Christmases or Christmas’s or Christmas’? Which is Correct?
How many Christmases can you remember? When it comes to thinking about Christmas, it’s not often we think about it in the plural form. After all, each Christmas is unique. But, what if we want to talk about more than one Christmas? Is Christmases, Christmas’s, or Christmas’ the correct plural form of Christmas and what do they all mean?
The short answer is that the correct plural form of the word Christmas is Christmases (we left a clue in the first sentence)!
Christmas’s and Christmas’ are also grammatically correct, but they are the possessive forms of the word Christmas. So, the apostrophe ‘s’ is used to show possession and not multiple Christmases.
Before we delve deeper into the grammar, what is Christmas?
Christmas
Christmas is a Christian festival that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25th each year. It is celebrated by billions of people around the world and involves a range of customs and traditions. These include decorating Christmas trees, exchanging gifts, singing carols, attending church services, and sharing meals with family and friends.
Different countries can also have their own traditions, such as lighting candles, hanging stockings, or preparing special foods. Some celebrate on Christmas Eve on December 24th, while others celebrate on Christmas Day on December 25th. So, one country’s Christmas is often quite different to that of another and there are a whole variety of Christmas words to describe the season.
Countries in the Northern Hemisphere celebrate Christmas in winter, which is why we often associate Christmas with words about winter. Meanwhile, countries in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate Christmas in summer.
For many people, the Christmas season is a magical time of year. It starts with putting up the Christmas tree and decorations, and all of the well-known festive songs come on the radio. Children eagerly await the arrival of Santa and adults get to enjoy a holiday and spend time with those closest to them. This is why everyone remembers what they did at this time of year and people are able to recall Christmases from different times in their life.
Christmases
Christmases is the plural form of Christmas.
In simple terms, if you are referring to more than one Christmas, be it Christmases in the past, or Christmases in the future, you should use Christmases.
George Michael might have sung about last Christmas, but if he had sung about more than one Christmas the song could have been named “Past Christmases”. Although that doesn’t quite have the same ring to it…
Examples
We’ve spent our last few Christmases at home.
I got this shirt a few Christmases ago.
I’ve experienced three white Christmases in my life.
I’ve eaten too much this Christmas, I think I’ll cut down over the next few Christmases.
An easy way to remember this is that you are much more likely to be talking about multiple Christmases (Christmas in its plural form) rather than something that belongs to Christmas.
And what is the possessive form for Christmas? Something that belongs to Christmas would be Christmas’s or Christmas’.
Christmas’s
You’ll rarely see Christmas used in the possessive form. However, if you do, Christmas’s is one way that to write Christmas in the possessive form.
Example
That’s the last bit of preparation we need to do for Christmas’s events this year.
Christmas’
Additionally, you can write Christmas in its possessive form as Christmas’. You can use Christmas’ to describe something that belongs to Christmas. Once again, it’s very unusual to see it used as not that many things belong to Christmas.
Example
Christmas’ events look more exciting than usual this year.
Christmas’s or Christmas’?
In the rare event that you need to use Christmas in its possessive form, it’s really down to you how to write it. Both Christmas’s and Christmas’ are correct. The key thing is to keep the consistency with the rest of your writing. So, if you’re writing Christmas’s, you should write James’s and not James’, for example.
Christmases or Christmas’s?
If you’re talking about more than one Christmas, then you should use Christmases. If you’re using Christmas in the possessive form then it’s Christmas’s. However, it is very unusual to see it used in this way as it’s not often that we talk about something that belongs to Christmas.
Summary: May your use of Christmases be right
Christmas can be a busy time of year and there are a lot of things to think about. Grammar may not be at the top of your list! However, to save you the worry, you now know that if you want to talk about Christmas in the plural form you should use Christmases. Christmas’s or Christmas; can be used to describe something that belongs to Christmas.
So, with that being said, may your days be merry and bright, and may all your uses of Christmases be right.
