The word for the festive day of ‘Christmas’ is perhaps one of the most pleasing in the English language, both for its connotations and its phonetics.

Sibilance, as a device of speech, is sounded with a hissing effect, and corresponds to s, sh, soft ch, x and z sounds. It can sound soft, as it does in the word ‘feathers’, or harsh, as in the word ‘sinister’, demonstrating how word connotations qualify the sound effect, and the sound in turn reinforces those connotations.

‘Christmas’ is a sibilant word, spoken with a silent ‘t’, emphasis on the ‘s’ sounds—’Chrisssmasss’—and a sheer sense of delight at its associations. The word begins with sharp plosive crack, and follows through with smooth sibilance at its midpoint and finish. Together these are festive sounds, evoking wintry notions of crispness and ice, and of the brightness and abundance amassed to counteract the cold solstice.

The popular ‘Carol of the Bells’, with music by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych and English lyrics by American choral conductor Peter J. Wilhousky, features the word ‘Christmas’ at its—in the euphonic lines ‘Christmas is here’ and ‘Merry merry merry Christmas.’ In the first line, emphasis is placed on the first syllable (CHRIS-mas), with the dactyllic beat of ‘CHRIS-mas-is’ generating a delightful hiss. In the second, the triadic repetition of ‘merry’ generates a liveliness, punctuated by the sibilant ‘Christmas’ trochee. With the music based on a Ukrainian folk chant—the ‘Shchedryk’ (1916)—the addition of the English lyrics presents a carol full of energetic rhythm and sounds, creating a mystical sense of anticipation surrounding the season.