"What is it with Christmas Eve that makes people want to hurt each other?" My theory is, all year round most of us want to, for example, eat fancy food, drink a bit more than normal, have time off work, spend time socialising, give & receive gifts etc - and holidays are the time to indulge those desires in a healthy way. Sadly, some people's year-round itch is to thump other people, so they, just like us, pick up the holiday vibe, let their hair down - and indulge themselves in their favourite activity.