Christmas come early
1
7.3
- idiom
- Informal
:
regalo inesperado
- Winning the lottery felt like Christmas come early for her family.
Examples
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It looks like Christmas came early this year.
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OK, so Christmas came early for Miss Toler.
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After receiving a surprise promotion, he said it was Christmas come early.
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Finding out that the repairs were covered by insurance was Christmas come early for the homeowner.
Synonyms
1
4.2
An unexpected good thing that feels like it comes from above
An unexpected pleasant gift or event that feels like a small box of chocolates
How Welcome
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an unexpected but very welcome event' is directly derivable from combining 'Christmas' (a time associated with gifts and joy) with 'come early' (to arrive sooner than expected). The metaphorical mapping is straightforward and follows a common pattern (X come early = X arrives unexpectedly), so a B1 learner who knows the words and the cultural association is likely to infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Christmas come early may come from the simple picture of Christmas coming early, when you get presents before the day and feel a happy surprise. It means 'an unexpected but very welcome event'.