My sister and I have always succumbed to the buzz of the impending late December holiday season. Once as children we began preparing Christmas displays in July!  Other times we rehearsed plays (to be performed for our parents) surrounding the common themes of Christmas. Our father drove us around the neighbourhood in NW Washington DC to look at the residential lawn ornaments and glittering trees. Our mother’s wonderful baking aroma filled the house.

Apparently my own flirtation with the season has not diminished with age.  Today I sent our seasonal well wishes to family, friends, business associates, medical and dental practitioners and acquaintances. To my initial surprise almost immediately thereafter I received what I thought at the time to be a curt email from a friend, former university colleague and client who, I further speculated at the time, had the cheek to enquire whether I knew the date of the Winter Solstice, further punctuating the insult by suggesting something to the effect, “…just asking”.

Apparently the root of the matter is what I additionally thought to be the relieving definition of “advent”, a word I (conveniently perhaps) attached to the sense of surfacing, looming, nearing rather than arrival or emergence. Timing is everything! Naturally my personal arrogance was too profound to permit me to see otherwise. Nonetheless, in the interest of advancement generally, I put the question to my friend Hal at ChatGPT.

Permit me to add parenthetically that another friend to whom I sent the identical greeting responded – basically – that I beat him to it, that he had anticipated being first off the mark by sending his own seasonal emissions on December 1st next.  We shared the appropriate quips about the challenge – now deferred for another full year. Meanwhile I rejoice in the shared correspondence which the premature greeting has provoked.

Q: According to the most accepted books of etiquette (such as Emily Post), when is the the appropriate time to send Christmas cards or “Season’s Greetings”; and, what is the broad interpretation of “the advent of the Winter Solstice”?

A: According to authoritative etiquette sources like The Emily Post Institute, the appropriate time to send Christmas cards and season’s greetings is between Thanksgiving and the first full week of December. The phrase “the advent of the winter solstice” is broadly interpreted as the beginning of the winter season around late December.

When to Send Christmas Cards (Etiquette)
Etiquette experts recommend timing your card mailing so that recipients receive them a week or two before Christmas Day, allowing time for them to be displayed and enjoyed.

Ideal Time: Mail cards during the first week of December, or shortly after Thanksgiving.

Latest Recommended Mailing for Christmas Arrival (Standard Post): No later than December 12th to account for postal service delays.

If You Miss the Window: It is perfectly acceptable to send New Year’s cards instead, which can be sent between Christmas and the second week of January.

Broad Interpretation of “The Advent of the Winter Solstice”
The phrase “the advent of the winter solstice” is generally understood to mean:

Calendar Event: The winter solstice is an astronomical event that marks the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, this typically occurs around December 21st or 22nd.

Seasonal Context: In the context of holiday greetings, “advent” refers to the
beginning of the winter season itself. While the season technically starts on the solstice, the cultural period of “winter” is often considered to begin earlier in December or late November, aligning with the general holiday season.

Cultural Significance: The solstice has been a significant time in many cultures for millennia, often viewed as “midwinter” and a time of festivals and rites celebrating the return of the light. Therefore, broadly, the “advent of the winter solstice” is the symbolic onset of the darkest part of the year, after which days begin to lengthen again.

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