Christmastide

[kris-muhs-tahyd]

noun

1. the festival season from Christmas to after New Year's Day.

2. the period from Christmas Eve to Epiphany, especially in England.

Christmastide

/ ˈkrɪsməsˌtaɪd /

noun

1. another name for Christmas

Word History and Origins

Origin of Christmastide¹

First recorded in 1620–30; Christmas + tide ¹

Example Sentences

Instead of caroling and ringing church bells, the most prominent sounds on Christmastide were now town criers calling: "No Christmas! No Christmas!"

From Salon

The carol is based on an ancient Christian tradition known as Twelvetide or Christmastide - where Christmas Day is the first day of Christmas and 5 January is the last.

From BBC

“The Dead Hand” — subtitled “A Tale of a Weird and Awful Christmastide”— focuses on a smitten housemaid, her unscrupulous lover and a dead Catholic priest’s mummified hand.

From Washington Post

At Christmastide you can’t escape from the fact that Christianity centres on the birth of a child, and glories in it.

From The Guardian

In the medieval Christian tradition, Christmastide didn’t end until Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of the Lord, on Feb. 2.

From Washington Post

When To Use

What does Christmastide mean?

Christmastide is the period from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day.It can also refer to the period that extends from Christmas Eve to the feast of the Epiphany or Twelfth Day on January 6. This sense of the word is especially used in the U.K.Christmastide is similar to the word Christmastime, and their meanings can overlap, but Christmastime is usually used more generally to refer to the Christmas season, often the entire month of December.Christmastide is usually used more narrowly and is not commonly used outside of a religious context.Most often, the word Christmas refers to Christmas Day. But Christmas can be used to mean the same thing as Christmas season, Christmastime, or Christmastide.Example: I look forward to gathering with my family during Christmastide.