I’ve been a Raptors fan for a long time, and I like to think I have a good memory for the big games. But I have no recollection of December 25, 2001, the last time the Raptors played on Christmas Day. BAsketball- Reference tells me they lost to the Knicks in New York, 102-94, and that Vince Carter scored 15 points on 20 shots in 46(!) minutes.
A lot has changed since then, which may be the understatement of the decade. The Raptors were a (potentially) up-and-coming contender in 2001 (little did we know how that team would turn out), which warranted the Christmas Day start.