Technologies
Last Christmas Stresses Your Pets, and So Do These Other Holiday Tunes
Talk about pet peeves. Science says these turbo-charged holiday jams drive your pets up the tree.
Do you think Spotify releases Wrapped for listeners in early December so that Christmas music doesn’t inadvertently make its way into your annual roundup? At this point, Christmas tunes are in full swing and practically inescapable, no matter where you go. And they don’t just get annoying to you — your pets are sick of them, too. According to a report from music event ticket sales platform Fanatix, popular, high-tempo music bops are stressing your pets out.
Fanatix asked music experts to analyze 90 popular Christmas songs to discover which tunes are putting your pets on edge and offer up some less stressful alternatives. Fanatix used information from both the BBC and Natural Library of Medicine, which concluded that slow-tempo songs with little to no percussive elements are best for your pets. With this in mind, Fanatix dug into Spotify’s Christmas Hits playlist and went to work.
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The most popular Christmas tune on the music streaming list is Wham’s Last Christmas, which takes the cake as the most nerve-racking song for pets, with a beats per minute (BPM) of 206. High-tempo songs are more likely to cause irritation to your critters.
Here’s the full list of popular, yet distressing, Christmas songs for your pets. And don’t worry, Mariah Carey is nowhere to be found on it, so carry on.
The Most Stressful Christmas Songs for Pets
| Title | Artist | Tempo / BPM | |
| 1 | Last Christmas | Wham! | 206 |
| 2 | Merry Christmas Everyone | Shakin’ Stevens | 203 |
| 2 | Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) | The Andrews Sisters | 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 | What Christmas Means to Me (feat. Stevie Wonder) | John Legend, Stevie Wonder | 170 |
| 8 | Holiday Road — Spotify Singles Holiday | Kesha | 170 |
| 9 | We Wish You the Merriest | Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Fred Waring | 169 |
| 10 | Where Are You Christmas? | Faith Hill | 168 |
If your rotating holiday playlist has more than a couple of the songs from the list above on it, Fanatix also provided another list of lower-tempo songs to add into your mix that will be more tolerable to your animals — though annoyance through repetitiveness isn’t factored in here.
Fanatix found that songs within the 50-60 BPM range are generally well tolerated by pets and offered up these alternatives:
The Most Pet-Friendly Christmas Songs
| Title | Artist | Tempo / BPM | |
| 1 | Carol of the Bells (From «Home Alone» Soundtrack) | John Williams | 47 |
| 2 | Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree | Brenda Lee | 67 |
| 3 | Do You Hear What I Hear? | Bing Crosby | 73 |
| 4 | The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) | Nat King Cole | 73 |
| 5 | Christmas Time Is Here — Vocal | Vince Guaraldi | 75 |
| 6 | Frosty the Snowman | The Ronettes | 77 |
| 7 | Sleigh Ride | The Ronettes | 77 |
| 8 | Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) | Gene Autry | 80 |
| 9 | The Prayer | Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli | 82 |
| 10 | O Holy Night — Spotify Singles Holiday | Ravyn Lenae | 84 |
I don’t know about you, but there are some bangers on the more pet-friendly list, even if Frosty the Snowman and Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree have been played to death already. Consider adding some of these songs to your playlist — your pets will be thankful.
Technologies
The Most Exciting Video Game Rumors and Leaks Ahead of 2026
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Dec. 17
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 17.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Nod (off)
Answer: DOZE
5A clue: Naval submarine in W.W. II
Answer: UBOAT
7A clue: Tricky thing to do on a busy highway
Answer: MERGE
8A clue: Heat-resistant glassware for cooking
Answer: PYREX
9A clue: Put into groups
Answer: SORT
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Break up with
Answer: DUMP
2D clue: Falls in line, so to speak
Answer: OBEYS
3D clue: Legendary vigilante who cuts a «Z» with his sword
Answer: ZORRO
4D clue: Rarin’ to go
Answer: EAGER
6D clue: Common reminder for an upcoming appointment
Answer: TEXT
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Technologies
You Can Watch an Exclusive Avatar: Fire and Ash Scene on TikTok Right Now
Disney and TikTok partner on an immersive content hub for James Cameron’s latest movie about the alien Na’vi.
If you’re not quite ready to head to the theater to watch Avatar: Fire and Ash, an exclusive scene preview might sell you on the visual spectacle. As part of a new collaboration with the social media giant, Disney is posting snippets of its new movie to its TikTok account.
This scene isn’t part of any trailer and won’t be posted to other social media accounts, making TikTok the only place you can view it — unless you buy a movie ticket. A first look at the new movie’s scenes isn’t the only Avatar-related bonus on the social media platform right now, either. TikTok has partnered with the house of mouse to bring an entire «immersive content hub» to the app.
A special section of TikTok includes quizzes and educational videos that explore the alien world of Pandora shown off in the movies. On TikTok, you can take a personality quiz to find out what Na’vi clan you most closely align with and unlock a special profile picture border to use on your account.
Science and fiction blend together with a series of videos from real doctors who explain the basis for some of Avatar’s world-building. If you want to learn about exoplanets or how realistic the anatomy of the movie’s alien animals is, these videos will feed your brain while still providing entertainment value.
Perhaps the most enticing part of Disney’s latest social media collaboration is the opportunity for fans to win prizes and trips. TikTok creators who make edits with the #TikTokAvatarContest hashtag are entered into a competition to win Avatar merchandise. The biggest winners will be able to take a trip to visual effects studio Wētā Workshop in New Zealand or visit Avatar director James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment Studio in Los Angeles.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third installment in director Cameron’s cinematic passion project. While the first Avatar movie was released in 2009, Cameron didn’t release another entry in the franchise until 2022. In total, there is a five-movie arc planned for the indigo alien Na’vi on the moon of Pandora.
The Avatar movies are known for pushing the boundaries of CGI visual effects in cinema. They are also historically big winners at the box office: the original Avatar is the highest-grossing film of all time, earning $2.9 billion across its theatrical releases. Its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, is the third-highest-grossing film of all time, trailing Avengers: Endgame. You can stream those movies on Disney Plus.
It remains to be seen whether Avatar: Fire and Ash will financially live up to its predecessors. The film currently has mixed reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
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