Christmas Station IDs
Any Filipino who’s big on Christmas will remember waiting for the ABS-CBN Christmas station ID on TV every holiday season. In fact, the TV network’s catchy tunes are so iconic that now bring nostalgia for simpler Christmases.
To curate your Christmas reason rotation playlist and make waiting for Christmas seem a lot faster, we’ve selected the best ABS-CBN Christmas station IDs below.
We’ve also ranked them based on whether we think they’re a bop, so read on to see which of the TV network’s Christmas station IDs we think is the greatest of all time.
8. Family is Forever (2019)
Video credit: ABS-CBN Entertainment
Family is Forever (2019) is sort of a remix of old ABS-CBN Christmas station IDs. It contains the chorus of Star ng Pasko, the iconic Christmas station ID from 10 years prior which never fails to evoke feelings of nostalgia.
Besides the 2009 song, Family Forever also has parts of the network’s other Christmas station IDs, namely Just Love Ngayong Christmas (2017), Thank You or the Love (2015), and Family is Love (2015).
With simple lyrics, the song’s chorus is infectious. The song also used the same formula as ABS-CBN’s 2014 Christmas station ID, being performed by The Voice Kids finalists and coaches Sarah Geronimo, Lea Salonga, and Bamboo.
7. Ngayong Pasko Magniningning ang Pilipino (2010)
Video credit: ABS-CBN Entertainment
Ngayong Pasko Magniningning ang Pilipino (2010) is the most chill tune out of all the songs on this list but still has a chorus you’ll find hard to get out of your head.
ABS-CBN’s 2010 Christmas Station ID contains the chorus of the 2009 Christmas station ID Star ng Pasko towards the end, perhaps as a nod to its predecessor’s immense success.
It was sung by ABS-CBN artists Gary Valenciano and Toni Gonzaga and featured the University of Santo Tomas Singers.
6. Da Best ang Pasko ng Pilipino (2011)
Video credit: ABS-CBN Entertainment
ABS-CBN’s 2011 Christmas Station ID, Da Best ang Pasko ng Pilipino (2011) was sung by then 11-year old Filipino-Canadian YouTube sensation Maria Aragon, who had become famous for her Born This Way cover earlier that year. Aragon was accompanied by the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus.
This Christmas tune sounds like early 2010s North American pop – specifically the older Justin Bieber songs which makes it extra nostalgic – meets choir singing.
It uses the same pop-choir formula as the TV station’s 2010 Christmas station ID, Ngayong Pasko Magniningning ang Pilipino.
5. Just Love Ngayong Christmas (2017)
Video credit: ABS-CBN Entertainment
For Just Love Ngayong Christmas (2017), ABS-CBN rounded up their best singers in a crossover more ambitious than Marvel’s Avengers.
It was performed by ABS-CBN station ID mainstays Sarah Geronimo, Piolo Pascual, and Toni Gonzaga, highly-regarded Filipino singers Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, Ogie Alcasid, and Zsa Zsa Padilla, and power belters KZ Tandingan, Angeline Quinto, Klarisse, and Jona. They were joined by The Voice Kids alumni Darren Espanto and Elha Nympha and more singers from the network.
While there were many talented singers featured in this track, each had the chance to showcase their voice through the vocal ad-libs scattered throughout the song.
Just Love Ngayong Christmas also has ABS-CBN station IDs’ trademark catchy chorus which, for us, determines if a Christmas station ID is a bop.
4. Thank You For The Love (2015)
Video credit: ABS-CBN Entertainment
ABS-CBN’s 2015 Christmas station ID, Thank You for the Love, was led by ABS-CBN’s top love teams, KathNiel (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla), JaDine (James Reid and Nadine Lustre), and LizQuen (Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil).
They were accompanied by The Voice Kids Season 2 winner Elha Nympha and her coach on the show, Bamboo.
The “nanana”s in the song’s chorus sound like nostalgic JaDine songs from their 2014 films Diary ng Panget and Talk Back and You’re Dead as well as some of the tracks on James Reid’s 2015 album Reid Alert.
3. Thank You, Ang Babait Ninyo (2014)
Video credit: ABS-CBN Entertainment
Thank You, ang Babait Ninyo was a hit for kids in 2014, performed by The Voice Kids Season 1 finalists Lyca Gairanod, Darren Espanto, Juan Karlos Labajo, and Darlene Vibares.
While the group was made up of 10- to 13-year olds, they had some mean harmonization skills which ranked this song in our top 3.
Its catchy chorus is also a bonus, particularly the line “thank you, thank you, ang babait ninyo” that is reminiscent of the carol song sung after you’ve been given money.
Thank You, ang Babait Ninyo and the other songs in our list’s top 3 were even sung as carol songs, which proves just how popular they were even years after their release.
2. Magkasama Tayo sa Kwento ng Pasko (2013)
Video credit: ABS-CBN Entertainment
Magkasama Tayo sa Kwento ng Pasko (2013) was performed by the TV network’s vocal powerhouses – The Voice Philippines coaches Sarah Geronimo, Bamboo and Lea Salonga and grand winner Mitoy Yonting whose voice shone in this song. With them were the other The Voice Philippines finalists Klarisse De Guzman, Janice Javier, and Myk Perez.
Though the music video is almost 10 minutes long, you won’t be able to get enough of it especially its chorus even when they’re just repeating it for a whole 4 minutes by the end.
The track doesn’t have an umay factor – which makes you feel fed up with something you’ve had too much of – as it has the perfect amount of enjoyable vocal ad-libs that give it variation.
1. Bro, Ikaw ang Star ng Pasko (2009)
Video credit: ABS-CBN Entertainment
If you ask any Kapamilya – an avid ABS-CBN subscriber – which of the TV network’s Christmas station IDs is their favorite, we guarantee you that their answer will be Bro, Ikaw ang Star ng Pasko, or simply Star ng Pasko, from 2009.
It was one of the first original ABS-CBN Christmas Station ID songs yet it remains the most memorable and nostalgic. The track was performed by KC Concepcion, Piolo Pascual, and various other singers from the Sunday noontime show ASAP.
This Christmas station ID was impactful because the message was timely as Typhoon Yolanda which took many lives especially in Tacloban, Leyte occurred earlier that year. For context, the term “Bro” stands for Jesus, and its usage was popularized by the 2009 religious drama series May Bukas Pa starring Zaijian Jaranilla.
If these reasons aren’t enough to call it the best holiday tune from the network, why else would they feature it on 2 other Christmas station IDs if it’s not the best ABS-CBN Christmas station ID ever?
ABS-CBN’s catchy Christmas station IDs
Whether you fully agree with our list of the best Christmas station IDs from ABS-CBN or not, we’re sure this list has reminded you of some of the songs you’ve forgotten. Hopefully, these also remind you of your happy Christmas memories.
While we wait for this year’s new holiday bop from ABS-CBN, you can go ahead and add your favorite old but gold Christmas station ID tracks to your Christmas playlist.
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Cover image adapted from: ABS-CBN Entertainment and ABS-CBN Entertainment