The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word ADVENT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
A
D
V
E
N
T
More clues leading to the result ADVENT
- A day given opening — now on calendar?
- Arrival of notice archdeacon originally typed
- Notice archdeacon getting tense when candles are lit in church
- Commercial outlet in run-up to Christmas
- Commercial opening is coming
- Dawn and Victor in a hole
- Coming publicity opening
- Appearance of commercial opening
- Present opening is after this period
- Commercial to air in busy shopping season
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Period before Christmas" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case period before christmas = advent.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does ADVENT mean?
ADVENT noun- Arrival; onset; a time when something first comes or appears