“Yorkeling,” a tradition carried out by The Yorkies, hopes to bring holiday spirit to the community.
This week, the Yorkies, Andover’s all-male a capella group, will be going around dorms and singing various Christmas songs, a tradition dubbed “Yorkeling.” For the group, Yorkeling is a way to spread cheer across campus.
The tradition aims to lift spirits during the challenging first few weeks of the term. George Stoody ’24, Co-Head of the Yorkies, explained the motivation of the members behind this tradition.
“We really go off two things for the caroling. First of all, it is spreading holiday cheer around campus. It is a tough two weeks back for everyone, but it is fun to do festive holiday stuff. We go around campus [and] we perform in the library with a menu of songs.” said Stoody.
Yorkies member Frank Hu ’26 spoke of his eagerness to participate in the Christmas caroling tradition with the Yorkies for the first time. He emphasized his excitement about being part of a group that not only appreciates the joy of singing but also actively seeks to spread positive holiday cheer.
“I just like singing and I’m excited to be able to sing. I’m really excited to be able to go Christmas caroling with Yorkies. A fun thing with the group is spreading positive holiday cheer to as many people around campus as we can. That’s an awesome tradition, which I’m happy to be a part of… So I’m looking forward to it,” said Hu.
Stoody explained that the specific grouping of dorms is designed to maximize the time the group spends Yorkeling each night. He noted how the starting point of the library sometimes affects the range of dorms they can cover.
“It’s mostly just geographical because we have to be efficient. We always start at the library, and it matters how many days of the week we’re going to do the caroling. Normally, we go to the library…then over to Paul Revere [and] then knock out the ones in [Pine Knoll]. Sometimes we go over to the Quads, but it is all about what is in the immediate vicinity. We make sure that we’re being strategic with where we go, because we know we only have an hour and a half,” said Stoody.
Stoody also shared insights into the festive repertoire the group has prepared, revealing that this year’s repertoire includes “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Sleigh Ride,” and “Silent Night.” He mentioned that the group often adds an interactive touch to the tradition by asking students to choose which tunes the Yorkies perform.
“Part of the event is that we actually planned in advance five or six songs, and then we go to dorms or to the library and we say, ‘Pick two, which do you want to hear?’ A really fun part of it for me is how much we get to practice and learn all these fun holiday songs, and that kind of helps me get into the holiday spirit. So it’s really positive for everyone,” said Stoody.
Jack Swales ’24, another Yorkies member, described the significance of Yorkeling to the members of the group. Swales also highlighted the unifying effect of Yorkeling in bringing students together during the last few weeks of the year.
“[Yorkeling is] something that’s been around for so long… By participating in it every year, it’s something that brings great holiday cheer, and also something that brings some Yorkie pride… I hope that it brings some sense of community. Yorkies haven’t gotten to really perform this year yet, so this is going to be our first thing. I think it’s going to bring a better sense of community to campus and show that we can all just come together during one season and be a campus together,” said Swales.
