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The Most Popular Holidays in the U.S., Ranked

Where does your favorite holiday fall on the list?
ByEden Gordon
Illustration of mask-wearing, Santa outfit-sporting Thanksgiving turkey
Illustration of mask-wearing, Santa outfit-sporting Thanksgiving turkey | Modesto Bee/GettyImages

What’s your favorite holiday to wake up to? Do you prefer Christmas mornings, with snow outside and carefully wrapped presents waiting beneath the tree? Perhaps Thanksgiving, with the smell of turkey wafting from the oven? Or Halloween, with pumpkins lining the streets, a crisp chill in the air, and the leaves all red and gold?

Then again, maybe you favor New Year’s Eve, with its promises of festive parties and fireworks. Or perhaps your idea of a perfect day is Super Bowl Sunday, with its many dip and chip offerings along with the thrill of the big game. 

Not all holidays exactly match the above descriptions, of course. But many of us have special traditions and memories we associate with each holiday, though not every festive occasion is created equal in the mind of the average American. A 2024 study from YouGov asked 1,000 Americans to rate how much they enjoy each holiday “relative to an average day,” and one in particular soared above the rest.

America’s favorite holidays

America's favorite holidays, ranked, visualizer from Voronoi
America's favorite holidays, ranked, visualizer from Voronoi | Visual Capitalist

Christmas ranked first, with over one-third of the people surveyed selecting it as their favorite holiday of the year. Still, not everyone loves this day; 5% of people surveyed said it was their least favorite.

Around 88% of Americans celebrate Christmas, according to a 2025 Gallup poll, though just 47% attend Christmas Eve or Christmas Day religious services. Christmas also happens to be the most expensive holiday in the United States; in 2022, Americans spent roughly $929 billion on holiday gifts.

Thanksgiving came in second, with 23% selecting it as their favorite holiday. Clearly, many Americans enjoy turkey, cranberry sauce, and family gatherings, even if many families do have to make an effort to avoid political and religious discussions at this time. 

Halloween came in third, with 15% citing it as their favorite day, though 9% said it was their least favorite; clearly, costumes and giant skeletons aren’t for everyone. Easter came in next, followed by Mother’s Day, New Year’s Day, and New Year’s Eve. Then came the Fourth of July, followed by Valentine’s Day, which 8% of those surveyed said was their favorite holiday—and 8% said was their least favorite. 

Here are the top 10 most-loved holidays in the U.S., ranked:

1. Christmas

2. Thanksgiving

3. Halloween

4. Easter

5. Mother's Day

6. New Year's Day

7. New Year's Eve

8. Fourth of July

9. Valentine's Day

10. Father's Day

11. Memorial Day

12. Veteran's Day

13. Super Bowl Sunday

14. Labor Day

15. Martin Luther King Day

16. Election Day

17. Earth Day

18. Juneteenth

19. St. Patrick's Day

20. Columbus Day

21. President's Day