Most Americans Say Christmas Is The Most Important US Holiday, Poll Shows

Most Americans still view Christmas as the most important U.S. holiday, according to a recent survey.

A Napolitan News Service poll released on Tuesday found that 56% of voters say Christmas is one of the nation’s most vital holidays, a percentage little changed from 2024. Meanwhile, just 8% said it is among the least important holidays in the nation, according to the survey.

The vast majority of voters, 85%, said they plan to celebrate Christmas this year, down six percentage points from 2024, the poll shows. Just 7% of voters said they plan to celebrate Hanukkah this year, 3% said they will celebrate Kwanzaa, and 9% intend to celebrate none of these holidays, according to the survey.

Among respondents who celebrate Christmas, 41% view it primarily as a religious holiday, while 26% view it as a secular holiday and 29% celebrate it as equally religious and secular, per the poll. Eighty-nine percent of respondents who observe Christmas plan to have a meal with family, while 87% will give presents to friends and family and 55% said they will travel to visit family, the survey shows.

The poll also found that 54% said they intend to give money or gifts to charity this Christmas, down 12% from December 2024. Moreover, 50% said they will attend a church service on Christmas, and 47% plan to sing carols, the poll found.

Following Christmas, July 4th was the holiday ranked the second-highest by the survey’s respondents, followed by Veterans Day, Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. Earth Day was ranked the lowest among the 11 holidays by the poll’s respondents — with just 12% saying it was a “most important” holiday.

Additionally, the National Retail Federation (NRF) projected on Nov. 6 that holiday retail sales in November and December will rise between 3.7% and 4.2% over 2024. By comparison, 2024’s holiday retail sales increased 4.3% over 2023, reaching $976.1 billion total, according to the NRF.

The Napolitan News Service poll surveyed 1,000 registered U.S. voters, and was conducted online by pollster Scott Rasmussen from Dec. 15-16. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1%.