 |
| 3 | Christmas Time Is Here – Vocal | Vince Guaraldi Trio | 75 |
| 4 | Frosty The Snowman | Ella Fitzgerald | 77 |
| 4 | Sleigh Ride | Ella Fitzgerald | 77 |
| 5 | Fairytale of New York (featuring Kirsty MacColl) | The Pogues, Kirsty MacColl | 78 |
Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” clocks in at just 67 BPM, the optimal tempo range for maintaining concentration.
Festive classics dominate the productivity-boosting list, with Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)” and Whitney Houston’s “Do You Hear What I Hear?” tied at 73 BPM. The Vince Guaraldi Trio’s beloved “Christmas Time Is Here” comes in at 75 BPM, while jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald claims two spots with “Frosty The Snowman” and “Sleigh Ride,” both at 77 BPM.
Expert recommendations for office holiday playlists
TopResume recommends that employers curate separate playlists for different parts of the workplace, reserving slower, steady-tempo classics for focus-heavy areas, and brighter, high-energy tracks for communal areas where employees gather or take breaks.
For employees in shared environments, tools like noise-canceling headphones or requesting their input in the playlist can go a long way in preserving productivity during the year-end rush.
“The end of the year is an especially demanding time for many professionals. Between wrapping up projects, juggling tighter deadlines, managing holiday commitments at home, and navigating the colder weather and shorter days, it’s easy for stress levels to creep up. That’s why it’s so important to create a festive atmosphere at work that doesn’t sacrifice anyone’s focus,” Amanda Augustine, a Certified Professional Career Coach and the resident career expert for TopResume, said in a statement. “Finding that balance between bringing a little holiday cheer into the office without adding unnecessary distractions can make a big difference. Even small adjustments to the soundtrack in shared spaces can help keep the final work weeks of 2025 feeling merry and bright.”
Augustine recommends the following strategies to help teams enjoy the holiday spirit at work without sacrificing their focus:
- Set time-based rules for festive music: Use upbeat or fast-tempo holiday songs during designated hours, such as lunchtime or late afternoon, to avoid overstimulation throughout the entire day.
- Create music-free focus blocks: Establish quiet hours (e.g., 9-11 a.m.) to help employees settle into deep work before the day ramps up.
- Encourage personalized productivity playlists: Suggest employees build their own “deep-work” playlists in the 60–80 BPM range to support concentration when needed.
- Use instrumental holiday tracks in focus areas: Instrumental versions keep the seasonal mood without the cognitive load that lyrics can add.
- Normalize consistent listening volume: Smooth out the volume fluctuations across tracks so people aren’t distracted by sudden increases or decreases.
- Invite employees to submit holiday song suggestions: A collaborative playlist boosts morale, even if only select songs make it onto the office rotation.
- Reinforce that it’s okay to opt out: Provide noise-canceling headphones and remind employees they can choose a quieter space if the holiday music becomes overwhelming.
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