Transcript:

Housemate: Question. Why is Friday evening the end of Friday but, Christmas Evening is the beginning of Christmas?

Me: Technically there are two. “Christmas eve” and “Christmas Eve”. That’s not counting the third one, where “Christmas” refers to the season instead of the day(s), meaning there are many Christmas eves but only one Christmas Eve.

  • Alexstarfire@lemmy.world
    16·
    7 months ago

    Apparently eve can be short for evening but I’ve never heard anyone use it in the same way and it would be confusing as hell if they did. Eve means before hence Christmas Eve meaning just before Christmas day. Evening is a time of day.

    Though, this assumes Christmas being a day and not the season. If referring to the season it’s be the day before the season starts.

  • citrusface@lemmy.worldEnglish
    112·
    7 months ago

    These housemates are both dense.

    Christmas Evening would be the evening of Christmas day.
    Christmas Eve is the day before Christmas Day. There aren’t many Christmas eves unless you are referring to evening of days during Christmas time, Christmas time being the few weeks before Christmas, which is usually just acceptable to call Christmas rather than Christmas time.

    The point is it doesn’t fucking matter and God is an illusion, just treat others how you deserve to be treated.

    Edit: there is a 4th one actually - Christmas’ eve. Which could mean the day before Christmas or the evening of Christmas day, but that’s confusing as hell.

    Edit 2: Grammar is hard

    • citrusface@lemmy.worldEnglish
      33·
      7 months ago

      Jk. I’m dense and misread what the 2nd housemate said because English is in fact dumb as shit. We said the same thing differently.

      This doesnt change the fact that there is no god.

      • orphiebabyOPEnglish
        27·
        7 months ago

        Somebody casually mentioning Christmas (the holiday) isn’t a good reason for you to say multiple times, unsolicited, that “there is no god”. Fun fact, “proselytizing” applies to what you’re trying to do here, too. And it’s obnoxious. So you identify as atheist that hard, huh? Do you want to tell me, unsolicited, that you identify as Linux and vegan too?

        • citrusface@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          7 months ago

          It was kinda a joke. You can believe whatever you want. I’m not a militant atheist. What you believe has no bearing on my life. I’m not vegan, and I do use Linux, but also Windows, and also Mac.

          <3

          Sincere apologies if what I said offended - tone is not easy to convey via text on an online forum, especially dry humor.

  • aeronmelon@lemmy.world
    3·
    7 months ago

    Originally, Christmas Eve was regarded as the point in time where the 24th became the 25th, rather than the entirety of the 24th.

    This is why there’s also a New Year’s Eve. December 31st is the evening prior to the new year. So was December 24th the evening prior to the religious mass (gathering) to celebrate Christ - Christmas.

    Completely different from today, where Christmas starts on November 1st and continues until sometime in mid-February. :)