Merry Christmas

Deck the halls with boughs of holly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

'Tis the season to be jolly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Christmas has just finished, but it's never too late to know some more about what people from the English-speaking countries do to celebrate the joy of this special season. Every Christmas, in New York City, a big Christmas tree is set right in Rockefeller Centre, along with an ice-skating ring (picture above). In London, people can enjoy the special Christmas market in Camden and its traditional hot wine! Families in the English-speaking countries gather to decorate their houses and sing Christmas carols (like the one above), just like families from all over the world do.

Here are some links where you can listen to several Christmas songs in English:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiNBuJO6BAU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH2VahaiY5A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2yzaJazaUQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeNJmOsBS94

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suogseSe4iQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpgaWm2pnNs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1XdWh1DsAU

On Christmas Day, Santa Claus comes down the fireplace and leaves presents under the Christmas tree and inside the stockings. On New Year's Eve, people get together to celebrate the beginning of a new year, by, for instance, writing their wishes on pieces of confetti and then throwing them on Times Square (New York), or admiring fireworks next to the Big Ben (London). It's the day for New Year Resolutions, which should (but probably won't) be finally taken into consideration.

Next, you can click on these links to check if Christmas traditions in the English-speaking world are very different from ours or not:

UK: http://www.hintsandthings.co.uk/spareroom/traditions.htm

USA: http://christmas-day.com/christmas-traditions-usa.html

Australia: http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/australia.html

Now, we're doing a little game. If you click on the next link, you can watch a clip from the popular TV show Desperate Housewives. What Christmas symbols can you find in this video? Write them down and we'll talk about them next day in class. Enjoy this last holiday weekend!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jWtHLXPBN4

See you in class and Ho Ho Ho!