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Christmas is a time for families, friends, and celebrations. It’s also a time to say “Merry Christmas!” and up some cards with your favorite Christmas words. There are tons of Christmas cards, but only a handful are worth buying. Those you believe should speak the truth of how much you care about the person on the front page — the one you will keep in your wallet or even frame.
Christmas Words
Some Facts about Christmas Words
Christmas is when words are spoken and written, and we always do this with a certain level of reverence. You want to ensure that we have the right words to say at the right time. Christmas is a time of magic, and the words we use can be magic too.
- First off, Christmas is a time of year when your words matter because it’s a holiday that involves giving and receiving. This means you want to use the best terms when speaking or to write about the holiday.
- Secondly, there are several different types of words that you can use when talking about Christmas. You can talk about the name of Jesus Christ, which is why there are so many different ways to say “Christmas” in English (like “Christmas Day”).
- Thirdly, if you want to make sure that your word choice is appropriate for your audience, you need to consider their age group and gender too! The rules for writing or speaking about these topics are slightly different for each case.
The word Christmas
The word “Christmas” comes from an old Germanic pagan festival called Christmastide, which was celebrated to honor the birth of Christ. The Germanic people who lived in what is now Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark worshipped a god called Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas), who brought gifts to children at this time of year. This was later adapted into Christmas celebrations for Christians.
Christmas
Christmas comes from the Latin word “Christes maesse,” meaning the “mass” or solemnity of Christ’s birth. The Latin phrase maesse means both mass and sacrifice and refers to the Roman Catholic Church’s celebration of Jesus’ birth as part of their Lenten period when they fasted and gave alms to charity (see Lent & Easter).
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Feliz Navidad.
The first one is probably the one you are most familiar with. It’s a greeting that means “Merry Christmas.” It’s also used to wish someone a happy holiday season or to say goodnight on the phone before hanging up.
The second one is more commonly used in Spain and Latin America. It means “Happy Holidays,” similar to English but not quite the same.
The third one is something that Spanish speakers use to wish someone a happy New Year. It’s also used as a greeting among friends who aren’t close enough for them to exchange gifts or cards yet still want to wish each other well for the new year.
List of Christmas Words
Following is the list of 200+ christmas vocabulary in the English language. This list is an excellent starting point for building up vocabulary to converse fluently in English.
- Advent calendar
- Angel
- Appreciative
- Baking
- Bauble
- Beautiful
- Belief
- Bell
- Bells
- Bethlehem
- Birth
- Blessing
- Blitzen
- Boots
- Bow
- Box
- Boxing Day
- Buche de Noel
- Candle
- Candlelight
- Candy
- Candy cane
- Card
- Caring
- Carolers
- Caroling
- Carols
- Celebrate
- Ceremonious
- Ceremony
- Charity
- Cheer
- Cheerful
- Chestnuts
- Chilly
- Chimney
- Chocolate
- Christmas Day
- Christmas Eve
- Tree stand
- Christmastide
- Church
- Cider
- Coal
- Cold
- Comet
- Cookies
- Cranberries
- Dancer
- December
- Decorations
- Display
- Donner
- Eggnog
- Elf
- Elves
- Emmanuel
- Epiphany
- Evergreen
- Exchange
- Faith
- Family
- Father Christmas
- Feast
- Feliz Navidad
- Festive
- Figgy pudding
- Fir
- Fireplace
- Frankincense
- Frosty
- Fruitcake
- Garland
- Generosity
- Gift
- Gingerbread
- Gingerbread house
- Gingerbread man
- Glad tidings
- Gloria
- Gold
- Goodwill
- Goose
- Grace
- Green
- Greetings
- Grinch
- Holiday
- Holly
- Hot chocolate
- Hymn
- Ice skating
- Icicle
- Jack Frost
- Jerusalem
- Jesus
- Jingle bells
- Jolly
- Joy
- Joyeux Noel
- King Wenceslaus
- Kings
- Krampus
- Kris Kringle
- Lights
- List
- Little drummer boy
- Love
- Magic
- Manger
- Mary
- Menorah (Hanukkah)
- Merry
- Merry Christmas
- Miracle
- Mistletoe
- Mittens
- Music
- Myrrh
- Nativity
- Naughty
- Nice
- Noel
- North Pole
- Nutcracker
- Observance
- Opening presents
- Ornaments
- Package
- Pageantry
- Parade
- Partridge
- Party
- Peace
- Peppermint
- Pine
- Pinecone
- Plum pudding
- Poinsettia
- Popcorn
- Prancer
- Presents
- Proclaim
- Receive
- Red
- Reindeer
- Rejoice
- Reverence
- Ribbon
- Rudolph
- Sacred
- Saint Nicholas
- Santa Claus
- Santa’s hat
- Santa’s helpers
- Santa’s sack
- Santa’s workshop
- Savior
- Scrooge
- Season’s greetings
- Secret Santa
- Shepherd
- Silver bells
- Sled
- Sledge
- Sleigh
- Sleigh bells
- Snow
- Snow angel
- Snow globe
- Snowball
- Snowflake
- Snowman
- Special
- Spirit
- Nicks
- Star
- Stocking
- Sugarplum
- Surprise
- Sweater
- Symbol
- Tannenbaum
- Three Kings Day
- Tidings
- Tinsel
- Tiny Tim
- Togetherness
- Toys
- Tradition
- Tree
- Trimming
- Turkey
- Unwrap
- Vacation
- Vixen
- Wassail
- White
- Winter
- Winter Wonderland
- Wise men
- Wish
- Workshop
- Worship
- Wrapping paper
- Wreath
- Xmas
- Yule log
- Yuletide
Christmas Words with Meanings
Christmas is a time for family and friends to come together, eat delicious food and give each other presents. But that’s not the only thing to celebrate! There are many Christmas words that you can use throughout the season. Here are some ideas for words to use in your Christmas cards and letters:
- Merry Christmas: This is used at the beginning of the greeting, but it can also be used at the end if you feel like being extra festive. It means “merry Christmas.”
- Christmas Eve: This refers to Christmas Eve (the day before Christmas) or on Christmas Eve itself. It means “Christmas Day.”
- Christmas Day: This is used at the beginning of the greeting, but it can also be used at the end if you feel like being extra festive. It means “Christmas Day.”
- Christmas package: This implied a present wrapped in paper or plastic and delivered on Christmas day or early in the morning after midnight on December 24th.
- Christmas tree: A tree decorated with lights, tinsel, and presents placed in your home during this time of year after December 25th has passed.
- Christmas: The holiday season in which Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
- Winter Solstice: The day that marks the shortest day and longest night of the year; a time for prayer and reflection.
- Yuletide: A colloquial term for Christmas celebrations. It can also refer to any holiday season or festive occasion.
Wrapping Up
Many words have become associated with Christmas, but as this post shows, many other words were used before English became the global language. Unsurprisingly, these words remained in the vocabulary of nations where English has never been the primary language. Some words are too attached to Love and Peace for them ever to be replaced, making them forever part of the collective vocabulary.
Christmas Words | Image
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