This band was performing when a married tech CEO was caught on the kiss cam with his company’s HR chief at a concert this year.
Coldplay
More symbolic than useful, this item has long represented holiday disapproval.
Lump of Coal
This phrase shouted by Oprah during a Christmas-season episode became television history.
"You Get A Car!"
Named for a holiday plant and a tradition it inspires, this song became a modern Christmas staple.
Mistletoe
A seasonal romance links Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet through a mutual escape.
The Holiday
This pop star quite literally soared higher than a “Firework” this year.
Katy Perry
Swiped, not unwrapped, this holiday staple is appreciated but never exciting.
Gift Card
This once-annual item became a meticulously styled production for America’s most famous reality family.
Christmas Card
According to “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” this facial expression should be avoided.
Pout
This relative arrives uninvited, parks an RV, and permanently alters Christmas plans in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Uncle Eddie
This “Bad Boy for Life” lived up to his reputation this year.
Diddy
This Nintendo handheld console fueled 90s and early-00s nostalgia long before smartphones existed.
Gameboy
This comedian turned a holiday parody into an annual cultural staple with a song celebrating Jewish identity.
Adam Sandler
A Technicolor musical built around a title song became one of the most enduring holiday films ever made.
White Christmas
Baby It's Cold Outside
This classic holiday duet is playfully sung in the shower during a memorable scene in Elf.
Marketing optics, not acting, put this rising star on the Naughty List after a clothing campaign backfired.
Sydney Sweeney
Holiday ads implying you can casually gift a car are tied to this Toyota promotion.
Toytoathon
An animated children’s special helped introduce a major Jewish holiday to mainstream ’90s television.
Rugrats Hannukah
A viral internet claim tied this rapper to Mariah Carey’s holiday juggernaut.
Soulja Boy
According to It's A Wonderful Life, a bell ringing signals this celestial milestone.
Angel Gets It's Wings
Podcast culture, not country radio, pulled this Oklahoma-born artist into a very public storyline this year.
Zach Bryan
Launched in the 1980s, this toy brand built its empire on historically themed characters tied to specific eras.
American Girl Doll
This TV host made headlines after noticeably overindulging during a live New Year’s Eve broadcast.
A modern Christmas track asks Santa for clarity rather than presents, courtesy of this pop star.
Ariana Grande
A Whoville childhood role preceded this performer’s turn as a scandal-making Manhattan socialite.
Taylor Momsen