Julaftonen (Christmas Eve), a 1904–05 watercolor painting by
Carl Larsson |Also called||Christmas Evening Day before
Christmas Night before Christmas |Significance||Day or evening
preceding the traditional birthday of Jesus| |Date||December 24
(alternatively January 6 or 18)| |Observances||Gift shopping,
gift giving, goodwill greetings, Midnight Mass, other church
services, meals, preparations for the arrival of Christmas gift-
bringers, preparing for Christmas| |Related to||Christmas Day,
Christmastide, New Year's Eve| Christmas Eve is the evening or
entire day before Christmas Day, the widely celebrated annual
festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. It occurs on
December 24 in the Western Christian Church, and is considered
one of the most culturally significant celebrations in
Christendom and the Western world, where it is widely observed
as a full or partial holiday in anticipation of Christmas Day.
One reason celebrations occur on Christmas Eve is that the
traditional Christian liturgical day st