Christmas is the Best Holiday, Here’s Why

If you ask anyone at OP what the best holiday is, you’ll probably get the same answer. It’s Christmas. But why is Christmas such a popular holiday? What makes Christmas the greatest of all the holidays? 

First off, when analyzing Christmas, it has something that exceeds virtually all other holidays: hype. The Christmas hype comes in a lot of different forms. There’s famous Christmas movies such as “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Elf”, and “Home Alone”, and there’s also classic Christmas songs such as “Jingle Bell Rock” and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Every year when December rolls around, people revisit the same movies and music as in the past which creates a sense of nostalgia and excitement from the previous years. The pinnacle of this comes in presents. Whether or not you want to admit it, presents are a major if not leading part of the hype for Christmas. For example, in 2022, total holiday retail sales were projected to reach new highs of 942 billion dollars, according to Statista. That much money spent on Christmas items and of course, presents, exemplifies the energy put into the holiday season. The gift giving of the season is a powerful factor that helps it beat out other holidays for me. 

Secondly, Christmas is the best holiday because of the atmosphere it brings. The holiday is filled with things that only come once a year. Some examples of this are Christmas light shows, ballets like the Nutcracker, decorations, and even snow on the ground. There’s also the seasonal treats that the holiday brings around like cookies, gingerbread houses, and candy canes. The fact that you can also get your own Christmas tree and decorate it capitalizes on the atmospherical nature of the holiday.

Thirdly, although not as major a factor, Christmas time is known for a variety of sporting events. Leagues such as the NFL are in full swing, and, in the United States, the NFL is the most-watched sporting event. According to NBC Sports, The NFL generated an average of 21.88 million domestic viewers among its three Christmas day games, which saw a 14.5 percent increase over 2021. The NBA also hosts Christmas Day games which see an average of around 4.318 million viewers in 2022 according to NBC Sports. Furthermore, leagues such as the CFB have a full plate of bowl games around the holiday season concluding with the CFB Championship after the New Year.

All these reasons represent why Christmas is the best holiday to a certain degree. However, I think the true reason why Christmas is the best is because of its true importance. It falls at the end of the year and provides a holiday break. This allows for time with family and friends and also lets you reflect on the year and look forward to the next year. Getting to spend time with people you like is nice but the importance of Christmas is also just as important. The holiday of Christmas which is rooted in the birth of Jesus serves as a celebration of Jesus’ birth and reminder to be good and generous to people (the generosity part is the main theme of Christmas after all).