Boxing Day is about to bring some real fireworks to crypto. We’re looking at almost $27 billion in Bitcoin and Ether options expiring one of the biggest year-end resets the market’s ever seen. And this isn’t just some routine closing of contracts. When this much money is on the line, everything shifts: traders scramble, market sentiment gets tossed around, and prices can snap in new directions as the new year rolls in.

Think of it like this: these huge expiries work like a pressure valve. Traders who’ve been hedging their bets or chasing volatility have to make moves settle up, roll over, or just get out of the way. Liquidity dries up fast, and price swings can get wild. History says that after big expiry dates, markets tend to jump sharply one way or the other, now that the weight of all that open interest is gone.

This year’s setup feels extra spicy. Bitcoin and Ether spent most of late 2025 going nowhere, leaving both bulls and bears annoyed. Now, with so many contracts expiring at once, those “max pain” levels the prices where the most options expire worthless could pull spot prices around for a bit, especially right around Boxing Day.

Don’t forget about trader psychology, either. With year-end reports looming, some folks want to lock in gains or play it safe, while others see the chaos as a chance to reposition for 2026. That push and pull can send prices swinging, even if the bigger trend stays steady.

Bottom line: this Boxing Day isn’t just another date on the crypto calendar. It’s a reset button. However the market settles after this, it’ll probably set the tone for how Bitcoin and Ether start the new year.