Most Americans can agree that gathering around a table with family while feasting on poultry is the greatest time of the year. These two favorite holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, are right around the corner from each other, and the dispute between which holiday is the highlight of the holiday season intensifies during this time of year.

Given the stress of gift shopping associated with Christmas, most adults in America believe Thanksgiving is the better holiday since minimal shopping is required and spending time with family is emphasized more than gift giving. However, most children believe Christmas is the better holiday because of gift giving as well as the long vacation that accompanies the holiday. 

During the Christmas season, gift giving creates stress for adults, whereas gift receiving makes the holiday more enjoyable for younger children. However, teenagers tend to find themselves in an awkward position during the holiday season, as they feel both the stress of shopping for others and well as the excitement of receiving gifts. So where do teenagers stand in this debate over which holiday is better?

After interviewing 20 random students at Hingham High School, 15 out of 20 believe that Christmas is a better holiday. Many students stated that spending time with family, giving gifts, and receiving gifts are some of their favorite traditions that make Christmas their preferred holiday. Some even vocalized that waking up and seeing snow on the ground on Christmas morning makes Christmas the superior holiday. 

Like many students at HHS, sophomore Craig Sandler strongly believes Christmas is better than Thanksgiving, reflecting, “the food on Christmas is very similar to the food on Thanksgiving, and you get to show your appreciation to others by giving gifts.” Sandler enjoys seeing his family and receiving new gifts every year so much so that he gets into the holiday spirit after Halloween.

The minority of students who argued that Thanksgiving is better than Christmas stressed that Thanksgiving is more family oriented and that the food is amazing. 

Hingham High School sophomore Devon Moriarty views Christmas as “overrated,” but she enjoys Christmas more because, “everyone gets super excited about it and puts up trees, lights, and decorations, and it is very fun to see everyone so festive.” Moriarty loves spending time with her family during the holidays, but she believes children get too greedy for presents.

Though most teenagers in HHS believe that Christmas is a better holiday than Thanksgiving, almost all agreed that the two holidays were their top two favorites. As most students noted, the holidays provide an opportunity to spend time with family, which likely explains the reason that these two holidays are widely considered favorites.