The holiday season evokes more positive feelings than negative ones, with many Americans saying they feel happy and grateful. And while decorations and exchanging gifts may be nice, by far, most Americans pick spending time with family and friends as their favorite thing about the holidays.
So, as many families gather for this year, what are they going to talk about? Well, for a lot of them, it’s themselves.
More say they will probably trade family stories and catch up on family updates, rather than the latest current events or politics and politicians.
Other than family, majorities say they’ll probably discuss health, news and current events, entertainment and sports.
One hot button issue — politics — is less likely to be discussed at holiday gatherings. Across the political spectrum, Democrats, Republicans and independents say they will probably talk about family, health and other news more than they will politics — although roughly half of each group thinks politics will probably come up.
Whether the holidays make people feel happy or grateful or exhausted or stressed or even sad, they like spending time with loved ones most. Although relatively more of those feeling exhausted or stressed like having time off the most.
This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,267 U.S. adults interviewed between December 15-17, 2025. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to gender, age, race, and education, based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as 2024 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±2.5 points.
