Christmas and holiday season
hideThe Christmas season, the (Christmas) holidays or the holiday season is a notable 2 to 4 month period that surrounds the Christmas holiday as well as other varying holidays. It is sometimes synonymous with the winter season, and is usually said to take place between approximately October and January. It has been found to have a proportionate effect on health, compared to the rest of the year. Its reference and naming by schools and governments has been the subject of controversy. It incorporates a period of shopping which comprises a peak season for the retail sector (the "Christmas shopping season"), and a period of sales at the end of the season (the "January sales").
The exact definition, name, and celebratory method of the period varies from culture to culture: According to Yanovski et al., in the United States the season "is generally considered to begin with Thanksgiving and end after New Year's Day". According to Axelrad, the season in the United States encompasses at least Christmas and New Year's Day, and also includes Saint Nicholas Day. The U.S. Fire Administration defines the winter holiday season as the period from December 1 to January 7. According to Chen et al., in China the Christmas/winter holiday season "is generally considered to begin with the winter solstice and end after the Lantern Festival". Some stores and shopping malls advertise their Christmas merchandise beginning after Halloween or even in late October, alongside Halloween items. In the UK Christmas food appears on supermarket shelves as early as September.
The precise definition of feasts and festival days that are encompassed by the Christmas/winter holiday season has become controversial over recent decades. Traditionally, the only holidays included in the "season" were Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day (in some countries), New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and Three Kings Day. In recent times, this definition has begun to expand to include Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Due to the phenomenon of Christmas creep and the informal inclusion of American Thanksgiving, the "winter" holiday season has begun to extend into late autumn. (See also list of winter festivals.)
For more information about Christmas and holiday season, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with holiday season
Forrester projects rise in online holiday sales
Nov 02, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Forrester Research Inc. is projecting an 8 percent increase to $44.7 billion in online holiday sales compared with a year ago as bargain hunters turn to the Web for deals.
Gartner predicts PC shipment growth in 4Q
Jun 26, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Gartner Inc. analysts are predicting this holiday season will be sweeter than last year's for the PC industry.
Prices for flat-screen TVs will not go higher
Dec 31, 2008 |
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Don't fret if there wasn't an HDTV under your tree. (Let's pretend it would have fit.) If you were like me this holiday season, it took considerable effort to get beyond the TV department at the nation's retailers. I was ...
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Microsoft: Windows 7 on track for holiday sales
May 11, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Microsoft Corp. says the next version of Windows will go on sale in time for the holiday shopping season.
Web shopping only holiday retailing bright spot, Purdue expert says
Nov 13, 2008 |
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Despite anticipated weak holiday retail sales overall, Internet holiday shopping is expected to increase at least 10 percent, said a Purdue University retail expert. Online sales are estimated to be $35 billion to $40 bil ...
Stop Stressing and Enjoy the Holiday Season, MU Expert Offers Tips
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Nov 02, 2007 |
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If this time of year brings to mind the joyful happiness and tingly feelings brought forth at the conclusion of the holiday classic Its a Wonderful Life, then a big let-down may be in store, according to a University of ...
Forget dieting over the holidays
Oct 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Changing your focus from dieting to living healthy during the holidays boosts the chances of maintaining your perfect weight.
Deja vu: Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target in DVD price war
Nov 06, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is upping the ante heading into the holiday season, trimming the online preorder prices of some upcoming DVDs following last month's price cut on books.
Neurotic? Psychotic? What kind of holiday shopper are you?
Dec 10, 2008 |
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The holiday season is the busiest shopping time of the year. According to the National Retail Federation, more than 172 million shoppers hit the stores on Black Friday weekend this year up from 147 million in 2007.
A gift for planet Earth: Ways to save energy during the holidays
Dec 23, 2008 |
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Penn State's Office of Sustainability offers suggestions for saving energy this holiday season.
Briefs: New Zealand Telecom boosts Xmas coverage
Dec 13, 2005 |
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New Zealand's Telecom said it will pump $1.7 million worth of extra mobile coverage for the holiday season in remoter areas popular with tourists.
GreedyMe to help with present lists
Nov 18, 2005 |
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A new Web site called GreedyMe.com has been launched that allows users to create online wish lists.
Maintain, don't gain during the holidays
Dec 20, 2007 |
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For many people, the holiday season brings shopping and parties with plenty of delicious food. How do you maintain good eating habits and avoid weight gain when there are so many temptations that can doom even the most disciplined ...
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