Christmas in Britain [intermediate]1. Read the text about Christmas in Britain:

The first sign that Christmas is on its way is when you see Christmas cards on sale in shops. This is usually in late September. Things, which are often shown on cards, are robins, holly, Father Christmas and jolly Christmas scenes (religious scenes are less common). In Britain people buy and send great numbers of Christmas cards. They often buy them early but they don't actually send them until the beginning of December. People put the cards they get on the mantelpiece over the fire in their sitting rooms, or hang them on the walls on coloured strings.

About ten days before Christmas many people decorate their houses. They hang up brightly coloured balloons, paper chains, paper lanterns and other decorations. Most people have a Christmas tree in their sitting room. They decorate it with tinsel, baubles, chocolate and small coloured lights called fairy lights, and on top of the tree they put a fairy (or sometimes a star). Carol singers go round the streets from house to house in the days leading up to Christmas. They sing carols and collect money for charity.

Holly and mistletoe are also typical of Christmas in Britain. People make wreaths out of holly and hang them on their front doors. They hang mistletoe from the ceiling and if two people meet under the mistletoe they must kiss each other. In the theatres around Britain, there are many pantomimes before Christmas. These are plays usually based on well-known children's stories or nursery rhymes. They are always funny and always involve the audience by making them call out things, for example, “boo” when a bad character walks on to the stage!

The 24th December is called Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is the night for having a lot of fun. Parents often take young children to an afternoon pantomime performance. Others go to special shows at the theatre. Young people have parties with lots of singing and dancing. But you don't get your presents on Christmas Eve. The story is that Santa Claus flies through the sky on Christmas Eve in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. He delivers the presents while everyone is asleep. He comes down the chimney and puts the presents into stockings, which have been hung up for him!

The 25th December is Christmas Day. People open their presents in the morning and then get ready for a big traditional Christmas Dinner of roast turkey, roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts and many other vegetables. At the table people pull crackers, which have paper hats, jokes and a small gift inside them. Families wear the paper hats at the dinner table! For dessert they eat Christmas pudding (a rich fruit mixture, which is made up to two months before Christmas and steamed for two or three hours on Christmas Day), or mince pies and ice cream, or trifle. Later there is Christmas cake: a rich fruitcake covered in marzipan and thick white icing. There are usually very good films and programmes on TV at Christmas. And at 3 o'clock on Christmas Day there is the Queen's Speech, in which the Queen talks about the past year and wishes everyone a happy Christmas.

The 26th December is called Boxing Day. In the past rich people used to give presents to their servants in boxes on this day. Nowadays people spend Boxing Day relaxing or visiting friends and relatives.

key vocabulary:

on sale – w sprzedaży send – wysyłać jolly – wesołemantelpiece – półka nad kominkiem hang – zawieszać tinsel, string, chain– łańcuchdecorate – dekorować brightly – jasno baubles – bombkicarol – kolęda holly – ostrokrzew mistletoe – jemioławreath – wieniec nursery rhymes – bajki involve – wciągaćaudience – widownia stage – scena performance – przedstawieniesleigh – sanie pull – ciągnąć reindeer – reniferydeliver – dostarczać chimney – komin stocking – długa skarpetaroast – pieczony turkey – indyk brussels sprouts – brokułycracker – strzelający cukierek gift – podarunek inside – wewnątrzdessert – deser rich – bogata wear – nosićsteamed – gotowany w parze mince – mielone pie – szarlotkacake – placek thick – gruba icing – lukierspeech – przemówienie wish – życzyć servants – słudzynowadays – obecnie visit – odwiedzać relatives - krewni

2. Answer the questions:

1. When do people usually start to send Christmas cards?2. What do the British decorate their houses with?3. What plants are typical of Christmas?4. What do people do on 24th December?5. What is favourite food for Christmas dinner?6. What does TV broadcast on Christmas Day?7. Why is 26th December called Boxing Day?8. How do people spend Boxing Day nowadays?9. What are differences between Christmas in Poland and Britain?

3. Do you know that according to the book ‘Did you ever wonder…?” by Jeff Rovin, the word for Christ in Greek is Xristos. The use of the shortened for ‘Xmas’ became popular in Europe in the 1500s.

4. Look at some phrases related to the word “Christmas”:

Christmas Eve - 24th December, the day before Christmas Day, when all preparations for Christmas are complete and when almost everyone starts a holiday of several days (often until the next working day after New Year's Day). It's a traditional time for parties, especially the annual office party, and many work places, including shops and banks, close earlier than usual. In the late evening, many people go to a church service (midnight mass). Children, on going to bed, traditionally hang up an old sock (stocking) at the head of their bed for Santa Claus to fill with presents during the night.

Christmas pudding – a rich steamed pudding containing dried fruit, spices and often brandy, served as part of a Christmas dinner and traditionally decorated with a small piece of holly 'planted' in the top.

Christmas tree – a fir tree that is decorated with small, brightly-coloured lights and small coloured glass ornaments. Decorationg the tree is part of the Christmas festivities.

Christmas bonus – a state supplementary payment made once a year before Christmas to all OAPs.

Christmas Day - 25th December, the central day of the Christmas season, and a traditional family reunion day. On this day, many people attend a church service, open their presents, eat a Christmas dinner, and watch the sovereign's annual Christmas broadcast on television (or listen to it on the radio). The day is regarded as a special one for children, who receive much attention from their families and friends.

5. Sing these Christmas songs:

JINGLE BELLS! A MERRY CHRISTMAS

Jingle bells, jingle bells, We wish you a Merry Christmas.Jingle all the way, We wish you a Merry Christmas.Oh! What fun it is to ride We wish you a Merry Christmas.On a one-horse open sleigh And a Happy New Year.