5 Cryptocurrencies That Historically Rally During the Christmas Season

The final month of the year has historically offered favorable conditions for crypto traders. From 2019 to 2024, some large and mid-cap digital assets have shown gains in December, a pattern called the “Santa rally.” This trend is not guaranteed each year but is stronger during bull or recovery phases.

Bitcoin

December is usually a good month for Bitcoin when the market is strong. In 2020, it jumped nearly 48%, from around $19,700 to $29,000, driven by institutional buying and optimism. In 2023, it rose 12% with renewed ETF activity and holiday momentum.

Losses are possible too. Bitcoin fell about 5% in 2019, almost 19% in 2021, and smaller drops of 4% in 2022 and 3% in 2024. Thus, December gains are not guaranteed and depend on market conditions.

The timing around Christmas matters too. In 2020 and 2023, the strongest gains came after the holiday, suggesting post-holiday sentiment can have more impact.

Ethereum

Ethereum’s December performance generally tracks Bitcoin, with top gains in solid or recovering markets. In December 2020, ETH climbed close to 21%, from $615 to $750, as sentiment and activity improved. In December 2023, it rose about 11% with better liquidity and more risk-taking.

Contrarily, in December 2019, it dropped 15%, 20% in December 2021, and December 2024 saw an 8% decrease. This highlights that Ethereum can provide notable year-end gains when markets are healthy, but declines are possible in weaker conditions.

Litecoin

Litecoin has traditionally reflected overall market sentiment. Its best December was in 2020, when LTC rose about 42%, from $88 to $125. This increase happened as Bitcoin broke out and crypto payments, like PayPal’s, became more popular.

In later years, results were mixed. Litecoin fell nearly 30% in 2021 and around 12% in 2022, but had small gains of 5% in 2023 and 7% in 2024.

BNB

BNB often moves a lot in December, giving some of its biggest gains of the year. In December 2020, it went up 19%, and in December 2023, it rose 37% from $228 to $312 because of clearer rules and more trading.

The downside is also noticeable. BNB lost 13% in 2019 and 18% in 2021 and 2022, often after negative news. Once again, it can perform very well in positive cycles but may fall sharply in uncertain times.

Monero

Monero has a track record of strong December performance and tends to withstand market downturns. In December 2020, it climbed about 15% and in 2023 nearly 10%, while other years saw only modest changes. In 2024, the price increased from $186 to roughly $200 during the holidays. Its focus on privacy and steady use likely supports this stability.

It often maintains small gains or limited losses even in weak markets, which makes it a relatively reliable mid-cap cryptocurrency toward year-end.

What Do Those Seasonal Patterns Mean?

From 2019 to 2024, these five cryptocurrencies frequently gained in December, mainly in strong or recovering markets. Yet, every one of them experienced at least a single year of decline, highlighting the effect of market cycles.

Still, seasonal patterns are influenced by liquidity, sentiment, and project updates. Traders can use these trends to plan year-end strategies and handle market volatility.