holiday gatherings

Seasonal family events

Holiday gatherings are social events where family, friends, or colleagues come together to celebrate holidays—Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas parties, office celebrations, and the like.

The phrase often carries connotations of warmth and tradition, though it can also suggest obligation or stress: I'm dreading the holiday gatherings this year.

The term became particularly prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic, when public health officials warned against large indoor holiday gatherings.

Opposites
social configuration

holiday gatheringssolitude

State of being alone

isolation · hermitage · seclusion · social withdrawal · being alone

occasion type

holiday gatheringsordinary days

Unremarkable daily life

daily grind · business as usual · everyday life · non-events · nothing special

emotional valence

holiday gatheringsestrangement

Emotional separation between people

alienation · disconnection · loneliness · family separation · abandonment

Family

gather, holiday, holy day, gatherings

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G