Christmastide

– C1-C2 (advanced) –

Practice Your Listening Comprehension

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DEFINITION

1. (noun) the time between December 25th and January 5th

   • this is more often used in literature, official government documentation, and/or religious settings

EXAMPLES

1. “One of the busiest times of the year is Christmastide. With so many holidays so close to each other, people often reserve this season as a time for vacation.”

2. ”Unfortunately, with it being the middle of Christmastide, I do not believe that we will be able to contact them until after the holiday season.”

3. “With Christmastide upon us, we haven’t much time to spare. We must act accordingly if we are to reach them before the new year.”

SYNONYMS

1. the Twelve Days of Christmas

2. the Christmas season

   • this also refers to before December 25th, though

3. Christmastime

   • like “the Christmas season”, this additionally refers to before December 25th

4. the holiday season

   • like “the Christmas season” and “Christmastime”, this refers to before December 25th, too

   • this also refers to holidays that are not related to Christmas (e.g. St. Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.)

What will you be doing during Christmastide? Will you be celebrating a holiday, or doing something else? Let me know in the comments below.

To learn about more Canadian holidays, including vocabulary related to these holidays, check out the Holidays link in the Tags section of our blog.