Warm-Up

Ask students:“What do you do at Christmas in your family?”“What do you eat?”“When do you celebrate?”

Presentation: Christmas in English-Speaking Countries

Christmas Traditions in English-Speaking Countries

Christmas is one of the most important holidays in many English-speaking countries, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Although these countries share the same language, their traditions can be a little different. Here is a short story about how people celebrate Christmas in these places.

United Kingdom

In the UK, Christmas is full of old traditions. Many families decorate their homes with Christmas lights, wreaths, and a Christmas tree. On Christmas Eve, children hang stockings above the fireplace and hope that Father Christmas will bring them presents. The main family meal is usually eaten on Christmas Day. People enjoy roast turkey, vegetables, and Christmas pudding.

Christmas is celebrated on December 25.
People decorate a Christmas tree, hang Christmas stockings, and send Christmas cards, people also use Christmas crackers at the Christmas table – two people pull the cracker, it makes a pop, and inside there is a paper crown, a small toy and a funny joke.
Children look forward to Father Christmas.
Typical foods: roast turkey, roast potatoes, vegetables, Christmas pudding, mince pies.
The day after Christmas (December 26) is Boxing Day.

United States

In the USA, Christmas is celebrated with a lot of joy and colour. Many towns have Christmas parades, big trees with thousands of lights, and markets where people can buy decorations. Families often put presents under the tree and open them on the morning of December 25th. Some families also bake cookies for Santa Claus and leave them next to a glass of milk.

Christmas is on December 25.
Families decorate their houses with lights and wreaths.
Santa Claus brings presents.
Typical foods: roast turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, cookies and milk for Santa.
Christmas movies and stockings are very popular.

Canada

Canada is a very big country, so traditions can be different from place to place. In many Canadian homes, families decorate the tree together while listening to Christmas music. In Quebec, where people speak French and English, there is a special meal called Réveillon, which families enjoy late on Christmas Eve. Canadians also love winter sports, so many people spend Christmas holidays skiing or ice skating.

Celebration is similar to the USA and UK.
Christmas is on December 25, and people often go skiing or skating.
Foods: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, butter tarts.
Some families celebrate French-Canadian traditions like Réveillon (big dinner on Christmas Eve).

Australia and New Zealand

In Australia and New Zealand, Christmas comes in summer. The weather is warm, and many families celebrate outdoors. Instead of sitting by the fireplace, people often have barbecues or picnics on the beach. Santa can even be seen wearing sunglasses! Christmas dinner may include cold meats, seafood, and a dessert called pavlova.

Christmas is in summer.
People celebrate on December 25, often outdoors.
Typical foods: BBQ, seafood, cold ham, Pavlova (dessert with fruit).
Instead of snow, Australians go to the beach, have picnics, or go surfing.

Christmas Vocabulary (B1)

🎄 Decorations

Christmas tree – a tree people decorate with lights and ornaments
ornaments / baubles – small decorations for the tree
tinsel – shiny, long decoration for the tree
Christmas lights / fairy lights – small coloured lights
wreath – a round decoration made of branches, hung on the door
stocking – a big sock children hang for small presents
candle – a small light made of wax
nativity scene – figures showing the birth of Jesus

🎁 Gifts & Traditions

gift / present – something you give to someone
to wrap gifts – to cover gifts in colourful paper
to unwrap – to open a present
Christmas cards – cards you send to friends and family
carols – traditional Christmas songs
midnight mass – a church service at midnight on Christmas Eve
Christmas crackers – paper tubes that pop and contain a hat, toy and joke
Christmas stockings – socks children use for small gifts
mistletoe – a plant people hang above the door; people kiss under it

🍽 Christmas Food

roast turkey – traditional Christmas meat in the UK, USA, Canada
stuffing – bread mixture cooked inside the turkey
gravy – sauce made from meat juices
cranberry sauce – sweet red sauce
Christmas pudding – rich, sweet, dark dessert in the UK
mince pies – small pies with sweet fruit filling
gingerbread – sweet cookie or cake with ginger
ham – common Christmas meat in the USA
pavlova – dessert with fruit and cream in Australia
Christmas cookies – sweet biscuits people bake for Christmas

🗓 Dates & Celebrations

Advent – the time before Christmas
Christmas Eve (24 December) – the night before Christmas
Christmas Day (25 December) – the main holiday in English-speaking countries
Boxing Day (26 December, UK/Canada/Australia) – day after Christmas
New Year’s Eve (31 December) – last day of the year
New Year’s Day (1 January) – first day of the year

🎅 Characters

Santa Claus – the man who brings presents (USA, Canada, Australia)
Father Christmas – traditional British name for Santa
reindeer – animals that pull Santa’s sleigh
elf / elves – Santa’s helpers who make toys
Mrs Claus – Santa’s wife (USA tradition)

❄ Winter & Festive Words

snowflake – a small piece of snow
snowman – a figure made from snow
sled / sleigh – something you ride on snow
chimney – Santa comes down the chimney in stories
fireplace – place where a fire burns inside the house
holiday spirit – the good, happy feeling of Christmas7. Vocabulary (5 min)

Text, vocabulary