It's the most wonderful time of the year, and the most hotly debated. Practically everyone has an opinion on the various traditions that come with the holiday season, from whether to go with a real or artificial Christmas tree or when to start listening to holiday music.
We tasked the TODAY anchors and hosts with settling a few more of the fiercest holiday debates. When should Christmas dinner be served? Is New Year's Eve better spent on the couch or at a party? And when can a significant other officially come to the holidays?
Here are their answers — and hot takes.
Are holiday cards in the mail still necessary?
Hoda Kotb: "Yes."
Savannah Guthrie: "Yes, but I never do it. Every year I say, 'Next year is the year.' But guess what? Next year is the year. I'm going to do it next year. I'm collecting envelopes this year so that I can! I've never sent a holiday card."
Craig Melvin: "Yes, absolutely. I'm a stickler for tradition. And how else would I be able to tell what my friends similarly-aged children are up to?"
Dylan Dreyer: "Yes."
Carson Daly: "Yeah, they are. Let's keep the tradition going people."
Jenna Bush Hager: "Yes."
Willie Geist: "Yes, love them. We put them all up on the wall — we have a huge collage in our house."
What's your all-time favorite holiday song?
Hoda: "Donny Hathway’s 'This Christmas.'"
Savannah: "My absolute favorite Christmas hymn is 'O Holy Night.' I think I have every single version of it on my Spotify. It is the most stunning and most beautiful Christmas hymn and reminds me what it's really all about. It fills you with a lot of gratitude and joy. And again, it just grounds me back in my faith and the reason for this holiday."
Craig: "'Silent Night' by The Temptations. Second, by the way, is Donny Hathaway — 'This Christmas.'"
Dylan: "'I Love U2 — ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).'"
Carson: "I'm gonna say anything that reminds me of my childhood. Nostalgia is such a great part of holiday music to me. To me, it's Bing Crosby. It reminds me of my dad and my sister growing up in Santa Monica — we always had holiday music playing. When I hear Bing Crosby or the Johnny Mathis Christmas album ... any Johnny Mathis Christmas song is my jam."
Jenna: "My all time favorite holiday song is 'Little Drummer Boy' by Carrie Underwood."
Willie: "'Little Drummer Boy.' But the version where Bing Crosby sings with David Bowie."
What time should a holiday dinner be served?
Hoda: "4 o'clock."
Savannah: "6 p.m., cocktails at 5. No, cocktails at 4, dinner at 6. Or 5:30. Any of that."
Craig: "Between football games."
Dylan: "4 o'clock."
Carson: "6 p.m."
Jenna: "5:30."
Willie: "5 o’clock."
When should significant others be allowed to come to holiday festivities?
Hoda: "After they've been dating for a whole year. Four seasons."
Savannah: "I think right away, as long as you don't mind answering the question next year, 'Whatever happened to so and so?' I'm like, 'The more the merrier, come on in and enjoy.' I don't think it has to mean that you're so serious. But once you introduce someone to your family, you are going to have to explain what happened if they don't come back next year. So you just have to understand that and be willing to do it."
Craig: "When the matriarch or patriarch gives the approval."
Dylan: "I think when you know, you know, and if you have to question it, then don't bring that person. If you're totally comfortable bringing that person then you should bring the person. If you ever question it, I think just leave them home."
Carson: "Once the parents have met them previously, at least once, and approve of them."
Jenna: "I feel like my husband didn't come till we were engaged. That felt about right."
Willie: "I'm gonna say if you make it a year, we're gonna let you sit at the table, sure."
What is the best Christmas movie?
Hoda: "'Love Actually.'"
Savannah: "I guess I'll just be like everyone else and say 'Love Actually.' I was just trying to think, 'What's a Christmas movie that I would actually want to watch?' I would say 'Love Actually' or 'Elf.'
Craig: "'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.'"
Dylan: "'Christmas Vacation.'"
Carson: "I'm gonna say 'Elf.'"
Jenna: "The best Christmas movie is 'Love Actually.'"
Willie: "Has anyone said 'Die Hard' or anything? Why don't I do that. 'Die Hard,' which implicitly, for me, answers the question. Not only is it a Christmas movie, it's the very best Christmas movie."
New Year's Eve: In or out?
Hoda: "Stay in."
Savannah: “Stay in. I just love a stay-in New Year’s Eve. The hardest part is staying awake though. I love having friends over. We do that a lot, we love having people come spend the night.”
Craig: "Stay in. Always stay in."
Dylan: "Staying in, 100 percent."
Carson: "In."
Jenna: "Stay in."
Willie: "You know, at this point in life, stay in — with friends though. Not like a sad lonely one, like have people at your house. Stay in, but with a group of people you have the most fun with."
