CHRISTMAS IS COMING

CHRISTMAS DICTIONARY Santa ClausChristmas CarolsChristmas Card Santa Claus Christmas Carols Christmas Card Christmas treeDecoration Christmas pudding Christmas tree Decoration Christmas pudding Mistletoe Christmas crackerHolly Mistletoe Christmas cracker Holly SleighChristmas stockingReindeer Sleigh Christmas stocking Reindeer AngelCrib Turkey Angel Crib Turkey Mince pie

The first Christmas card for sale in the shops was produced in Britain by Henry Cole, in The words on the card were: A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.

Many children write letters to Santa Claus: Dear Santa, I am hoping to get a bicycle for Christmas. Also a computer game. I really want a horse, but my Mum says, ‘No, you can’t have one’. So can I have a book about horses? I was good for most of last year! I will leave a drink for you, and some food for your reindeer, on Christmas Eve. Thank you. Happy Christmas! Tom.

A GREAT TIME FOR EATING Christmas would not be Christmas without: Turkey or goose The most popular bird for Christmas dinner is turkey. The favourite meat for Christmas dinner in Germany is goose. Christmas pudding Each person in the family should help to mix the pudding. This brings good luck. A silver coin is hidden inside. One lucky person will find it. People put a small piece of holly on the top, after the pudding is cooked.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS Many Christmas carols are hundreds of years old and tell stories about Christmas. ‘Silent Night’ helps us to remember the first Christmas. It was first sung in a little village church in Austria, in 1818.

ARE YOU A SANTA OR A SCROODGE? 1.Do you… a)Happily make a list of presents and your Christmas shopping? b)Run out at the last minute and the cheapest gifts? c)Tell everybody that you were too ill for Christmas shopping? 2. Do you… a)Send lots of Christmas cards to friends and relatives, even if they don’t send cards to you? b)Only send cards to people who have sent cards to you? c)Tell everybody that your cards were probably lost in the post? 3.Do you… a)Give the best Christmas party in town? b)Talk about giving the best Christmas party in town? c)Think that everybody should go to bed at nine o’clock like you?

4. Do you… a)Go carol singing and give the money away to poor people? b)Go carol singing and spend the money on Christmas shopping? c)Go carol singing, ask for $1 for every carol, then keep all the money? 5. Your friend likes Madonna. Do you… a)Buy him/her the latest cassette? b)Buy him/her a photograph of Madonna? c)Say that you couldn’t find any Madonna cassettes or videos in the shops? 6. It’s time to put up the Christmas tree. Do you… a)Buy the nicest real Christmas tree that you can find? b)Get that ten-year-old silver-coloured plastic tree from the cupboard under the stairs? c)Say that you can’t have a Christmas tree in the house? (it makes your skin red.)

If your answers are mostly as: Happy Christmas, Santa! If your answers are mostly bs: Don’t come to my party, Scrooge! If your answers are mostly cs: Go to bed on 1 December and stay there until the middle of January!