|
1
|
December 25 (Fixed)
|
Christmas
|
92–96%[12][13][14][15]
|
$630.5
|
Many Christmas carols and popular songs, Christmas trees, gift-giving, decorations, Santa Claus, Christmas movies, Christmas dinner, shopping, church services, basketball games
|
Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth. Celebrations are marked by decorations and exchanging of gifts between family members and friends. Most popular holiday based on greeting card sales. Also known for having the second highest church attendance. behind Easter.[16] Widely celebrated as a secular holiday.
|
|
2
|
November 22–28 (Floating Thursday)
|
Thanksgiving
|
87–90%[17][18]
|
(part of Christmas sales)
|
Giving thanks, prayer, feasting, spending time with family, football games, parades, turkey, "Alice's Restaurant", traveling
|
Thanksgiving is a celebration of thanks for the previous year, with families and friends gathering for a large meal or dinner. Consequently, the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year.[19] One-sixth of the turkeys consumed annually in the U.S. are eaten around Thanksgiving.[20][21]
|
|
3
|
May 8–14 (Floating Sunday)
|
Mother's Day
|
84%[22][23]
|
$19.9
|
Breakfasts in bed, family meals, gift-giving, flowers
|
Mother's Day recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well as the positive contributions that they make to society. Known for having the highest restaurant sales, even compared with Valentine's Day, as well as the highest church attendance after Easter and Christmas.[24][16]
|
|
4
|
March 22 – April 25 (Floating Sunday)
|
Easter
|
80–81%[25][26]
|
$16.4
|
Church services, family meals, Easter egg decorating, egg hunts, the Easter Bunny, Easter parades, Easter baskets, chocolates
|
Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The highest church attendance happens on Easter.[16] Like Christmas, it has become a widely celebrated secular holiday, and customs observed by both Christians and some non-Christians include egg hunting, the Easter Bunny, and Easter parades.
|
|
5
|
July 4 (Fixed)
|
Independence Day (Fourth of July)
|
78–79%[27]
|
$68.0
(Part of Back to School sales)
|
Fireworks, family reunions, concerts, barbecues, picnics, parades, baseball games, carnivals and fairs
|
Independence Day, also commonly known as the Fourth of July, marks the date that the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. The holiday is best known for fireworks and barbecues. 45% of American celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks, accounting for about $675 million in fireworks sales.[28]
|
|
6
|
June 15–21 (Floating Sunday)
|
Father's Day
|
75%[29]
|
$12.7
|
Family meals, gift-giving
|
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It accounts for the highest sales of ties and neckwear annually, around $12.7 billion.[30]
|
|
7
|
October 31 (Fixed)
|
Halloween
|
64–65%[31][32]
|
$6.9
|
Trick-or-treating, costume parties, carving jack-o-lanterns, lighting bonfires, divination, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, horror movies
|
Halloween celebrations are marked by costumed children knocking door to door asking for treats, and costumed adults attending parties. The most popular holiday for candy sales, amounting to $2.6 billion in 2015.[33] The same year, $6.9 billion was spent on candy, costumes, and pumpkins, all of which are directly attributed to this holiday.[34]
|
|
8
|
February 14 (Fixed)
|
Valentine's Day
|
55%[35]
|
$18.9
|
Sending greeting cards, gift-giving, dating and romantic dinners, church services, candy, flowers
|
Valentine's Day is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and romantic love. It accounts for 224 million roses grown annually. 24% of American adults purchased flowers for Valentine's Day in 2015.[36] The holiday comes in second in terms of annual restaurant sales, behind Mother's Day.[24]
|
|
9
|
March 17 (Fixed)
|
Saint Patrick's Day
|
51%[37]
|
$4.4
|
Parades, parties, shamrocks, leprechauns, display of the color green, Irish beer and Irish whiskey, corned beef, copious consumption of alcohol
|
Saint Patrick's Day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, parties, the wearing of green attire or shamrocks, and alcohol consumption.
|
|
10
|
December 31 (Fixed)
|
New Year's Day (New Year's Eve)
|
37–45%[38][39]
|
(Part of Christmas sales)
|
Making New Year's resolutions, church services, parades, football and hockey games, fireworks
|
Observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar. Known for being the holiday with the highest alcohol consumption, evidenced by the spike in sales around between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.[40][41]
|
