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), and New Year's Day. In recent times, this definition has begun to expand to include Yule, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. (See also list of winter festivals.)

United States

According to Axelrad, in his analysis of the writings of James Fenimore Cooper and Susan Fenimore Cooper, the winter holiday season has developed significantly over the history of North American colonization by Europeans and the United States. Originally, the winter holiday season "coincided with the conclusion of the agricultural cycle. With the harvest in, the pork slaughtered, the wine and beer properly aged, in the British Isles and colonial America it was a time of eating and drinking, but also of disorderly and promiscuous behavior." During the 18th century the important holiday of the winter holiday season in New York was New Year's Day, with cookies being "given as gifts, often by merchants". There was a battle for which primary holiday to celebrate during the Christmas/winter holiday season during the 19th century, with Christmas not becoming "the uncontested, supreme American gift-giving holiday" until the turn of the 20th century. During the 19th century, merchants would advertise gifts for the "winter holidays", encompassing the entire span of the winter holiday season. Two versions of Clement Clarke Moore's poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" were in circulation, one talking of the "the night before Christmas" and the other talking of "the night before New Year".

Shopping

Several of the religious festivals during the Christmas/winter holiday season are celebrated with the exchanges of gifts, and the winter holiday season thus also incorporates the holiday shopping season. This comprises a peak season for the retail sector at the start of the holiday season (the Christmas shopping season) and a period of sales at the end of the season, the January sales.

Although once dedicated mostly to clearance sales the January sales now comprise both winter close-out sales and sales comprising the redemption of gift certificates given as presents. Young-Bean Song, director of analytics at the Atlas Institute in Seattle, states that it is a "myth that the holiday shopping season starts with Thanksgiving and ends with Christmas. January is a key part of the holiday season." stating that for the U.S. e-commerce sector January sales volumes matched December sales volumes in the 2004/2005 winter holiday season.

Many people find this time particularly stressful.As a remedy, and as a return to what they perceive as the root of Christmas, some practice alternative giving.

USA and Canada

In the United States, the Christmas/holiday shopping season, during which a quarter of all personal spending takes place,^[12] is traditionally considered to commence on the day after American Thanksgiving, a Friday colloquially known as either Black Friday or Green Friday. This is widely reputed to be the busiest shopping day of the entire calendar year. However, in 2004 the VISA credit card organization reported that over the previous several years VISA credit card spending had in fact been 8 to 19 percent higher on the last Saturday before Christmas Day than on Black Friday. A survey conducted in 2005 by GfK NOP discovered that "Americans aren't as drawn to Black Friday as many retailers may think.", with only 17% of those polled saying that they will begin holiday shopping immediately after Thanksgiving, 13% saying that they plan to finish their shopping before November 24, and 10% waiting until the very last day before performing their holiday gift shopping.

According to a survey by the Canadian Toy Association, peak sales in the toy industry occur in the winter holiday season, but this peak has been occurring later and later in the season every year.^[15]

In 2005, the ceremonial kick-off to the Christmas/winter holiday season for online shopping, the first Monday after US Thanksgiving, was named Cyber Monday. However, although it was a peak, that was not the busiest on-line shopping day of that year. The busiest on-line shopping days were December 12 and December 13, almost two weeks after Cyber Monday. Four of the largest 11 on-line shopping days in 2005 were December 11 to December 16, with an increase of 12% over 2004 figures.^[16] Analysts had predicted the peak on December 12, noting that Mondays are the most popular days for on-line shopping during the holiday shopping season, in contrast to the middle of the week during the rest of the year. They attribute this to people "shopping in stores and malls on the weekends, and [...] extending that shopping experience when they get into work on Monday" by "looking for deals, [...] comparison shopping and [...] finding items that were out of stock in the stores".

In 2006, the average US household is expected to spend about $1,700 on Christmas and holiday spendings. Retail strategists such as ICSC Research observed in 2005 that 15% of holiday expenditures were in the form of gift certificates, and that that share of expenditures was rising. On the basis of that they recommended to retailers a strategy of managing their inventories for the entire holiday shopping season, with a leaner inventory at the beginning of the season and the addition of fresh winter merchandise for the January sales.

Michael P. Niemira, chief economist and director of research for the Shopping Center Council, states that he expects gift certificate usage to be between US$30billion and US$40billion in the 2006/2007 holiday shopping season. On the basis of the growing popularity of gift certificates, he states that "To get a true picture of holiday sales, one may consider measuring November, December and January sales combined as opposed to just November and December sales.", because with "a hefty amount of that spending not hitting the books until January, extending the length of the season makes sense".

According to the Deloitte 2007 Holiday Survey,^[20] for the fourth straight year, gift cards are expected to be the top gift purchase in 2007, with more than two-thirds (69 percent) of consumers surveyed planning to buy them, compared with 66 percent in 2006. In addition, holiday shoppers are planning to buy even more cards this year: an average of 5.5 cards, compared with the 4.6 cards they planned to buy last year. One in six consumers (16 percent) plan to buy 10 or more cards, compared with 11 percent last year. Consumers are also spending more in total on gift cards and more per card: $36.25 per card on average compared with $30.22 last year.Gift cards continue to grow in acceptance: Almost four in 10 consumers surveyed (39 percent) would rather get a gift card than merchandise, an increase from last year’s 35 percent. Also, resistance to giving gift cards continues to decline: 19 percent say they don’t like to give gift cards because they’re too impersonal (down from 22 percent last year). Consumers said that the cards are popular gifts for adults, teens and children alike, and almost half (46 percent) intend to buy them for immediate family; however, they are hesitant to buy them for spouses or significant others, with only 14 percent saying they plan to buy them for those recipients.

Some stores in Canada hold Boxing Week sales (before the end of the year) for income tax purposes.

Europe

In France, the January sales are restricted by legislation to no more than four weeks in Paris, and no more than six weeks for the rest of the country, usually beginning on the first Wednesday in January, and are one of only two periods of the year when retailers are permitted to hold sales.

In Italy, the January sales begin on the first weekend in January, and last for at least six weeks.

In Germany, the Winterschlußverkauf (winter close-out sale) officially begins on the last Monday in January and lasts for 12 days, selling left-over goods from the holiday shopping season. (This is one of two official sales periods in Germany, the other being the Sommerschlußverkauf, the summer sales.) However, unofficially, goods are sold at reduced prices by many stores throughout the whole of January and by the time that the sales officially begin the only goods left on sale are low-quality ones, often specially manufactured for the sales.

Medical analyses

Various studies have been performed of the effects of the Christmas/winter holiday season, which encompasses several feast days, on health. They have concluded that the health changes that occur during the Christmas/winter holiday season are not reversed during the rest of the year and have a long term cumulative effect over a person's life, and that the risks of several medical problems increase during the winter holiday season.

Nutrition

Nutrition

Yanovski et al.^[3] investigated the assertion that the average American gains 2.3 kg (5 lb) over the Christmas/winter holiday season, and found that in fact the data do not support this assertion. They found rather that average weight gain over the winter holiday season is somewhat less, at around 0.48 kg (1 lb). They also found that this weight gain is not reversed over the rest of the year, and concluded that this "probably contributes to the increase in body weight that frequently occurs during adulthood".

Chan et al.^[6] investigated the increases in A1C and fasting plasma glucose in type 2 diabetic patients, to see whether these increases were steady throughout the year or varied seasonally. They concluded that the winter holidays did influence the glycemic control of the patients, with the largest increases being during that period, increases that "might not be reversed during the summer and autumn months".

The Christmas/winter holiday season, according to a survey by the ADA, is the second most popular reason, after birthdays, for sharing food in the workplace. The British Columbia Safety Council states that if proper food safety procedures are not followed, food set out for sharing in the workplace can serve as a breeding ground for bacteria, and recommends that perishable foods (for which it gives pizza, cold cuts, dips, salads, and sandwiches as examples) should not sit out for more than 2 hours.^[25]

Other issues

A survey conducted in 2005 found shopping caused headaches in nearly a quarter of people and sleeplessness in 11 per cent.^[11]

Phillips et al.^[26] investigated whether some or all of the spike in cardiac mortality that occurs during December and January could be ascribed to the Christmas/New Year’s holidays rather than to climactic factors. They concluded that the winter holiday season is "a risk factor for cardiac and noncardiac mortality", stating that there are "multiple explanations for this association, including the possibility that holiday-induced delays in seeking treatment play a role in producing the twin holiday spikes".

The Asthma Society of Canada^[27] states that the winter holiday season increases exposure to irritants because people spend 90% of their time indoors, and that seasonal decorations in the home introduce additional, further, irritants beyond the ones that exist all year around. It recommends that asthmatics avoid scented candles, for example, recommending either that candles not be lit or that soy or beeswax candles be employed.

Other effects

According to the Stanford Recycling Center^[28] Americans throw away 25% more trash during the winter holiday season than at other times of the year.

Because of the cold weather in the Northern Hemisphere, the Christmas/winter holiday season is a time of increased use of fuel for domestic heating. This has prompted concerns in the United Kingdom about the possibility of a shortage in the domestic gas supply. However, in the event of an exceptionally long cold season, it is industrial users, signed on to interruptible supply contracts, who would find themselves without gas supply.^[29]

The U.S. Fire Administration^[5] states that the Christmas/winter holiday season is "a time of elevated risk for winter heating fires" and that the fact that many people celebrate the different holidays during the Christmas/winter holiday season by decorating their homes with seasonal garlands, electric lights, candles, and banners, has the potential to change the profile of fire incidence and cause. The Government of Alberta Ministry of Municipal Affairs^[30] states that candle-related fires rise by 140% during the Christmas/winter holiday season, with most fires involving human error and most deaths and injuries resulting from the failure to extinguish candles before going to bed. It states that consumers don't expect candle holders to tip over or to catch fire, assuming that they are safe, but that in fact candle holders can do this.

Because of increased alcohol consumption at festivities, alcohol-related road traffic accidents increase over the Christmas winter holiday season

United States and Russia

United States

In the United States, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States has had significant legal impact upon the activities of governments and of public schools during and relating to the Christmas/winter holiday season, and has been the source of controversy.

Public schools are subject to what the Anti-Defamation League terms the December Dilemma,^[32] namely the task of "acknowledging the various religious and secular holiday traditions celebrated during that time of year" whilst restricting observances of the various religious festivals to what is constitutionally permissible. The ADL and many school district authorities have published guidelines for schools and for teachers.^[33] For example: The directive on maintaining religious neutrality in public schools over the Christmas/winter holiday season, given to public school administrators in the District of Columbia by the Superintendent,^[34] contains several points on what may and may not be taught in the D.C. school district, the themes of parties and concerts, the uses of religious symbols, the locations of school events and classes, and prayer.

Russia

In Moscow in 2002, for the Christmas/winter holiday season mayor Yuriy Luzhkov ordered all stores, restaurants, cafés, and markets to display decorations and lights in their windows and interiors from December 1 onwards, and banks, post offices, and public instutitions to do the same from December 15 onwards, with violators liable for fines of up to 200 rubles. Every business was ordered to have illuminated windows from 16:30 until 01:00. This caused a mixed reaction, with people objecting to being forced to put up decorations.