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Christmas Day in the UK

Christmas Day in the UK
December is here and many people are starting to think about Christmas. In some places preparations for Christmas such as displays in shops and lights in the streets start as early as October! I am living in Spain at the moment, last year I spent Christmas in Finland and this year I will be spending Christmas with my family in the UK. It is very interesting to experience the different traditions in different countries during Christmas time. In my family, we usually get up very early on Christmas day and open our presents. Some people go to church at Christmas and I go on my own because I am the only Christian in my family. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember the meaning of Christmas. Related:  Christmas

Christmas – Learn English with videos Children's animation. A brother and sister deal with topics that affect their everyday lives. Lola is excited because Christmas is coming, and she and Charlie are taking turns to open the advent calendar. Script A drama that focuses on the period in Mary and Joseph's life where they journeyed to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. If angels sang... they would sing like this. Many children love sitting on Santa's lap and tell him everything they want for Christmas. Love thy neighbour... and thy enemy.

Christmas | Customs and Traditions | Christmas in Other Countries Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25 . It is a joyous holiday where families get together, give each other presents, decorate houses, sing traditional songs and go to mass . The word Christmas comes from the old English “Christes Maesse” , which means Christ’s mass . Although Christians believe that Jesus was born in the small town of Bethlehem, we don’t know the exact date of birth because stories about Jesus Christ were written down much later. By the 4th century Christians were divided into two churches: the eastern church was in Constantinople, today’s Istanbul, and the western church was based in Rome. Today, most countries celebrate the Christmas holidays from December 25 until January 6. Three wise men visit Jesus Christmas customs Giving presents is a special part of Christmas. Decorating the house is an old custom that comes from pagan times. Our traditional Christmas tree also comes from northern Europe. Words

Christmas comes but once a year “Christmas comes but once a year”, they say. It seems more often than that, mind you, with Christmas decorations appearing in shops at least a couple months before the holiday season begins. There’s a garden centre near where I lived as a child. It wasn’t very exciting – particularly when you’re eight years old and more interested in more immediate thrills than watching a plant slowly grow and flower over several months. Every year, half of this shop would be decked out with flashing fairy lights, twinkling tinsel and singing Santa toys; Christmas songs filled the air as children looked on with awe and wonder. The displays were eye-popping, and even adults loved them. I cannot say that I like seeing the Christmas decorations out so early but it is difficult to blame shops for displaying Christmas stock as early as possible. As I say, I cannot blame the shops but, some ten days ago, I noticed that one of my neighbours, here in Colombia, has Christmas lights in the window.

Halloween | History of Halloween | Trick or Treating | Making Jack-o'-lanterns Halloween is a festival that takes place every year on October 31. It is a time when children and adults dress up in costumes, go trick or treating and make jack-o-lanterns from empty pumpkins . Halloween goes back to the customs and traditions of the Celts , who lived between Ireland and Northern France about 2000 years ago. They were pagans who did not believe in god. In ancient Rome the festival of Pomona was held in honour of the Roman goddess of fruits and gardens. Today Halloween is celebrated mainly by children who dress up as ghosts, witches and other evil spirits . In 1950 a school class in a small American neighborhood started collecting money instead of asking for treats. In many European countries people visit the graves of their relatives on All Saints’ or All Souls’ Day . The jack-o’-lantern is closely connected with Halloween. According to an old Irish story jack -o’-lanterns were named after a man called Jack. Online Exercises Words A.D

Tell Me about Christmas - Part 1 Mulled Wine So every Boxing Day, we hold a mulled wine party for friends and family in our house. What we do – you go and buy these little sachets of spices you can get in supermarkets, and then in the morning, just get loads and loads of cheap cheap cheap red wine, the cheapest red wine that you can get; and put it in a massive massive sort of soup pot. Put some fruit juice in there, put some chopped-up fruits in there, and then add these spices and add some sugar, and just let it bubble away, let it simmer away over a few hours. And so in the afternoon, when all the friends come round, we serve it up and it’s a lovely warm drink for a cold December afternoon - very spicy, very Christmasy, and very alcoholic. Mince Pie Hello! But now, well actually up from Victorian era, they were changed to be a dessert. Christmas Pudding In my family, we always have Christmas pudding and it’s about that big. And then when you serve it, you have to switch all the lights off. Turkey Leftovers

Christmas Videos - Free Online Videos for Kids Alfred Molina shares A Visit from St. Nicholas. There's no party like a Reindeer Party with the Imagination Movers! Video for the song "Santa, Where Are You?" Little Snowflake from Super Simple Songs tells a short story of a snowman brought to life by the magic and beauty of snowfall. CeeLo Green Featuring The Muppets Linus explains what Christmas is really all about. The Muppets sing "Joy to the World". The celebration of Christmas as we know it today stems from the traditions of several different cultures. This is the official music video for "Christmas is Creepy"! An animated Christmas Card, and a homage to a great song, a great band, and a great Holiday. Ruled a legal holiday in 1894, Christmas has had its fair share of strange traditions. If you want to make a homemade Christmas card and save some money, here's a great way to add some fun to it. From millions of homes worldwide to the White House, the Christmas tree is a tradition that owes its popularity in part to a popular British queen.

Christmas Traditions, Christmas History, Christmas Around the World, The Christmas Story and Christmas Fun and Games! - whychristmas?com A short history of Christmas traditions With only a few weeks left until Christmas, our biggest winter festival is just around the corner! So, we all know why we celebrate Christmas; the birth of Jesus, Bethlehem, the three wise men ... but do we know why we celebrate in the way we do? The tree, the turkey, mistletoe, card-giving? Have you ever wondered where our best loved Christmas traditions come from? Well actually, most of them can be attributed to the Victorians; Queen Victoria and her husband specifically. The Christmas feast has its roots from before the Middle Ages, but it's during the Victorian period that the dinner we now associate with Christmas began to take shape. The ‘official’ Christmas card didn’t come about until the 1840s. Christmas carolling today is a seasonal tradition to wish our neighbours a merry Christmas in song, but carolling originally had little to do with Christmas. Lastly,the elusive mistletoe.

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