Happy almost-2025! As you wrap up your year-end tasks, let’s analyze some recently published data concerning online behavior during the holiday season, specifically between Christmas and New Year’s. It appears that when the holiday feasting begins, web traffic often decreases.
This information can significantly influence your strategies if you’re a website owner or marketer. Let’s examine the data.
The Christmas Slowdown
Data indicates that many countries that observe Christmas experience their most significant traffic declines on December 24 and 25. This is likely due to family dinners, religious services, and gift-opening activities.
Before diving into the specific hourly slowdowns, let’s examine the overall daily trends.
Daily Perspective
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Step 1: Analyze the daily traffic drops for countries that celebrate Christmas.
For instance:
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Step 2: Note that Denmark experienced a -35% drop on December 24 and -11% on December 25 compared to the prior week.
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Step 3: Document Norway’s decline of -32% on December 24 and -12% on December 25.
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Step 4: Record that traffic in the UK fell by -19% on Christmas Eve and -26% on Christmas Day.
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Step 5: Observe that the US had daily declines of -16% on December 24 and -21% on December 25.
In summary, the data suggests that these two dates consistently rank among the quietest online days in many regions when considering the entire day’s internet activity.
Hour-by-Hour Perspective
The data becomes even more revealing when examining hourly trends during Christmas Eve dinners and gatherings.
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Step 1: Examine the hourly traffic drops on Christmas Eve.
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Step 2: Note that Spain experienced a -70% traffic drop at 9:45 pm on December 24.
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Step 3: Record Argentina’s drop of -58% at 10:00 pm and -67% at midnight during “Nochebuena” celebrations.
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Step 4: Observe that Denmark had a -68% drop at 7:45 pm on Christmas Eve.
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Step 5: Document Poland’s -59% dip at 5:15 pm, coinciding with the start of Christmas Eve dinners.
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Step 6: Record that Chile saw a -64% decrease at 10:45 pm on December 24.
Essentially, December 24 and 25 show some of the lowest daily usage totals, and specific hours on Christmas Eve, particularly around dinnertime or midnight, cause a near-total internet shutdown in certain countries.
Regions Unaffected by Christmas
Not all regions center their activities around December 24 and 25.
Consider Israel and Hanukkah. In 2023, Hanukkah began on December 7, causing an -8% traffic drop. In 2024, it will coincide more directly with Christmas (December 25-January 2), potentially altering the patterns.
In countries like Singapore, Turkey, and India, there were no significant slowdowns on December 24-25. However, other cultural events or local traditions may have caused temporary offline periods.
Boxing Day Rebound
While Christmas Eve and Day represent a significant drop in traffic, December 26 (Boxing Day) sees a resurgence, with many people returning online, possibly with new devices and gift cards.
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Step 1: Analyze the traffic increases on Boxing Day (December 26).
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Step 2: Note that the UK experienced a +16% traffic jump by 1 pm.
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Step 3: Record Canada’s +19% increase on the morning of December 26.
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Step 4: Observe that Australia had a +9% daily increase overall and a +20% spike around 9:30 am.
New Year’s Eve Countdown
Following Christmas, New Year’s Eve is another major offline event. Data reveals a global traffic decline at midnight on January 1:
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Step 1: Examine traffic drops on New Year’s Eve.
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Step 2: Note that Chile leads the drop with -74% compared to a normal December 18 baseline.
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Step 3: Record Argentina’s -66% drop.
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Step 4: Observe that Europe also experiences significant declines: Portugal and Romania around -60%, Spain -56%.
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Step 5: Document North America’s milder drop: The US sees -12%.
However, traffic quickly recovers in subsequent hours. France’s traffic increased by +37% at 3:15 am on January 1.
Key Takeaways for 2025
Here are some key conclusions:
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Holiday downtime is real, with less traffic and engagement on Christmas Eve and Day.
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Boxing Day is crucial as traffic rebounds in many countries.
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New Year’s Eve sees a universal offline moment at midnight, followed by a rapid traffic recovery.
With these conclusions in mind, prioritize optimizing your strategy for Boxing Day.
Days to Avoid Promotions 
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Step 1: Avoid promotions on December 24 (Christmas Eve).
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Step 2: Avoid promotions on December 25 (Christmas Day).
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Step 3: Avoid promotions on December 31 until midnight (New Year’s Eve).
Days to Launch Promotions 
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Step 1: Target December 26 (Boxing Day) for promotions.
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Step 2: Target January 1 (early morning) for promotions.
When planning holiday strategies, remember that knowing when your target audience is ready to reconnect is crucial.
Consider these insights when planning your upcoming marketing strategies.