"Biggest Holiday of the Year"

[ZLoth]

A day or so ago, I was overhearing the news from my mother's television when I heard the quote that the Labor Day holiday was the "Biggest Holiday of the year". Like most quotes that I take out of context (because I didn't hear the rest of the report), the reaction was "no way" and "Isn't Thanksgiving or Christmas bigger"?

Then, I thought about it more, and considered that each major holiday could be consider "the biggest" for certain key areas. So, I'm throwing up a poll asking which you consider "the biggest" holiday season and the context why you look at it that way.  And, yes, I'm intentionally omitting Super Bowl Sunday because technically, it isn't a US Holiday.

[gonealookin]

At Lake Tahoe it's unquestionably July 4, and I'd think that's a common answer for many summer vacation (mountain/lake/beach) destinations.

[Max Rockatansky]

No option for Gemerton's Day?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Tourism - July 4

Drinking - Thanksgiving

Retail sales - Christmas

Mattress sales - Presidents' Day 

[jgb191]

None of the above:  I vote my birthday as the biggest day of the year.

[Scott5114]

For casinos in Oklahoma, New Year's Eve was always the biggest holiday of the year. I'm not sure if that's true in Las Vegas or not, although the Strip does put on a pretty nice fireworks show.

[NWI_Irish96]

The biggest holiday of the year is the end of DST because that day is 1 hour bigger than all the others.

[NE2]

Where's Kirkday?

[Scott5114]

Where's Kirkday?

[epzik8]

The biggest holiday of the year is the end of DST because that day is 1 hour bigger than all the others.

I appreciate your thinking outside the box

[flan]

Only one holiday in the US has a whole specialized genre of music and movies that takes over the whole month leading up to the holiday, and that holiday is also the major gift exchange holiday. Even setting aside the religious significance I think Christmas wins handily.

[JayhawkCO]

Only one holiday in the US has a whole specialized genre of music and movies that takes over the whole month leading up to the holiday, and that holiday is also the major gift exchange holiday. Even setting aside the religious significance I think Christmas wins handily.

This. I'm an atheist and I'm picking Christmas without a doubt.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Only one holiday in the US has a whole specialized genre of music and movies that takes over the whole month leading up to the holiday

To be fair, this could also be said about Halloween, even if that's only religious for a very small minority of people and it's not any kind of official holiday at any level.

[Scott5114]

Only one holiday in the US has a whole specialized genre of music and movies that takes over the whole month leading up to the holiday, and that holiday is also the major gift exchange holiday.

No option for Gemerton's Day?

[kurumi]

Only one holiday in the US has a whole specialized genre of music and movies that takes over the whole month leading up to the holiday, and that holiday is also the major gift exchange holiday. Even setting aside the religious significance I think Christmas wins handily.

Yeah, Christmas stuff is already in stores. It's a full quarter holiday in terms of planning and prep. Almost as big as jgb191's birthday.

(If you don't set aside the religious significance, I'd argue that Good Friday thru Easter is more important in terms of core beliefs, but agree that Christmas is still bigger)

(Also, if your church's Christmas Eve service starts with a hymn other than "O Come all ye Faithful", and ends with any other than "Silent Night" and "Joy to the World" in that order, I'd be curious to know what they are)

[MikeTheActuary]

There are two holidays in the US that almost everything shuts down for.

One of them is recognized internationally.

That's why I chose Christmas.

(I write as I finish my morning caffeine before having a 7am meeting on Labor Day....)

[1995hoo]

(Also, if your church's Christmas Eve service starts with a hymn other than "O Come all ye Faithful", and ends with any other than "Silent Night" and "Joy to the World" in that order, I'd be curious to know what they are)

Most parishes I've attended use "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" as the recessional hymn for Christmas (regardless of Christmas Eve or the actual day).

[ZLoth]

No option for Gemerton's Day?

Like Super Bowl Sunday, not an official holiday.

[Scott5114]

No option for Gemerton's Day?

Like Super Bowl Sunday, not an official holiday.

It's extremely official. It has a schedule and everything.

[ZLoth]

No option for Gemerton's Day?

Like Super Bowl Sunday, not an official holiday.

It's extremely official. It has a schedule and everything.

Not according to the list of Federal Holidays as published by the Office of Personnel Management.

[plain]

For casinos in Oklahoma, New Year's Eve was always the biggest holiday of the year. I'm not sure if that's true in Las Vegas or not, although the Strip does put on a pretty nice fireworks show.

Same thing with the casinos in DE (at least Dover & Harrington, anyway)

[1995hoo]

I voted for Independence Day partly because here in the DC area it's obviously a very big deal, but more importantly because I think it's generally celebrated on the actual day as a singular holiday, where Christmas has morphed into an ever-expanding "season" that often isn't even referred to by its own name and that drags on to the point where the actual day itself seems to get lost or to come at a point where a lot of people suffer fatigue from the weeks of hype and buildup.

[Max Rockatansky]

No option for Gemerton's Day?

Like Super Bowl Sunday, not an official holiday.

It's extremely official. It has a schedule and everything.

Not according to the list of Federal Holidays as published by the Office of Personnel Management.

That's because you don't know where the secret holiday menu is.  It is one of the things they show you after five years of Federal employment.

[formulanone]

No option for Gemerton's Day?

Like Super Bowl Sunday, not an official holiday.

It's extremely official. It has a schedule and everything.

Not according to the list of Federal Holidays as published by the Office of Personnel Management.

I think that was renamed Department of Big Beautiful Slack Days.

[NWI_Irish96]

No option for Gemerton's Day?

Like Super Bowl Sunday, not an official holiday.

It's extremely official. It has a schedule and everything.

Not according to the list of Federal Holidays as published by the Office of Personnel Management.

That's because you don't know where the secret holiday menu is.  It is one of the things they show you after five years of Federal employment.

The secret menu got eliminated by DOGE.