The history of NFL games on Christmas Day: Football fans have been gifted games four consecutive years

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It's a Merry Christmas indeed for NFL fans, with the number of games being played on the holiday ramping up over the past few years. 

Thanksgiving football is a long-running tradition in the NFL, but Christmas games do not share the same level of commitment. 

The main reason for the lack of games on Dec. 25 is that the holiday falls on different days of the week each year, many of which are not typical days the NFL plays. 

Festive fans fill the stands to cheer on their teams, even on Christmas Day. (Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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This contrasts with Thanksgiving, which is always celebrated on Thursday, a day when teams play anyway. 

Even though Christmas games have been few and far between for the NFL, there have been some played on the holiday, more commonly in recent years. 

So far, there have been a mere 27 NFL games played on Christmas. That does not include the triple-header that will be played on Christmas 2023, bringing the total up to 30. 

Out of the 27 games that have been played, there has been an uptick in more recent years. 

Many players get in the Christmas spirit by wearing festive cleats out on the field. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Christmas 2023 marks the fourth consecutive year teams have battled it out on the big day. 

The longest NFL Christmas Day game was also the longest game in the franchise's history. 

In 1971, the first Christmas games were held. The first game of the day was the Dallas Cowboys versus the Minnesota Vikings. 

The second game played on the holiday