Actually it should be less hectic the earlier in the morning you fly. I have done it deliberately before and enjoy cross-country flights with a row all to myself and the crew and passengers in a nice, mellow mood.

I've actually flow on the 25th and it wasn't bad at all. Most people want to be to the destination on the 25th or they want to be home on the 25th so the days before and after are the hectic ones.

The rush is before and after the 25th. On the 25th people want to relax and enjoy the holiday. So, usually things are closed or not very busy. Good time to do what you have to do as far as commuting. I have travelled on the 25th myself and found myself with lots of space, no lines, etc. Very enjoyable.

I work airport security and just got home from work and it wasn't even busy on the 24th. Now is the eye of the storm!

I worked for an airline for 31 years...Christmas day is notoriously dead...that's why the companies have so many charter flights...because they cancel so many scheduled flights.

Although its a bad day to be away from the family, December 25th is a great day to fly. You can rest assured that there will be minimal delays at the security lines. You can also be pretty sure that there won't be much traffic on the runway so your plane is most likely to get a non-stop taxi to the runway. Another thing that is common to happen on Christmas is the cancellation of flights because of uneconomical capacity. No use taking off in a 767 with 15 people on board on a major holiday. However, speaking in your favor, pilots are able to shorten routes because there is less traffic in the air. Some may know this already, but commercial flights are often routed to waypoints that are only necessary because of excessive traffic. Pilots sometimes request to skip a turn or a waypoint in the route to make it shorter, although often denied, Christmas was a light traffic day and made this possible. I captained four flights on Christmas Day in the afternoon and had quite an easy time. The plane was at half capacity, skies were mostly clear, and I had no delays to deal with in getting to the gate or the runway. However, note that weather could cause things to get crazy at some airports! A lot of folks travel in the week leading up to Christmas, if weather delays cause flights to be cancelled, you could be looking at a mess. A few days of bad weather at some northern airports could leave folks in the south with no plane to board. Although one airport may be in good weather, the arrivals may be delayed because another airport has closed and prevented planes from taking off. Its one of those things you have to play by ear.

I find flying on holidays easier, as most of those who would be clogging the airports are away celebrating. While I've never flown on Christmas, I have flown on Easter, and the planes were nearly empty.