TikTok has emerged as the ultimate playground for reinventing trends, memes, and yes—even Christmas traditions. For many users, the platform functions as an interactive advent calendar—one trend at a time. Here, we’ve gathered recurring videos and trends that perfectly capture this generation’s mix of irony, playfulness, and holiday obsession—from grinchy takes to glossy, over-the-top festive aesthetics.

Mariah Carey Defrosting: The Meme That Kicks Off Christmas Season

“It’s tiiiiiiime.” Just two words, stretched out on the I, and somehow, you immediately feel it. It’s November 1st, and your For You page is already flooded with videos of people going about their usual routines—until suddenly, that sound appears. Faint at first, but unmistakable.

Between the excited cheers and the angry screams of those who dread the next two months, Mariah Carey is there. Defrosting, as we mentioned. And this year, she’s announcing it with a video in collaboration with Sephora (remember when I said that it’s not just Gen Z accounts that lean into this humor anymore?).

As always, the defrosting season kicks off with a video—sometimes elaborate, sometimes simple—but each year it feels like a new challenge. If the trend keeps evolving like this, even Mariah herself might soon struggle to come up with fresh ways to “defrost.”

TikTok Christmas Trend: The Rise of Gnome-Inspired Holiday Decorations

Alongside her presence, the Christmas decorations roll in—and with them, a trend that has captivated both Boomer moms and die-hard gnome enthusiasts alike (all respect to the true fans!). Every year, homes—and TikTok feeds—are flooded with pointy-hatted, bearded gnomes in every color, pattern, and size imaginable. While some people are busy adding a “new member of the squad” to their ever-growing collection, the rest of us are rolling our eyes, laughing at the sheer absurdity of it all.

TikTok captures the full spectrum of reactions: on one side, tutorials show how to craft your own gnome army with different hat styles and dramatic poses; on the other, countless videos gleefully mock the craze, highlighting how ridiculous these miniature armies look when they start taking over every shelf. Honestly, we’re fully on the side of the mockers—gnomes may be festive, but their relentless march across living rooms is holiday comedy gold.

Christmas on a Budget: TikTok Users Turn DIY Into Comedy Gold

However, not everyone has the time, energy, or money to deck their halls like a Hallmark movie. Maybe the Christmas spirit never quite reaches you, and you try to run from it like you run from the endless Christmas greeting messages on December 25th. Or maybe you just know that decorating isn’t your thing. That’s where the “Christmas on a Budget” vibe comes in. TikTok users have turned this reality into comedy gold, creating a trend where people compete to produce the most horrifying—or hilariously tacky—Christmas decorations possible. What may have started as a genuine attempt to make the house festive on a budget has quickly evolved into a joke to replicate: the bigger, brighter, and more ridiculous, the better. From tangled lights to mismatched ornaments and DIY disasters, the trend thrives on irony and creativity, proving that holiday spirit doesn’t need a hefty price tag—just a good sense of humor. And, of course, all of this is accompanied by a recurring audio that perfectly accentuates the horrifying vibe, the kind that would probably earn a big side-eye from your mother.

Gen Z Christmas Humor: Viral Mispronunciations and Funny Holiday Greetings

That said, it seems that the mood doesn’t just affect decorations—it also shapes the way people say “Merry Christmas,” influenced by videos that have simply become iconic on TikTok and keep resurfacing every year. These clips have inspired a grinchy, ironic way of spreading holiday greetings, perfectly in line with the humor and style of this generation. It’s a small rebellion against the traditional rituals and clichés of Christmas, offering a moment to laugh at the holiday while still celebrating it—just a little less seriously.

It’s in fact referring to all the times that Christmas has been mispronounced in the internet such as in the case of  Camila Cabello singing “I’ll be home for quismois” turning the performance video into pure internet gold. 

Or then, the everlasting video of “Merry Chrysler, Merry Chrismus” spread all over Tik Tok few years ago, of a little kid repeatedly wishing everyone a “Merry Crisis” (or many other creative variation), intentionally mangling the word over and over. These clips have become a recurring source of jokes, and it’s not uncommon for friends to greet each other with a playful “Merry Chrysler,” embracing the grinchy, ironic energy that comes with poking fun at the season.

Missing Old Christmas: Gen Z Christmas Nostalgia and Meme Culture

Perhaps it’s the absence of that intense, magical Christmas we experienced as children that makes it hard for us to fully embrace the holiday now. Or maybe it’s growing up with The Grinch, a film that, in its own sneaky way, gave us permission to feel a little out of sync with the festive cheer—to be comfortable being a “Grinch” without feeling weird about it.

On the other hand, this might explain why this generation lowkey hates Christmas sometimes, never quite capturing the full magic of the season. That nostalgia for childhood holidays—when Christmas was about wonder, gifts, and simple joy—is now tempered by adult responsibilities, stress, and the constant awareness of commercialized chaos. Perhaps even previous generations felt the same way, and maybe over time, that bittersweet awareness softens as we learn to accept that things change. And Christmas becomes joyful and exciting again.

In the meantime, TikTok perfectly encapsulates this tension, precisely becuase of the age range of its users. The disappointment, irony, and longing for the Christmas we remember as kids often transform into memes, creating a language through which Gen Z can laugh at the holiday while acknowledging its lost magic. For the moment, at least, it works as a coping mechanism: laughing about it year after year seems to be the best solution, and judging by the recurrence of these memes, it clearly does.