Translated for the original: [Middle English holidai, holy day, from Old English h lig dæg : h lig, holy; see holy + dæg, day; see day.] - dictionary.com.

Therefore, holiday is really Holyday.
 
Than a holiday as we know it has not been served much justice. In that, the purpose of a holiday has been wasted in festivities.

For instance, Labor Day was and should be a day of labor. As a child, we dreaded Labor Day because school clean up projects would come up, the aunt you never saw suddenly wants gardening help, mom and dad makes you paint the barn, clean out the garage and all the strenuous long work load that couldn't be done on a normal school day.
 
Now-a-days, the labor has gone out of 'Labor Day' and it's purely a day to rest and play. In fact, back home, some of the biggest parties and shows are scheduled for that day. Long live Labor Day! Though the work was hard, it made you feel you had accomplish something worthwhile; you got a feeling of self-worth; especially after taking on a project like refurbishing the local clinic.
 
The same thing has happen to the word holiday. In stead of the original meaning of a 'holi-day' or better translated 'holy day', many have made them into festivities and even reveling. Not that festivity is wrong, but there is always a time set apart for that. In the Old Testament book of laws they were days of festivities and they were days of reverence - holydays (holiday).
 
If we read the Old Testament when God instituted 'holidays' for the Israelites, we find that they were mainly days of reverence or intended for the use of the day, according to its namesake – Holy Day. After leaving the occult society of Egypt, where holidays were set apart for different gods and pharaohs, it would only be a matter of time before these practices were revived, if God doesn't allow. Holidays or Holy Days are religious days dedicated to a particular deity. So then, Christianity cannot adopt a pagan holiday like Christmas or Easter; for this would indirectly give reverence to the former practice. When the Israelite left Egypt, God made new and specific Holidays unto him for them to observe. Using occult holidays intertwined with Christianity as a day of reverence is horrendous. Nevertheless, more and more people are getting to realize this and unfortunately here is the reason why:
 
THE REASON WHY...
 
Most of the truth concerning the original intent of the Holidays like Christmas, Easter and others are now being known because satan has already woven these occult festivities within our 'Christian' traditions, unknowingly. So allowing it to be unmasked, internationally, would only drop the Christian values from it and the festivities would continue, as it was when it was openly occult. In this world, which is becoming a melting pot for culture and religion, no one will even notice or bother to give consideration whether or not it's Christian or not, after so many generations of it. People will just continue to dress their trees, eat lots of food, kiss under the mistletoe, give presents and feel 'the spirit of Christmas'. No one is going to give up their traditions, even though they will find out that Christ nor God had nothing to do with it; or is apart of it.
 
Satan would have then used a good name to preserve his occult practice until the dawn of the New Age and religious tolerance delusion. Reason being, he cannot beat Christianity, so he has to tolerate it and pervert it from within to achieve his goal. Here is a quote about one of the top members of satan's army, which confirms this strategy:
 
"Weishaupt [founder of the luciferian society- illuminati], a professor of ingolstadt, heartily hated the Jesuits, and formed his league of illuminati with the express intention 'of using for good ends the means which the Jesuit order had employed for bad'" (The power and Secret of the Jesuit -1930-Fillip Miller).
 
Many Christians still can’t see this and even go as far as to say, “It’s a time of witnessing…” The same thing was said for Halloween, but did you/they celebrate it? To justify celebrating it a Christian  quoted, “Let no man therefore judge you … in respect of a holyday” (Col 2:16). I like that. First, Christmas is not a holy day and the Holy Day there mention was the holy day laid down in the first five books of the bible; of which Paul said that these were a shadow of things to come in verse 17. Also, if one read the entire chapter it showed that he was talking about salvation and justification; in that, the old Jewish law doesn’t justify any more but rather as he said a few verse above, “ye are complete in him” (relativity).   Yet another said, “Well, no one knows exactly when is Christ’s Birthday so we can use this to celebrate Him; as long as he is the focus it’s all right.” Could it be that God intentionally made the birth of Christ go unrecorded to avoid something like this? Besides, how convenient that Dec 25 was chosen.
 
Here is how Christ said we should celebrate him, “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me” (Lk 22:19). I think we call that “Lord Supper” in some churches. That’s the Christmas we should be celebrating ever so often with our real family – born again believers.
 
Trying to encourage Christians and non-Christians to give up these practices might be hard, but if you feel led to do it, go right ahead. On the other side, "as for me and my house we will serve the Lord."