British Christmas traditions

– Hello, boys and girls! My name is Charlie.

– Hello, everyone! I’m Kevin. And this is James.

– Welcome to our lesson.

– We are happy to see you!

– James, why weren’t you at the swimming pool yesterday?

– Yeah! It was Saturday! And you always go to the swimming pool on Saturdays.

– Well… Yesterday I didn’t want to go to the pool.

– Oh, okay. And what were you doing yesterday morning?

– Guys, I was watching an interesting TV show. It was about British Christmas traditions.

– Oh, sounds really interesting!

– Can you tell us everything you remember about British Christmas traditions?

– Yes, of course! I’ll do that with great pleasure!

– Fantastic! In this case, let’s start!

So, today in the lesson we will:

● learn new words;

● talk about British Christmas traditions;

And

● put the knowledge into practice.

– Guys, before we talk about British Christmas traditions, let’s learn some new words. You’ll need them to understand the information.

– Oh, okay!

– Fantastic! And the words are…

Turkey

Индейка

Christmas pudding

Рождественский пудинг

Mince pies

Сладкие пирожки с начинкой

Mashed potatoes

Картофельное пюре

Christmas carol

Рождественская песня

Wreath

Венок

Decorate

Украшать

Mistletoe

Омела

Doorway

Дверной проём

Ribbon

Лента, ленточка

Hook

Крюк, крючок

Sleigh

Сани

– All right! Now let’s talk about British Christmas traditions.

– First, I have to mention that…

For many British families Christmas is the most important holiday of the year. Everybody likes it very much. It’s especially loved by little children. The British celebrate Christmas on the 25^th of December.

The most important British tradition is to celebrate Christmas at home. Christmas is considered to be a family holiday. On this day the members of the family gather together, eat Christmas dinner, dance, listen to music, sing Christmas carols and give presents to each other.

– That sounds like a lot of fun!

– James, can I ask you one question, please?

– Yes, of course!

– What do the British usually have for dinner on Christmas Day?

– Oh, it’s easy!

The British usually have roast turkey, mashed potatoes, sausages, Christmas puddings and mince pies for Christmas dinner.

People in Britain begin to prepare for Christmas beforehand. Therefore, another important British tradition is to buy and decorate Christmas trees. The most popular are different evergreen trees such as pine and fir. In modern Britain many people prefer artificial trees instead of real ones. People use Christmas trees as both indoor and outdoor decorations.

– James, can I ask you another question, please?

– Sure!

– What do people usually use to decorate Christmas trees?

– Well… They use lots of different things.

A Christmas tree can be decorated with bells, angels, candy canes, ornaments, snowflakes, colourful lights, a star and a tinsel.

Another British tradition is to decorate houses for Christmas. People hang colourful lights around the house. The most popular way to do that it to hang the lights at the top borders of walls where the ceiling meets the wall.

Families also decorate their houses with paper snowflakes. Kids love to cut different snowflake patterns out of paper and put them on the walls and windows using double-sided tape.

It is a common practice for British families to hang the mistletoe in a doorway in their houses. People hang it from a small hook in a doorway between rooms. They also tie a small ribbon over the hook to make the mistletoe look more festive. And there is an interesting British tradition to give a kiss to someone who stands under the plant beside you.

British families also decorate their doors with a Christmas wreath. A wreath symbolizes eternity or eternal life. Those people who hang wreaths on their doors make their houses look welcoming to guests. The wreath indicates to passers-by that this particular house has the spirit of Christmas.

Another British tradition is to place electrical candles in each window of the house. People turn them on at night, so that they can be seen from outside.

– James, what about Christmas stockings?

– Kevin, you should be more patient! I was just about to tell you about the stockings.

– Oh, sorry, James!

– It’s okay.

The tradition of hanging Christmas stockings above the fireplace has been around for years. Each member of the family should get his or her own stocking. Children hang their stockings hoping that Santa Claus will come down with toys and sweets.

Another British Christmas tradition is to write letters to Santa Claus. In their letters children usually say kind words to Santa and tell him what presents they would like to get. It is believed that every year on Christmas Eve Santa loads his sleigh with toys, flies around the world and leaves his presents under the Christmas trees.

– James, what about Christmas cards?

– Is it still popular to send them in Britain?

– Oh, yes, it is.

Even now, when most people prefer to communicate through the Internet, there are lots of other people who really love sending Christmas cards to their friends, colleagues and loved ones. December is obviously a hard time for postmen. They have to work all days and nights to deliver all cards in time.

There is also a British tradition to sing Christmas carols. People usually sing them at home or go to other people’s homes and sing Christmas songs to them. They usually sing such songs as “Jingle Bells”, “Let It Snow”, “A Holly Jolly Christmas” and so on.

– Guys, I’ve told you about some British Christmas traditions.

– Yes, that’s right, James! Thank you for the interesting information.

– You’re welcome! Now I would like to check your knowledge.

– Oh, sure! No problem!

Read the sentences and fill in the missing words!

Let’s check the right answers!

The British celebrate Christmas on the 25^th of December.

Christmas is considered to be a family holiday.

In modern Britain many people prefer artificial trees instead of real ones.

British families hang the mistletoe in a doorway in their houses.

People hang the lights at the top borders of walls where the ceiling meets the wall.

Another British Christmas tradition is to write letters to Santa Claus.

Now…

Read the sentences and say if they’re TRUE or FALSE!

The British people use Christmas trees only as indoor decorations.

British families like to decorate their doors with a Christmas wreath.

Kids hang stockings hoping that Santa Claus will come down with toys and sweets.

Children love to cut different wreath patterns out of paper.

Another Christmas tradition is to place carved pumpkins in each window of the house.

The British usually sing such Christmas carols as “Jingle Bells”, “Let It Snow”, etc.

Let’s check the right answers!

False

True

True

False

False

True

– Well done, boys! Now I can see that you are good listeners!

– Thank you, James.

– That’s all for today, our dear friends!

– We hope that the lesson was interesting and useful for you.

– See you soon.