This Might Be When McDonald's Holiday Pie Will Return In 2022

McDonald's is mainly known for its burgers, fries, and McNuggets. One of the reasons for this is because, well, they're pretty common. No matter what day, month, or year it is, you can almost always find them all on the menu. But this certainly doesn't mean that McDonald's doesn't offer seasonal items as well. Take, for example, the Shamrock Shake on St. Patrick's Day or, heck, even the McRib every so often. One such other seasonal item is the Holiday Pie, which as the name suggests makes its return around the Christmas season.

According to Deseret News, the Holiday Pie came out back before the new millennium around 1999, most notably being served in promotional packaging for "Toy Story 2." Unlike the usual apple pie, the Holiday Pie is filled with vanilla custard and topped with rainbow sprinkles and sugar, making it akin to a "birthday cake pie" wrapped in a sugar cookie. USA Today reports that the Holiday Pie returned last year, alongside the Mariah Carey Menu, but noted that people seemed to find the pie in different states at different times (i.e. some Twitter users found the pie in Texas, while others reported it wasn't yet available at their local McDonald's).

But how exactly can we find out when the Holiday Pie will be returning? Perhaps if we examine the previous dates when the Holiday Pie is released, we'll be able to draw a pattern and find out when the pie will most likely be released nationwide.

While certain McDonald's locations may receive certain items somewhat earlier or later due to the franchisee model, McDonald's makes sure to announce when a product is officially returning to menus across the country. For the Holiday Pie, it seems that it's announced in very early December, usually on December 2. Both Southern Living and Elite Daily made the announcement that the Holiday Pie was making its official return to menus on December 2, 2021, with Southern Living reporting that the Holiday Pie's return was confirmed by a McDonald's representative. Taste of Home also made a similar announcement on the same date in 2021, which adds credence to the theory that December 2 is the date it will return this year as well.

The pattern of being released in early December seems to be a somewhat recent one, as Delish reported back in 2019 that Holiday Pies were available on December 13, partially mid-way through the month. The Focus was also somewhat vague on the release date in 2020, although it reported that several individuals on both Twitter and Instagram were able to get the pie in early December and even at the tail end of November. 

If this is to be believed, you should look forward to the release of the Holiday Pie in the general area of December 2. Of course, McDonald's also has its own pumpkin and crème pie available for the autumn season, which can hold you over until December rolls around.