holiday season

[hol-i-dey see-zuhn]

noun

1. a period of days or weeks in which two or more annual observances occur, especially in the United States, where it most often refers to the approximately 5–6 weeks from Thanksgiving in November to New Year’s Day in January.

   The kids will be singing Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa songs for the holiday season.

Word History and Origins

Origin of holiday season¹

First recorded in 1840–45

When To Use

What is the holiday season?

The holiday season is the period that starts on Thanksgiving and continues until New Year’s Day. It includes the holidays of Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve.The holiday season is sometimes called the holidays. These terms are typically used to refer collectively to all of the holidays that occur during this time, regardless of whether the person using the term celebrates them or not. In contrast, the terms Christmas season and Christmastime specifically refer to the period leading up to Christmas.People often wish each other a happy holiday season by saying happy holidays.Example: I start feeling all warm and fuzzy as soon as the holiday season begins.