Mistletoe: his is a plant that looks like this . There’s a fun tradition that North Americans follow during Christmas. Mistletoe is often hung from a doorway between two rooms. If someone stands under the mistletoe, it is customary for someone else (usually a member of the opposite sex) to kiss him/her. It can be quite a surprise to be suddenly kissed, but the person who is kissed usually quickly realizes they must be standing under mistletoe.
Christmas tree: This is a decorated tree. Presents are placed under the tree. On Christmas morning, families and friends open their presents together.
Trimming the tree : decorating the tree is called ‘trimming the tree’.
Christmas ornaments : are ornaments used to decorate the tree and placed around the house.
Christmas lights : strings of lights used to decorate the Christmas tree. Many people also put up Christmas lights on houses and decorate their trees outside with lights, too. It’s quite a sight to drive around town looking at the Christmas displays different people have put up .
Nativity scene : is a scene depicting Jesus’ birth. Usually Joseph and Mary are in a stable with shepherds and magi or wise men with gifts gathered around, angels on the roof and a star above the whole scene. Some nativity scenes are quite small and may sit on people’s furniture. Other scenes are life size or bigger
Stockings : literally, ‘socks.’ Nowadays, they are quite big-you would have to be about 10 feet tall to fit into the stockings most children hang. People hang stockings in front of a fireplace. Small presents are placed in stockings and usually opened on Christmas morning.
Santa Claus : a large, plump man dressed in a big red suit, big black belt and carrying a sack full of gifts which he distributes to children all around the world on Christmas Eve. Santa Claus is also called Santa and St. Nicholas or just St. Nick. Santa Claus is a derivation of St. Nicholas, the original ‘Santa Claus ’.
Reindeer : Santa rides in a sleigh that is pulled by reindeer. The most famous reindeer is Rudolph, the red-nose reindeer.
Sleigh : a ‘carriage’ that rides on snow. Santa's Sleigh
Gift wrapped : when you’re shopping, you can often ask the salesclerk if they have a gift-wrapping service.
Christmas carols : songs that are sung at Christmas.
Christmas Greetings : there are many greetings that people use at Christmas, but the most common are “Merry Christmas,” “Season’s Greetings,” and “Happy New Year,” although some people say “Happy New Year’s” which is a shortened form of “Happy New Year’s Eve.”
Christmas shopping : there is so much shopping to be done at Christmas that people refer to it as their “Christmas shopping.” You might hear someone say, “Have you finished your Christmas shopping?”
Write a letter to Santa Claus : many children write letters to Santa Claus telling him what they would like to get for Christmas.
Christmas Wish list : a list of things that someone wants for Christmas. Usually children make a wish list. Some give it to Santa when they sit on his knee.
Sit on Santa Claus’s knee : it is a common tradition to go to a person dressed up as Santa Claus and tell him what you would like to get for Christmas.
Santa’s helpers : elves, usually dressed in red or green.
Christmas eve : the evening of December 24, also called “The night before Christmas.”
Christmas dinner : a big dinner on Christmas day. Usually families gather together for Christmas dinner.
HOMEWORK: Make a list of as many Christmas customs and traditions that you can think of. Where did each of these traditions come from? The internet lists a lot of different origins for many of the traditions. Which explanations do you believe? Which explanations do you doubt?
How long does it take you to do all of your Christmas shopping? How much do you usually spend on your Christmas shopping? Do you go into debt? Many people go into debt at Christmas. Do you think people should go into debt at Christmas? What does Christmas mean to you? Are there any traditions you celebrate that it doesn’t feel like it’s Christmas if they’re missing?