pre-Christmas

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Happening or used in the days and weeks just before Christmas.

   Grammar: Sits directly in front of a noun: pre-Christmas sales. It is not used after a verb.

   Patterns

   • pre-Christmas shopping
   • the pre-Christmas period
   • a pre-Christmas party

   The stores are already full of pre-Christmas shoppers.

   We had a quiet pre-Christmas dinner with my parents.

   Pre-Christmas deliveries are always slower than usual.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Existing or done before Christmas, especially when compared with what happens during or after it.

   Grammar: Also comes before the noun; often contrasts two periods, as in pre-Christmas prices versus January prices.

   Patterns

   • pre-Christmas prices
   • pre-Christmas figures
   • pre-Christmas levels

   Pre-Christmas sales figures were stronger than last year's.

   The company hired extra staff at pre-Christmas rates.

   Her pre-Christmas schedule was busier than her January one.

Common combinations

pre-Christmas shopping

The mall gets crowded during pre-Christmas shopping.

pre-Christmas period

Sales rise sharply in the pre-Christmas period.

pre-Christmas rush

We ordered early to avoid the pre-Christmas rush.

pre-Christmas sale

The store holds a pre-Christmas sale every November.

pre-Christmas party

Our office pre-Christmas party is on the 15th.

Synonyms and how they differ

festive

Describes the cheerful Christmas season itself, not specifically the time before it.

holiday

In American English this often covers the whole Christmas season, so it is wider than pre-Christmas.

Opposites

Word family

Christmas noun

The holiday itself, on December 25.

Christmassy adjective

Having the cheerful feel of Christmas.

Commonly confused: pre-Christmas or post-Christmas? pre-Christmas or Xmas?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “pre-Christmas”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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