Christmas Comes But Once A Year

Since Christmas only comes once a year, people should put aside their differences and be good to one another. The proverb of Christmas comes but once a year to the spirit of generosity and goodwill that characterizes the Christmas season. The implication of the proverb is that people should spend this special time of the year and focus on giving rather than receiving. 

Origin of Christmas comes but once a year

Christmas comes but once a year originated from an animated short film with the same title that came out in 1936. The setting of the film is at an orphanage on Christmas day. The orphans are excited to play with their new toys, only to find they are broken and damaged. Professor Grampy, seeing their distress, decides to make some new toys out of various household items. The dresses up as Santa Claus and rushed to give the orphans their new presents. He also makes a Christmas tree out of a few old green umbrellas. The orphans are delighted at the surprise. The overall message of the film is that it doesn’t take much to help those less fortunate during the holidays. All it takes is a little effort and some compassion      

Example of Christmas comes but once in a year

This is one of the examples of conversations between two friends that shows how the word is used in context.

Ruby: Are you going to volunteer at the soup kitchen with us on Christmas Day?

Jolly: I don’t know. I wanted to stay at home with my family and open all the presents.

Ruby: you can do both, but I think giving is more important. After all, Christmas comes but once a year.

Since it is a Christmas coming I thought I would depart from the usual theme of these posts and look at some Christmas phrases. The phrase “Christmas comes but once in a year”  is from a poem by the 16th century English poet and farmer Thomas Tusser, who came from Essex, the country of my birth. The full quotation reads. 

At the Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year. The expression has passed into common usage, is the title of an animated film as well as a common way of pointing to the contrast between Christmas and other normal times. But here means ‘only’ a sense that Macmillan Dictionary label as formal.

It is almost impossible to hear the phase white Christmas without immediately hearing the smooth tones of my father’s favorite crooner, Bing Crosby, singing Irving Berlin’s hit song. A white Christmas. Through almost invariably depicted in festive illustrations, it is a rare event in most of the British isles since it is an occasion when snow falls or lies on the ground on Christmas Day. I only remember a handful of these in my lifetime, most recently in 2010. Since the British love a flutter.

Read more: Memory Making Christmas Activities