christmas

name

1. (also, attributive, countable, uncountable)A festival or holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ and incorporating various Christian, pre-Christian, pagan, and secular customs, which in Western Christianity is celebrated on December 25 (Christmas Day) in most places.

   “Do you celebrate Christmas?”

   “This Christmas we’ll open presents, then go to grandma’s for dinner.”

   “Be gladde, lordes, bothe more and lasse, / For this hath ordeyned our stewarde / To chere you all this christmasse / The bores heed with mustarde.”

   “In this Winter was great death in London, wherefore the Terme was adiorned, and the king for to eſchue the plague, kept his Chriſtmaſſe at Eltham with a ſmall number, for no man might come thether, but ſuch as were appoynted by name: this Chriſtmas in the kings houſe, was called the ſtill Chriſtmaſſe.”

   “Kinde Gentlemen, and honeſt Companions, I preſent you here with a merrie conceited Comedie, called the Shoomakers Holyday, acted by my Lorde Admiralls Players this preſent Chriſtmaſſe, before the Queenes moſt excellent Maieſtie.”

2. (abbreviation, also, alt-of, attributive, countable, ellipsis, often, uncountable)Ellipsis of Christmas season (“the period of time before and after Christmas Day, during which people prepare for and celebrate Christmas”); Christmastime.

   “The last three Christmases have been good for retailers.”

   “Christmas shoppers spent less this December than last year, but our store will probably see just as many returned items during the twelve days of Christmas.”

   “There'll be parties for hosting / Marshmallows for toasting / And caroling out in the snow / There'll be scary ghost stories / And tales of the glories / Of Christmases long, long ago”

   “Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year / Christmas, it's the season of good cheer / […] / Christmas is love, Christmas is love / The love of God, oh that's the marvelous thing”

3. (also, attributive, countable, uncountable)A number of places in the United States:
4. (also, attributive, countable, uncountable)A number of places in the United States:
5. (also, attributive, countable, uncountable)A number of places in the United States:
6. (also, attributive, countable, uncountable)A number of places in the United States:
7. (also, attributive, countable, uncountable)A surname.

noun

1. (British, also, attributive, informal, regional, uncountable)Sprigs of holly and other evergreen plants used as Christmas decorations; also (generally), any Christmas decorations.

   “[T]he antient Britons employed for the decoration of their houſes, or, more properly ſpeaking, of their bovvers, branches of ever-green, in invitation to the ſpirits: a cuſtom, vvhich, hovvever the motive may be aboliſhed, is retained to this inſtant. That kind of verdure vvhich is uſed to deck the vvindovvs, and old halls, vve novv, by metonymy, call Chriſtmas.”

   “"Vere does the mince-pies go, young opium eater?" said Mr. Weller to the fat boy, as he assisted in laying out such articles of consumption as had not been duly arranged on the previous night. The fat boy pointed to the destination of the pies. "Wery good," said Sam, "stick a bit o' Christmas in 'em.[…]"”

   “Two of the girls carry between them on a stick what they call "the garland", […] The "garland" in shape reminds me of the "Christmas" which used to form the centre of the Christmas decorations in Yorkshire some few years ago, except that the latter had a bunch of mistletoe inside the hoops.”

adj

1. (US, also, attributive, not-comparable)Red and green in color.
2. (US, also, attributive, not-comparable)Of a dish: having a sauce made with red (ripe) and green (unripe) chili peppers.

verb

1. (US, also, attributive, informal, transitive)To decorate (a place) with Christmas (“sprigs of holly and other evergreen plants used as Christmas decorations, or any Christmas decorations”).

   “"Then look," said a gardener to me, "what's spent on a Christmasing the churches! Why, now, properly to Christmas St. Paul's, I say properly, mind, would take 50l. worth at least; aye, more, when I think of it, nearer 100l. I hope there'll be no 'No Popery' nonsense against Christmasing this year. I'm always sorry when anything of that kind's afloat, because it's frequently a hindrance to business."”

   “(Moving to the holly boughs.) Come on; let's finish Christmassing the place.”

   “Haddonfield was completely Christmased deep in December. It was lovely to see the beautifully decorated shops. Huge bows adorned the streetlamps, aerosol snow framed the windows, and people bundled up were moving in and out of the shops as the aroma of spice and clove from holiday candles scented the air.”

2. (US, also, attributive, obsolete, rare, transitive)To bring (someone) Christmas cheer.

   “Her labours feast imperial Night with sports, / Where loves are Christmass'd, with all pleasure's sorts; […]”

3. (US, also, attributive, intransitive)To celebrate Christmas.

   “The 2016 campaign via TBWA Sydney asks the question, ‘How do Australians Christmas?’ with a film to be launched today featuring global superstar and style icon, Cate Blanchett.”

4. (US, also, attributive, intransitive)To spend Christmas or the Christmas season in some place.

   “I've Christmased since those palmy days / In many a varied spot, / And suffered many a weary phase / Of Christmas cold and hot.”

   “I have spent Christmas on the Severn, at Sharpness Point; in Paris, under siege, and among scenes of heartrending distress; among the Scotch hills, with Presbyterian severity, and I have Christmased in Normandy, where every tree seems green with mistletoe.”

   “Prince Albert Victor on arrival in India will land at Bombay, and travel through Southern India, proceeding from Madras by sea to Calcutta. He will Christmas at Calcutta, and then make a tour through Bengal, and pay a visit to the frontier.”

   “Mr. Danby never omitted his annual visits to Penlyon Place. He Christmassed there, and he Eastered there, and he knew the owner of the fine old Tudor house inside and out, his vices and his virtues, his weaknesses, and his prejudices.”

   “André Maurois will be one of the spearheads of the Harold R[eginald] Peat list for the coming season, a result of Mr. Peat’s holiday visit to England, where he Christmassed with H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells.”

5. (US, also, attributive, colloquial)To subject to Christmas celebrations.

   ““[…] But there’s only so much joyful, greedy delight you can see in a young child’s eyes before you want to go screaming out for the nearest bar.” He tossed his handstitched, kidskin gloves onto the table top. “I’m about Christmassed-out, if you want to know.””

   “"The kids claim they are all Christmassed-out and have disappeared in protest."”

   “I had done Christmas in so many ways that I was somewhat ‘Christmassed-out.”

   “That evening, after the family, Christmased out, went early to bed, Herman brought out his unmailed letters.”

   “Christmas muzak was pumping out, presumably to get her into the spirit of the thing. Not much chance of that, when she had felt all Christmassed out for months. Bugger off, she felt like shouting as a particularly cheesy version of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ blared out. Look at all these people. Do any of them look bloody merry?”

intj

1. (US, also, attributive, euphemistic)An expression of annoyance or surprise: Christ, Jesus Christ, Jiminy Cricket, Jiminy Crickets.

   “"Christmas! I didn't know it," said Harvey, turning round. "I'll give you a dollar for it when I—get my wages. Say, I'll give you two dollars."”

   “"I've been tottering on the edge … Christmas!" His eyes brightened with a sudden thought. "How stupid I've been!" he cried at once.”

   “She said, "All right with you, Bertie?" / "Oh Christmas! he said. "I suppose so."”