The Winterval is an invented word coined to describe all festivities taking place around the middle of winter. It is a fusion of the words winter and interval and was intended to be a better description that embraces the mix of Neopagan (Winter solstice , Yule ), Jewish (Hanukkah), African American (Kwanzaa) and secular festivals such as ( Boxing day / New Years Eve) that take place rather than just the specifically Christian Christmas.

The word came to prominence in 1998 when Birmingham City Council in the UK decided to use it to give its Christmas festivities a politically correct flavour.

Its use has produced accusations of it being an attempt to secularise Christmas. [1]