This is the lesson I forgot to give you for next week. Oops!

Christmas is a time for goodwill and sharing. We don’t just give Christmas presents to people who are close to us, we also send Christmas cards to people we know. We also show our appreciation by giving gifts to people who help us on a day to day basis, like the postman or deliverymen. Do you have a similar custom in your country?

Special food is prepared and eaten with great gusto. Turkey with cranberry sauce, mince pies and plum pudding are the most famous of these. People tend to only want to eat these things once a year.　It is a father’s job to carve the turkey! Probably as they soon get tired of them. Have you ever tried any of these things? Do you ever get tired of eating the same thing day in,day out?

Christmas trees are decorated inside the house. Young children look forward to this event. A real tree is preferred, but can be a bit costly. It is a father’s task to choose the tree. Presents are put under and around the tree on Christmas Eve and opened on Christmas Day. These days some people like to put up illuminations outside their house. How do you feel about it?

Holly, evergreen branches, pine cones and wreaths are used to decorate the inside of the house. There is a special Christmassy smell in houses that use the real thing. Churches also are decorated the same way.

Carols are sung usually on Christmas Eve in a church.　There are many familiar tunes. People like to sing the “old favourites” every year. Sometimes carol singers walk around the neighbourhood . They sing in front of houses or public places and you are supposed to give a donation, which goes to a charity. What is your favourite carol?

Kissing under the mistletoe is a very old tradition. If you stand under mistletoe, then you can kiss anyone that stands under it with you. If you were at a party and noticed some mistletoe hanging above the door, what would you do?

Children are taken to the “panto” or pantomime by their parents. It is a kind of musical comedy based on a famous children’s story. Cinderella, Aladdin, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves etc. There is always a prince, a princess a kind comedian who loves the princess, but can’t get her, called “Buttons” and of course the “baddie”. When the baddie appears all the children boo. Does it sound the sort of thing you’d like?

In Britain, the Queen gives her yearly message to her “subjects” on Christmas Day. She addresses the nation about certain issues. The speech is written by the Prime Minister. It is not political. Would it interest you?

People tend to go out on Christmas Eve, stay at home on Christmas Day and watch some sporting event on Boxing Day. Most people finish work on Christmas Eve and go back to work on January 2nd. They don’t clean the house at the end of the year. They just eat too much, drink too much, spend too much money and watch “anything” on television. How does that compare to your year-end? Similar or nothing like it? Whatever you like, please enjoy it…Merry Christmas!!!!