Meaning

noun period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6

origin* (names): From Noel in the sense of Christmas; given since Middle Ages to children born at Christmastide. * (city in Missouri): Named for brothers Clark Wallace and William Jasper Noel, stockmen and owners of a sawmill. * (community of Nova Scotia, Canada): Named after its most prominent resident, Noël Doiron.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0