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Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. During this special time, we give presents to one another and spend time eating delicious dishes with our family at the Christmas table.
Practice listening and reading with the video lesson:
Christmas vocabulary:
advent calendar /ˈæd.vent ˈkæl.ən.dɚ/
angel /ˈeɪn.dʒəl/
artificial Christmas tree /ˌɑrtəˈfɪʃəl ˈkrɪsməs tri/
bauble /ˈbɑː.bəl/, Christmas ball /ˈkrɪs.məs bɑːl/
bells /belz/
bow /boʊ/
bow star /ˌboʊ stɑːr/
candle /ˈkæn.dəl/
candlestick /ˈkæn.dəl.stɪk/
candy cane /ˈkæn.di ˌkeɪn/
carol /ˈker.əl/
carol singers /ˈker.əl ˈsɪŋ.ɚz/ (UK), carolers /ˈkerələrz/ (US)
chimney /ˈtʃɪm.ni/
Christmas /ˈkrɪs.məs/
Christmas cake /ˈkrɪs.məs keɪk/
Christmas card /ˈkrɪs.məs ˌkɑːrd/
Christmas cracker /ˈkrɪs.məs ˈkræk.ɚ/
Christmas Day /ˌkrɪs.məs ˈdeɪ/
Christmas Eve /ˈkrɪs.məs iːv/
Christmas pudding /ˈkrɪs.məs ˈpʊd.ɪŋ/
Christmas stocking /ˌkrɪs.məs ˈstɑː.kɪŋ/
Christmas tree /ˈkrɪs.məs ˌtriː/
Christmas wafer /ˈkrɪs.məs ˈweɪ.fɚ/
Christmas wishes /ˈkrɪs.məs ˈwɪʃɪz/, Christmas greetings /ˈkrɪs.məs ˈɡriː.t̬ɪŋz/
cookies /ˈkʊk.iz/
decorations /ˌdek.ərˈeɪ.ʃənz/
eggnog /ˈeɡ.nɑːɡ/
elf /elf/
firecracker /ˈfaɪrˌkræk.ɚ/
fireplace /ˈfaɪr.pleɪs/
frankincense /ˈfræŋ.kɪn.sens/
garland /ˈɡɑːr.lənd/
gift /ɡɪft/
gift bag /ɡɪft bæɡ/
gift tag /ɡɪft tæɡ/
gingerbread /ˈdʒɪn.dʒɚ.bred/
hay /heɪ/
holy /ˈhoʊ.li/
holly /ˈhɑː.li/
Lapland /ˈlæp.lænd/
letter /ˈlet̬.ɚ/
lights /laɪts/
Mary /ˈmer.i/
menorah /məˈnɔːr.ə/
merry /ˈmer.i/
Midnight Mass /ˈmɪdˌnaɪt mæs/
mistletoe /ˈmɪs.əl.toʊ/
mulled wine /mʌld waɪn/
myrrh /mɝː/
nativity /nəˈtɪv.ə.t̬i/
nativity scene /nəˈtɪv.ə.t̬i siːn/
New Year's Day /ˌnuːˌjɪrz ˈdeɪ/
New Year's Eve /ˌnuːˌjɪrz ˈiːv/
North Pole /ˌnɔːrθ ˈpoʊl/
nutcracker /ˈnʌtˌkræk.ɚ/
ornaments /ˈɔːr.nə.mənts/
poinsettia /ˌpɔɪnˈset̬.i.ə/
present /ˈprez.ənt/
reindeer /ˈreɪn.dɪr/
ribbon /ˈrɪb.ən/
rudolph /ˈrudɔlf/
sack /sæk/
Santa Claus /ˈsæn.t̬ə ˌklɑːz/
Santa hat /ˈsæn.t̬ə hat/, Santa's hat /ˈsæntəz hat/
shepherd /ˈʃep.ɚd/
sledge /sledʒ/, sled /sled/
sleigh /sleɪ/
snow /snoʊ/
snowball /ˈsnoʊ.bɑːl/
snow globe /snoʊ ɡloʊb/
snowflake /ˈsnoʊ.fleɪk/
snowman /ˈsnoʊ.mæn/
star /stɑːr/
supper /ˈsʌp.ɚ/
the Star of Bethlehem /ðə stɑr ʌv ˈbeθ.lɪ.hem/
the Magi /ðə ˈmeɪ.dʒaɪ/, the Three Wise Men /ðə θri waɪz mɛn/
the Nativity /ðə nəˈtɪv.ə.t̬i/
tinsel /ˈtɪn.səl/
toy /tɔɪ/
turkey /ˈtɝː.ki/
white Christmas /waɪt ˈkrɪsməs/
wrapping paper /ˈræp.ɪŋ ˈpeɪ.pɚ/
wreath /riːθ/
Xmas /ˈeks.məs/ (abbreviation of the word Christmas)
Yule /juːl/
yule log /ˈjuːl ˌlɑːɡ/
Yuletide /ˈjuːl.taɪd/
Christmas verbs:
appear
build a snowman
celebrate
decorate a gingerbread house
drink hot chocolate
exchange presents
give
open
make ornaments
shopping
sing carols
sit on Santa's laps
spend
unwrap
wrap presents
The verb caroling (or „to carol”) also refers to the singing of carols
Christmas expressions:
Merry Christmas!
Happy Christmas!
Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Wishing you a prosperous New Year!
All the best for the coming year!
Seasons Greetings!
Christmas idioms:
take the gilt off the gingerbread
don't look a gift horse in the mouth
never look a gift horse in the mouth
like turkeys voting for an early Christmas
cancel someone's Christmas
there's no time like the present
no time like the present
the proof of the pudding is in the eating
the proof is in the pudding
Christmas vocabulary chart 1 of 3
Christmas vocabulary chart 2 of 3
Christmas vocabulary chart 3 of 3
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