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holiday season

[ hol-i-dey see-zuhn ]
/ ˈhɒl ɪˌdeɪ ˈsi zən /
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noun
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.
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Origin of holiday season

First recorded in 1840–45

Words nearby holiday season

-holic, holiday, holiday camp, holidayer, holidaymaker, holiday season, holier-than-thou, holily, holiness, Holinshed, holism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT HOLIDAY SEASON

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.

Where does holiday season come from?

The first records of the term holiday season come from the 1800s.

The term holiday season is not an official designation—it’s just an informal way of referring to the period where there are a lot of holidays to be celebrated. It doesn’t have an official start date, but it’s commonly considered to begin on Thanksgiving. Still, some people partake in the festivities of the holiday season even before Thanksgiving, such as by putting up Christmas decorations.

The term festive season can be used to mean about the same thing as holiday season, but festive season is usually considered to begin after Thanksgiving.

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What are some synonyms for holiday season?

What are some words that share a root or word element with holiday season? 

What are some words that often get used in discussing holiday season?

How is holiday season used in real life?

Holiday season is commonly used as a short way to refer to the period from Thanksgiving to New Year’s.

 

Try using holiday season!

Is holiday season used correctly in the following sentence? 

The holiday season can be a stressful time of year, but I like to focus on the simple things, like spending time with family.

How to use holiday season in a sentence

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