Songfacts®:

• Ezra Koenig: "For 'Holiday,' the band took inspiration from third wave-ska bands like Operation Ivy, but also reflects their exploration of new guitar tones and rhythms. The inspiration for the bridge was a family member who stopped eating meat after the US invaded Iraq – not as a protest per se, more of a visceral reaction."
• Koenig recalled to the NME February 16, 2010: "I hammered out the basic idea on the piano when I was waiting for everyone to show up one day. Then we played it on guitars and we liked how it reminded us of Operation Ivy and '90's ska-pink."
• Koenig explained the song meaning to the NME: "It's about a member of my family who gave up meat when we invaded Iraq. They were horrified by what was happening and they lost their taste for meat. It wasn't even an overt protest, it was a physical reaction."
• The song's music video was directed by The Malloys, who also were responsible for "Giving Up The Gun." It features the band dressed up as Aristocrats from a few centuries ago participating in modern day activities. Koenig told the The NME May 29, 2010 about the clip: "I wrote a very vague idea, which I gave to the Malloy Brothers, it just said, 'Four knuckleheads with powdered wigs running around LA!' The Malloys can get a crazy idea like that and turn it into a video."
  He added that the video, "was filmed on our day off before playing Coachella. It was this really hot and sunny day and we spent it all dressed up!"
• The song featured in two holiday-themed adverts over the 2010 Christmas season, for Tommy Hilfiger and the Honda Civic.