What is "christmas"

Christmas \Christ"mas\, n. [Christ + mass.] An annual church festival (December 25) and in some States a legal holiday, in memory of the birth of Christ, often celebrated by a particular church service, and also by special gifts, greetings, and hospitality. Christmas box.

1. A box in which presents are deposited at Christmas.

2. A present or small gratuity given to young people and servants at Christmas; a Christmas gift.

   Christmas carol, a carol sung at, or suitable for, Christmas.

   Christmas day. Same as Christmas.

   Christmas eve, the evening before Christmas.

   Christmas fern (Bot.), an evergreen North American fern ( Aspidium acrostichoides), which is much used for decoration in winter.

   Christmas flower, Christmas rose, the black hellebore, a poisonous plant of the buttercup family, which in Southern Europe often produces beautiful roselike flowers midwinter.

   Christmas tree, a small evergreen tree, set up indoors, to be decorated with bonbons, presents, etc., and illuminated on Christmas eve.

late Old English Cristes mæsse, from Christ (and retaining the original vowel sound) + mass (n.2).\n

\nWritten as one word from mid-14c. As a verb from 1590s. Father Christmas first attested in a carol attributed to Richard Smart, Rector of Plymtree (Devon) from 1435-77. Christmas tree in modern sense first attested 1835 in American English, from German Weihnachtsbaum. Christmas cards first designed 1843, popular by 1860s. Christmas Eve is Middle English Cristenmesse Even (c.1300).

v. spend Christmas; "We were christmassing in New York"

Christmas is the first Christmas worship album of Christian Contemporary music composed of Christmas songs by the Hillsong Church. It was released, in Australia, for Christmas in 2000 and appeared in international markets by September 2001.

Christmas is a 2004 album by Chris Isaak released on Warner Bros. Records.

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas (also known as Christmas 1984) is the first Christmas album and sixth studio album released by American musical group Mannheim Steamroller. It was the band's first album to chart on the Billboard 200 album chart, peaking at #50.

On June 21, 2004, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas was certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of six million copies in the United States since its 1984 release, making it one of the best-selling Christmas/holiday albums in the U.S.

Seven of the album's 11 tracks were included in the group's 2004 compilation Christmas Celebration.

The album's version of "Deck The Halls" was used in a Christmas bumper for Cartoon Network in 2012.

As of November 2014, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas was the seventh best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the U.S. during the Nielsen SoundScan era of music sales tracking (March 1991 – present), having sold a total of 3,500,000 copies during that period according to SoundScan.

"Christmas" is a song written by Pete Townshend and is the seventh song on The Who's rock opera Tommy. On the original LP, it opens the second side of the album.

Christmas is the fourth studio album and first Christmas album from Christian pop rock singer Rebecca St. James. It was released on October 7, 1997 through ForeFront Records. The album was produced by Tedd T.

Christmas is an EP by the indie rock band Low. It was released in 1999 on Kranky. A Christmas album, it was released as a gift to fans.

Christmas is one of the major Christian holidays. The day before Christmas is Christmas Eve.

Christmas can also refer to:

Christmas is the 1989 Michael W. Smith studio album and Smith's first Christmas album.

Christmas is the twelfth studio album and the first Christmas album by Kenny Rogers released in 1981.

Christmas is the fourth full-length album by Old Man Gloom, released in 2004 by Tortuga Recordings. Aaron Turner, owner of Hydra Head Records and former Isis guitarist and vocalist, described this album as “one of the most engaging projects I have been involved with both musically and visually”.

Christmas was the name of the 1991 holiday themed album of American singer-songwriter Don McLean. The album was released on the Curb Records label.

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Christmas is the eleventh overall, sixth North American, and third holiday album released by the a cappella group Rockapella. It was re-released on Shakariki Records in 2004. The album wasn't released in Japan until 2001 on Rentrak Records and has a different track list and different artwork.

Christmas or Christmas Day (, meaning " Christ's Mass") is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is prepared for by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night; in some traditions, Christmastide includes an Octave. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated culturally by a large number of non-Christian people, and is an integral part of the holiday season, while some Christian groups reject the celebration. In several countries, celebrating Christmas Eve on December 24 has the main focus rather than December 25, with gift-giving and sharing a traditional meal with the family.

While the month and date of Jesus' birth are unknown, by the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church had placed Christmas on December 25, a date later adopted in the East. Today, most Christians celebrate Christmas on the date of December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which is also the calendar in near-universal use in the secular world. However, some Eastern churches celebrate Christmas on the December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar, the day after the Western Christian Church celebrates the Epiphany. This is not a disagreement over the date of Christmas as such, but rather a disagreement over which calendar should be used to determine the day that is December 25. The date of Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with the day exactly nine months after the day on which early Christians believed that Jesus was conceived, or with one or more ancient polytheistic festivals that occurred near southern solstice (i.e., the Roman winter solstice); a further solar connection has been suggested because of a biblical verse identifying Jesus as the "Sun of righteousness".

The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath, Christmas music and caroling, lighting a Christingle, an exchange of Christmas cards, church services, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore. Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

Christmas is a relatively rare surname, which is sometimes said to have been a byname given to a person born at Christmas. However, others dispute this interpretation.

A few hundred years ago, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. When literacy was still uncommon, spelling variations are often found in names with Anglo-Saxon origins which are transcribed based . Words were transcribed using their pronunciation when names are listed in public records.

The byname was spelled "Cristemass" in 1185 and 1191, and "Cristesmesse" in 1308. The name is principally found in Essex and Sussex counties in England where some records suggest that they held a family seat during ancient times..

At least fifty (50) women called Mary have married a man with the surname of Christmas over the past 170 years to become Mary Christmas. In December 2012, living Mrs. Mary Christmas from Hull, England was featured online as a woman with a year-round Yuletide spirit. She is a wife to a certain Leeroy Christmas.

The earliest known record on Mary Christmas was discovered in 1837 when Mary Cannon married a Mr. Christmas in Alton, Hampshire and set herself up for years of festive ribbing.

Christmas is country music singer Clay Walker's seventh album. It was released September 10, 2002, on Warner Bros. Records. It features Walker's renditions of various Christmas songs. "Blue Christmas" and "Feliz Navidad" both charted on the Hot Country Songs charts from Christmas airplay.

Christmas, a collection of Christmas songs, is the third studio album by American recording artist Kimberley Locke. The album was only released digitally.

Christmas is the name of the 2001 English-language holiday themed album by contemporary Christian singer Jaci Velasquez. The album was released under Word Entertainment. She toured in November and December 2001 to support the album.

Christmas is a Jorma Kaukonen studio album released in July 1996. It was the only themed album Kaukonen recorded and was a departure from the usual Rev. Gary Davis influenced tunes. It included new Christmas-themed compositions as well old hymns such as " Silent Night." Like the previous album, The Land of Heroes, Christmas incorporated the work of Michael Falzarano and Fred Bogert. Kaukonen's wife Vanessa also performed vocals and co-wrote one song. It was also the only time Kaukonen performed keyboards on an album.

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is a Christmas holiday rock song originally sung by Darlene Love and included on the 1963 Christmas compilation album, A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records. The song was written by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry along with Phil Spector, with the intentions of being sung by Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes. According to Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector was not able to put as much emotion into the song as needed. Instead, Love was brought into the studio to record the song which became a big success over time and one of Love's signature tunes.

In December 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" first on its list of The Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Songs, saying that "nobody can match Love's emotion and sheer vocal power."

Christmas is the first Christmas album by country band Alabama. The album was released on RCA Records in 1985, and has since been certified platinum for sales of 2 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America.

The album is Alabama's first Christmas album and includes one of their more popular holiday songs, 1982's " Christmas in Dixie," which charted on two of Billboard magazine's music popularity charts in six different calendar years. "Christmas in Dixie" peaked at # 35 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart in January 1983, and also reached # 3 on Billboard's special, year-end, weekly Christmas Singles chart in December 1983.

Christmas is the seventh country studio album by the Oak Ridge Boys, released in 1982. It is a holiday / Christmas album released via MCA Records. The album produced one single in " Thank God for Kids", which made number three on the Hot Country Songs charts.

Christmas is an album Elaine Paige, released in 1986, the fifth and final album to be released on the label until the release of Piaf in 1994. The album reached number 27 in the UK album charts. The album was re-issued on CD in 2006.

It was the fourth and last of Paige's albums to be produced by Tony Visconti, after Stage (1983), Cinema (1984) and Love Hurts (1985).

The album was recorded at Visconti's Good Earth Studios in September 1986. In contrast to Paige's musical theatre background, a feature of all her Visconti-produced recordings is the pop arrangements. "Ave Maria" had been recorded and released as a single in 1982, it was also included on the 2-CD set Save The Children - Christmas Carols and Festive Songs in 1988. "A Winter's Tale" was written by Wombles producer Mike Batt and Paige's then partner, lyricist Tim Rice and had been originally recorded by David Essex. Rice also contributed a voiceover as Santa on the final track. Tommy Körberg who, in 1986, was starring alongside Paige in the London production of Chess performed the Bing Crosby part on "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy".

The album cover artwork featured Paige in a fake fur stole decorated with mistletoe. The reverse cover showed another 12 shots from the photoshoot where Paige makes a variety of humorous poses.

Christmas is the seventh album released by the Sons of the San Joaquin. It marks the first independently produced and released Sons recording since 1991's Bound for the Rio Grande. The songs are all Christmas standards. There would not be an original Sons-related Christmas recording until member Lon Hannah's solo album featured a lone Christmas song called "Cowboy Christmas," which was a reworking by Sons associate Bill Thornbury of Percy Faith and Spencer Maxwell's "Christmas Is."

Christmas is Plus One's third album and first Christmas album. This is the last album to feature former band members Jeremy Mhire and Jason Perry. It was released on October 15, 2002.

Christmas is the first Christmas album by the Canadian country music artist Johnny Reid. It was released on November 10, 2009, by MapleMusic Recordings. The album contains nine Christmas classics along with the original songs "Waiting for Christmas to Come" and "Christmas Time Again".

Christmas was certified Gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association within one day of release.

Christmas is the first Christmas album by contemporary Christian music artist Francesca Battistelli. The album is her third release with Fervent Records, and her fourth album overall including her first independent release. The album was produced by Ian Eskelin, and was released on October 16, 2012. The album charted in the Top Five on the Billboard Holiday Albums chart and has received critical acclaim.

Christmas is the eighteenth full-length album by Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, released in 1993 by True North Records.

Christmas is a studio album by American recording artist Stephanie Mills, released in October 1991 on MCA Records. The album is a Christmas album, the first by Mills that showcases her soulful renditions of classic Christmas carols such as "White Christmas", "Silent Night", "Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer", and soul singer Donny Hathaway's, "This Christmas".

Christmas is the seventh studio album and fifth major label studio album released by Canadian singer Michael Bublé. The album was released on October 21, 2011 in Ireland, October 24, 2011 in the United Kingdom, and October 25, 2011 in the United States. On the week ending December 10, 2011, Christmas rose to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart, becoming Bublé's third chart-topper following 2007's Call Me Irresponsible and 2009's Crazy Love, and spending five weeks at No. 1.

The album also won a Juno Award for Album of the Year, making it the first holiday album to win the award. The album was re-released on November 26, 2012, containing four additional tracks, including a new recording of "The Christmas Song". Bublé also released a reworked version of " White Christmas", this time featuring Bing Crosby, as a single. This version premiered on Michael's NBC television special, Home for the Holidays, on December 10, 2012.

Christmas is the sixth EP release by the post-metal band Jesu. It was released digitally on December 9, 2010, via Avalanche Recordings. The EP contains the track "Christmas", along with two remixes of the song, mixed by Justin Broadrick's side projects Pale Sketcher and Final.

A limited CD and vinyl edition with 500 copies was released by Robotic Empire on November 27, 2012.

According to Broadrick, the EP was inspired by "the onset of the Christmas period and the onset of emotions and feelings of nostalgia, joy and sadness that the period often evokes". The title song, "Christmas", was described as "a frosty, sun-glinted, dreamy, nine-minute snowglobe dirge" by Spin.