Because once the new year starts people look forward to new things, the giday lull at the end of the year is when people are feeling nostalgic about the best year and want to relive it.

Plus it creeps up because people want to beat each other. You might read the first list, not the tenth, even if includes data from the last two weeks of the year.

They put it out when it’ll get the most clicks/views.

why, though? the choice of the year ending on the 31st of december is wholly made by man–nothing in nature dictates that choice.

if anything, the original calendar had february mopping up after all the other months (which is why the fewer days as well as the tacking on of the leap day there). we’ve already advanced the end of the year by an arbitrary amount of two months. what’s one more week?

unless, of course, you’re saying that the year in review does not take into account the last week of 2023. in which case, yes, you’re right.

The exact beginning, and therefor the end, of a year are arbitrary. The only thing that’s important is the distance (or time) between the two points.

My friend, I have already started seeing “best X to look forward in 2025” lists. It’s just content to fill the void. They mean nothing.

Everyone knows nothing happens between xmas and new years.