The Premier League's festive fixtures aren't quite as relentless as they used to be. Even just a decade ago, playing four matches in 12 days or so -- including matches on both Dec. 26 and 28 -- was common. By comparison, everyone playing three games between Dec. 21 and Jan. 1 seems almost tame. (Just ignore the part where most other major leagues give their players time off during this period.)
Technically we've got one more festive matchday to go, but we're officially at the midway point of the league season, and the 30 games in this festive span to date have produced quite a few interesting plot devices for whatever Premier League race you're most interested in. Half the league is within five points of a potential Champions League spot, six teams are within five points of the relegation zone, and only four teams are in the purgatory in between (and two of them are Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, which is kind of fun in its own right).
The world's best league might also be its most interesting, so let's look at how this run of festive matches has impacted the table.
