The traditional Boxing Day matches are just one of many traditions that fill the festive period for many families. Yet whether it's traveling to the game as the frost bites or sitting in the warmth of the fire with the radio tuned into BBC Radio 5Live or talkSPORT, the football takes pride and place on Boxing Day.
The Toon Army, on the back of defeat in the Tyne-Wear derby, travel down the country to Manchester to face an in form Manchester United side, unbeaten in 7 games.
Louis van Gaal described the end of United's 6 game winning streak at Aston Villa last Saturday as a blow to their title hopes.
"When you want to be a part of the title race, you have to win these games,"
Yet a draw to Aston Villa is no blow to the Christmas celebrations like a late defeat to the bitterest of rivals for Newcastle; Sunderland.
"We have to move on, it's as simple as that. We can't dwell on it. It was a performance that was pretty good, but it wasn't enough." - Alan Pardew
Adam Johnson sent the traveling Black Cats' fans into ecstasy but for the Newcastle fans, hoping for a home win in the last game before Christmas, it was despair as the defeat consigned them to ninth in the Premier League after 3 consecutive losses.
TEAM NEWS
Manchester United
Angel Di Maria could return to the starting eleven after coming on as a substitue against Aston Villa. The club-record signing missed three weeks of action after sustaining an injury versus Hull City in November.
Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera are two new additions to the United injury table, as of last week. Fellaini is out with illness while Herrera picked up a knock in training.
Marcos Rojo's thigh injury, Chris Smalling's groin strain and Luke Shaw's ankle knock make United's defence a weak one.
"Smalling may be available for Newcastle" - Louis van Gaal
Daley Blind could return sooner than expected from a ligament injury suffered on international duty for the Netherlands but won't make the Boxing Day game at home to Newcastle.
"For a few players it [the festive period] is fun because they are recovering quickly.
"You also have players who are not recovering so quickly, so I have to rotate. I have a lot of injured players, this is the problem with these matches." - Louis van Gaal
Predicted starting XI: (3-1-4-2) De Gea; Jones, Evans, Blackett; Carrick; Valencia, Rooney, Di Maria, Young; Falcao, Van Persie.
Newcastle
The Magpies currently top the Premier League injury table with 9 set to miss out the trip to United as Pardew hopes to replicate last year's unexpected win in the North-West.
Steven Taylor will return to training in time to be picked by Pardew on Friday after suffering a facial injury in the Tyne-Wear derby.
Rob Elliot and Tim Krul are both out until January 10 with hip and ankle injuries respectively which leaves young Jak Alnwick in goal until 2015. Mehdi Abeid also has an ankle injury and will return for New Years Day with Ryan Taylor who has a knee injury.
Rolando Aarons remains out with a hamstring injury and despite early expectations telling us that he would be back in two weeks, Alan Pardew revealed that it may be three or four weeks before the 19-year-old is back in action.
Former-Manchester United winger Gabriel Obertan will miss the chance to return to his old home after he suffered a thigh injury.Siem De Jong has a thigh muscle strain so won't be available till 2015 as well as Davide Santon and Curtis Good.
The biggest miss for Newcastle will be Cheick Tiote who picked up a one game suspension for his fifth booking of the season against Sunderland.
Predicted starting XI: (4-2-3-1) Alnwick; Janmaat, Coloccini, Steven Taylor, Dummett; Anita, Colback; Gouffran, Sissoko, Ameobi; Perez.
FORM
Both sides suffered difficult starts to the season with an opening day defeat to Manchester City the start of a 6 game run without a win in the League, lasting till October 19th. United, despite the influx of new signings bought by Louis van Gaal, fell at the hands of Swansea in the first fixture of the Premier League season and followed it up with only one win from 4 games against QPR.
Since then both sides' form has transformed dramatically with United almost replicating the form of Sir Alex Ferguson's final title winning side with 6 wins in a row. Newcastle, after calls for the sacking of Pardew, went on a stunning run of brilliant results in all competitions and flew up the table.
Yet with 3 consecutive defeats after Pardew became the first manager to victor over Jose Mourinho's Chelsea this season, 2015 can surely only get better. The Magpies have conceded nine goals and scored just one in the three defeats to Sunderland, Tottenham and Arsenal.
MATCH FACTS
Manchester United have lost just one of 20 Barclays Premier League games they have played on Boxing Day (W17 D2 L1).
Newcastle have been away from home in nine of their last 11 Boxing Day PL matches and have lost six and won just one of those nine games.
The Red Devils have won 17 of the last 18, been victorious in the last 10 in a row and won the last 10 on Boxing Day at Old Trafford.
Jonny Evans has found the net three times in his last three appearances in this fixture, two at the right end and one own goal.
Manchester United played Newcastle on Boxing Day two seasons ago and won 4-3.
Newcastle have not won consecutive games in all competitions against the Red Devils at Old Trafford since March 1935.
After scoring nine goals in his first 10 Premier League games for Man Utd against Newcastle, Wayne Rooney has failed to net in the last five against the Magpies.
Robin van Persie has scored six goals and assisted three more in his last eight Premier League starts against Newcastle.
Manchester United have won 49 league games on December 26th; no side in English league history has reached 50.
The Magpies are the only team in the Premier League yet to score in the opening 30 minutes of a game this season.