Wtf is Twixmas and when did it become a thing?

[tinseltoes1982]

I've seen two posts on social media referring to Twixmas! When did this become a thing?

But a lot of us are atheists who go back to work after new year's day so we really don't give a shit I'm sorry

I'm not remotely religious, more of a pedant who sees no need for inaccurate descriptions. No nerves touched and I'm not outraged 😂

Merry Christmas.

Chrimbo Limbo in our house too

Before we know there will be cards for twixmas, twixs on a shelf etc. Please let it die a natural and hurried deaths

It started when people began following the retail notion of Christmas being during Advent. So then they had to invent a name for what is actually Christmas.

Daft! Observe Advent and celebrate Christmas...no need for Twixmas!

It's cheesemas here - that period where you try to make a dent in the ridiculous amount of cheese there's left.

It may well be still Christmas up to Epiphany, but loads of people go back at school/work on the 3rd and 4th, so a specific term for the period between Christmas Day and New Year when lots of people may be at home fills a need.

Twelve Days is still shorter than Yule! The Christians shortened it

I think the pagans got it right, and a good festival lasting well into January is a good thing.

It's a bit Roundhead (right but repulsive) to tidy it all away so soon. Much rather wrong but wromantic

That time between Christmas and New year when you're full of cheese and don't know what day it is!

It wasn't Christians. Christmas was celebrated until Candlemas until capitalists wanted people back to work in the factories rather than feasting and celebrating for 6 weeks. Blame the Industrial Revolution!

Because Christmas can refer to either the day itself, or, for pedants, the Christmas Day to Epiphany period.

For a lot of people the 27th-30th has a very unique quality of its own. Even if you're working, eg in retail, transport or health it may well have specific characteristics due to the fact that so many other people are off work.

It's been used for years by holiday companies, particulary coach tours, to describle holidays between christmas and new year. www.leger.co.uk/tours/twixmas-in-ostend

Also known as The Christmas Gooch.

I first heard it in connection with coach holidays departing boxing day and back on either 30th or NYE. Eastbourne any one?

Always known it as the Christmas gooch!!!

Well, at the grand Old age of 50 I have now learned twix/twixtmas, merryneum and crimbolimbo. It seems I have been living under a rock for a long time.
It's always been known as December 27th to December 31st in my life.

It’s a longstanding term in German called ‘zwischen den Jahren’ (between the years). The traditional idea is that it’s a contemplative, almost magical period when you think about the past and look forward to the future, gazing thoughtfully into candles and relishing the peace and silence before the new year kicks off. It’s a very different concept from the more raucous imbibing during the twelve days of Christmas in the UK. Of course, in practice most Germans use the time to go sales shopping and sleep in late, but they like kidding themselves that it’s all more meaningful and almost spiritual.
At a practical level, it’s useful to have an English term to translate it with and I’m not so fussed if it ends up being twixtmas or merryneum, but refuse to go anywhere near crimbo limbo.

Oh do you know them too?

I was only slightly jealous when mine won a jackpot in vegas recently

But what's wrong with Christmas? Why do we need another name for the Christmas period?

Because it's referring to a specific few days within that period. You might as well ask why we need the names 'Christmas Eve', 'Boxing Day', 'New Year's Eve' etc, since they are also all Christmas. Sometimes we are referring to the whole if the Christmas period and sometimes we aren't. If people didn't ever want to refer specifically to the 'Twixtmas' bit, they wouldn't have bothered coming up with a word for it!

It feels different because its Christmas....

You are still treating it like Christmas, relaxing, eating, watching films etc. Work feels different because everyone is still off for Christmas!

There's lots of things that are Christmas that aren't Christmas day. I just hate all terms like crimbo limbo, twixmas etc. It's just really twee.

Maybe if it was a less silly/twee word. And maybe if less people acted like it was a concept that's only just been discovered it would be less annoying

It is a bit twee, but if people do feel the need for a shorthand for "that funny period between Boxing Day and NYE which is officially normal working days but kind of not" then evolution will produce a consensus word, which may or may not be Twix(t)mas.

Living up to your username 😁

Haha. My friend's always called this period the gooch, so I'm very happy with Twixmas. Although it's definitely still Christmas.

It's 'what bloody day is it?' in our house.

Lots of people work in the period in between Christmas & New Year, me included, yet I still lose track of the days.