Holiday Celebration Opportunities? It’s Not New. It’s Human.

Long ago, in a not-so-far-away land, holidays and special days were honored in print, on the air, and in person. We called this time pre-Internet. To anyone born in the 21st Century, it sounds like a time before indoor plumbing.

The media honored Veterans Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. Newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and outdoor media would plan messaging to be heard and seen in the days leading up to seasonal celebrations. Those mediums weren’t better at acknowledging holidays back then. They were the only media outlets available.

A quarter century ago, most Adult Contemporary radio stations didn’t play non-stop Christmas music until Christmas Eve. The “innovators” would program the 36 Hours of Christmas starting at 6 pm on Christmas Eve and running commercial-free until 11:59 pm on December 25th.

There wasn’t a No Christmas Music before Thanksgiving argument because no station played it before Black Friday. This is beginning to sound like a time long ago, but the practice was still happening a few years into the 21st Century before the move to All Christmas Music six weeks before Santa.

Like most radio professionals and critics, I listen to my preferred stations and programs. We scan the dial daily to see what’s happening, or not happening.

Veterans Day listening in my home market found stations acknowledging the holiday with announcer/DJ mentions and audio imaging. I heard Country singer Lee Greenwood on the phone with a local sports station, 102.5 The Game, talking about his iconic song, God Bless the U.S.A.

My favorite break was a Top 40 jock acknowledging he didn’t know it was Veterans Day until he got to the studio, and he couldn’t get into the parking lot because of the parade. I’m certain he knew it was a holiday honoring our military personnel. But he likely connected with listeners who didn’t realize November 11th wasn’t just another Tuesday.

What is radio’s role in the holidays a quarter of the way through the 21st Century? If you’re keeping track, that was my third mention of our current century. Social Media, websites, and apps allow brands to create and share more holiday-themed content than we ever could in the previous century.

I saw three electronic billboards on Tuesday with Veterans Day messages. I’m sure those boards reverted to the previous messaging at midnight on Wednesday. Our content creators make emotional videos and appealing images and graphics to show we’re aware of the holidays and we’re in the moment.

Aside from Christmas music programming, radio hasn’t changed how it acknowledges holidays on the air. Maybe it doesn’t need to. But there’s an opportunity during this pre-Renaissance era of radio to create audience engagement and connection.

Every day, AI changes how we create and consume content. It has changed since I typed that sentenced. Another change is the audience’s opinions about AI. “Real of AI?” This question is amplified daily in my conversations, and its radio’s opportunity to get in front of our audience with classic in-person events.

When’s the last time a radio station executed the greatest Thanksgiving promotion of all time: Thanksgiving on The Mayflower? You get a Mayflower semi-trailer and serve a traditional Thanksgiving meal to a group of listeners who don’t have anywhere to go on Turkey Day. 

The servers (station personnel) dress up in Pilgrim outfits and create amazing social media moments. But that’s not the payoff. The difference in 2025 is improving the faltering human connection. Need an easier idea? Create teams throughout your brand’s market to serve at food kitchens and food banks on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.

Listeners love those gift cards you give away on the air, but they’ll remember and repeat the story of joining the morning show to serve others for years to come. And just like the prize winner, it takes only one listener with a PPM device to make a difference in Nielsen Audio’s audience aggregation.

Arbor Day or Earth Day? Gather your listeners to plant trees and pick up trash. Hey, these aren’t new or exciting ideas. I doubt many people will want to plant trees on April 24, 2026. But you’re creating something much larger with extended impact when you get real people in front of real people. 

This year is done. Get your planners and thinkers together and map out next year with one goal: How do we create in-person engagement opportunities around seasonal holidays? I’ll help you get the brainstorming started with some classic ideas: Bar Nights and Bible Studies. If you really want to get noticed, join those two ideas.