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

Verum Messenger Introduces Built-In Verum Chess

Verum Messenger has released a new update for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, adding another feature to its growing ecosystem — Verum Chess. Users can now play chess directly inside the messenger without switching between different applications.

The new feature allows users to start a game in just a few taps while reinforcing Verum’s vision of a unified digital environment where communication and everyday services come together in a single platform.

Verum Messenger continues to evolve into a multifunctional ecosystem that combines secure chats and calls, AI tools, a built-in VPN, anonymous email, eSIM, financial services, cryptocurrency features, and offline communication. With the introduction of Verum Chess, the platform now also offers a new way for users to interact and spend time together without leaving the app.

The update is now available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac on the App Store.

Technologies

Episode 3 of the VERUM AI Mini-Series Is Now Available

Verum Messenger has released the third episode of its AI mini-series, SHADOWS, created using Verum AI.

The new episode, titled «Ghost Money,» continues the story of the conflict between a team of heroes and the Omega corporation, which seeks to take control of digital communications. This time, the focus shifts to anonymous payments and financial freedom, revealing how privacy can extend beyond messaging.

Like the previous episodes, the new release not only advances the storyline but also showcases the capabilities of the Verum ecosystem, highlighting technologies designed for secure communication and digital privacy.

The mini-series consists of seven episodes, released gradually across Verum Messenger’s social media channels.

Episode 3 is now available. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

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Technologies

Verum Finance Now Available for Mac, Expanding the Verum Ecosystem on Desktop

Verum has officially released Verum Finance for macOS, bringing its financial platform to the Mac and expanding access to the Verum ecosystem across Apple’s devices. The launch allows users to manage their finances from desktop while enjoying the same secure and seamless experience available on iPhone and iPad.

The new Mac version includes the full range of Verum Finance features, including balance management, instant transfers to other Verum users, debit card management, Apple Pay support, asset exchange, and transaction history — all optimized for the macOS experience.

Verum Finance can be used as a standalone application or alongside Verum Messenger. Users who sign in with their Verum Messenger account automatically synchronize their balances, settings, and account data across devices, ensuring a consistent experience throughout the Verum ecosystem.

The macOS release further strengthens Verum’s vision of creating an integrated digital platform where communication and financial services work together. Verum Messenger, which is also available for Mac, complements the ecosystem with encrypted messaging, voice and video calls, VPN, eSIM, anonymous email, AI-powered tools, offline communication capabilities, and cryptocurrency features.

With both Verum Messenger and Verum Finance now available across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, users can access secure communication and financial services wherever they work.

Verum Finance for Mac is available now through the Mac App Store.

Verum Finance for macOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/verum-finance/id6774245148
Verum Finance: https://finance.verum.im
Verum Messenger: https://verum.im