Christmas is almost here! For our family, it is a time of giving and receiving. Try this fun listening activity about this special day:In our family, we often make a tradition food called a cheese ball and then take these to neighbors and friends as a way of expressing our gratitude for their friendship throughout the year. Sometimes, we get together with family and celebrate Christmas eve by eating, exchanging gifts, and even playing some traditional games.
Please share what you and your family/friends to celebrate this day or any other year-end holiday or celebration.
Merry Christmas to all!
Randall
Dear Randall and all,
ReplyDeleteI often spend Christmas eve with my wife's family. They prepare some delicious food such as dry-roasted turkey and cod-fish cake. We drink either wine or beer as an accompaniment. When it's midnight, we exchange gifts and wish each other a joyous Christmas season by kissing and hugging each other.
It's also a time to call friends and family members whom we haven't seen or talked with in a long time.
And you? Do you also call your closest friends to wish them a merry x-mas or is it just a family tradition out there?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Bruno
Brazil
Hello everyone
ReplyDeleteMy family cereblated Cristmas Eve Eve ,on 23th,because this day is Ten-no's birthday,national holiday in Japan.So relatives can gather easily at my house.And we ate sukiyaki.But the way to cereblate Cristmas like us is not like to be seen in the ordinary Japanese family ; We are odd.
Many Japanese eat a decorated cake on the dinner,and parents give presents to litte children that nidnight or very early morning on 25th ,lettinhg them believe these are from Santa.I think Santa can exist ,but he doesn't come to Japan.Before Meiji era,more than two hundred years ago, for example Edo era,he didn't come.Nobody has found him.That is O.K. I hope for him to give foods to hungry children all over the world.
Sorry ,I made a mistake.
ReplyDeleteMeiji era is about more than one years ago not two years ago.
Dear Randall and all,
ReplyDeleteI am studying English and I am using this site to practise listening. I wanted to say how thankfull I am with the author of the site because it is really well done and it gives me a good idea of American language, accent and customs!
About Chritsmas nothing special in France. In my family we usually eat seafood and drink champagne! The traditional dessert called yule log is very tasty and I recommend it as you might recommend me the British pudding! When I was younger, Santa used to leave the gifts under the tree.
I hope everyone has had a merry x-mas this year and now let's go with the New Year's party!
Sorry if I make some mistakes, I am trying to improve my English!
Catherine
France
Dear Randall
ReplyDeleteI just barely took a look on your blog, I'm a ESL student,I love your blog, thanks so much for you time
Let me share what we are used to do on christmas, normally we eat 12 grapes at 12:00 AM while we're eating them we think about our diseres this new year, because this tradition the feeling in our minds is hard to be able to believe we can do it during the year
We eat roasted turkey or pork,probably tamales, but always we drink ponche,it is a beverage where the fruits have been cooked in boiling water, maybe a special red grape juice,is really yummy!!!mmmmm
We spend all day helping to cook the food
As Bruno we call someone from our family whom we haven't seen
We enjoy listening Chistmas music, talking and laughing around the table, after it we maybe are watching a movie, playing a fire outside the house and talking around it to keep us warm.
I love Christmas!!
Christmas at our country starts at24th December. This is Christmas Eve. During the day, we hold fast. At noon, we meet together with the whole family and go to a nearby pub eat soup. Mostly is cooked lentil soup, which is to ensure wealth to people in next year's. The more lenses in a soup mean more money in the wallet. In the afternoon we go into the forest and bring goodness to forest animals. We get together with our family at the lain bord when the the first star comes in the sky. The most common Christmas Eve food is fried fish and potato salad. After dinner we go to the Christmas tree, beneath which lies gifts. At midnight we go to church for mass. We sing Christmas carols. We also have a number of habits that come from pagan times. We tell fortunes from an apple sliced in two or from cast lead. We put deserts candles in shells of nuts on the water. Typical custom of our country is baking of several species of small Christmas cookies. When we visit relatives and friends we give them the tasty cookies. I feel bad that Christmas is increasingly becoming a holiday of traders. Christmas would mainly be time of love and peace.
ReplyDeleteChristmas is one of the major festival in America and Europe. We didn't celebrate Christmas before. But now many Taiwanese put up decorations for the festival. The young go to a nearby restaurant or a dance to celebrate Christmas. This festival seems to become internatinal gradually.
ReplyDeleteWell, I love the Christmas, I think that day is great to people stay together!
ReplyDeleteIn Russia people celebrate this holiday on the 7th of January/ We go to church and pray - because of its a religious holiday. We also have very extrim traditional activity at this time - we go to lake or river and swim there...Yeah!thats true - in this weather (-27 degree) and nobody get cold - because its God time!
ReplyDeleteWell，in China, Christmas is not an official holiday and we still go to work/school on that day,but for young people like me, we celebrate X-mas after school, we usually hold a party, eating,talking and playing cards. In China the most important holiday is called Spring Festival,that is the Chinese New Year,which is uaually on someday in January or February. Chinese regard this day as the end of a year(Chinese year). On that day we have a family reunion, explode firecrackers,watch fireworks,and old members in a family might give money to young kids as a way of wishing them healthy and successful.
ReplyDeleteIn Czech republic Christmas is official holiday. It's time when family stay together and give gifts to each other. Our family has always same dinner for this day. We have mushroom soup and the main dish is fried carp with potato salad. Then we have waffles with honey, which circulates around the table. After that we go to the tree and unwrap gifts.
ReplyDeleteFor me and my family, Christmas is one of the most beautiful time of the year.We enjoy with other friends, and we have special food, diferent kinds of meet, and drinks, and we have a time to exchange gifts, and to think about Christmas, and about Christ, and about us.We say a prayer and then we stay together until 3 or 4:00 am
ReplyDeletehere in Mexico...We have a ceremony that represets the JC´s birthday, we call it POSADAS.....It´s like a party where we break something called PIÑATAS....the person who try it, has a bandage covering his eyes,and with a stick tries to break it for few seconds.....It´s nice
ReplyDeleteDear Randall and all,
ReplyDeleteIn our country, we do not have the Christmas day. although, the Christmas is every popular in our country. At Christmas EVE,some young people take some inflatable toys for example hammer,bonzi,balloon and so on to gather in one place.and they knoch each other use the toys.They looked so happy,but I have never joined them. Most people like to join a Christmas party which was hold by their company. they dance at the party,and sing,act drammar,and so on.
Cherry
Japanese Strange Christmas
ReplyDeletePeople in many countries spend Christmas with their family, but in Japan, they have a little bit different and strange Christmas costom.
Once they grow up enough to have a boyfriend or girlfriend, they wanna spend Christmas with their partner. The night of Chrismas eve is really important for them. They go out, have a roamantic fancy dinner, and exchange gifts; boys usually gift expensive jewelry stuff to their girlfriends. Then they have a great time together until Christmas morning, so for the people who don't have any partneIf, Christmas could be a boring event. Some of them just go out and drinking with the other friends who also don't have any partner, or some of them even much preffer working the day.
In Japan, Christmas and Christmas Eve is a special day for couples to make sure their love.
Dear Randall,
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and a great new year. I love your site. My English teacher indicated for me.
I am just begining, but I am learning a lot with my teacher and you. Your web site complete my English Class.
Thank you.
Guillermo M. fom Mexico
ReplyDeleteDear Randall
I'm studying English and I'm using this site to learn thanks a lot for your time i really love your site.
In my country celebred Christmas with the family,prepare a lot the foods, drinks and dessert.
The traditional drink for that time is the ponche, is made with granada juice and some alcohol and the ponche caliente cooking with differents fruits.
Hello everybody!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a real Christmas. Because, it's not a traditional celebration of our country. But i likes christmas eve. Young people usually go down the street at christmas with their group for chatting, dancing , eating... Or couples stay together and give small gift. It's excited!
Hi everybody!!!
ReplyDeleteIn Mexico we celebrate from 12th of december to 6th of January we call this "maraton Lupe-Reyes" We begin with the celebration of our Virgin of Guadalupe (12th of December) and then we have the "posadas" 9 days before Christmas in these 9 posadas we pray and break piñatas that represents the seven capital sins. We celebrate the Christmas with a delicious dinner, we interchange gifts, then celebrate the new year and finally the Twelfth night.
In India also we are celebrating Christmas.We will put stars and we will decorate the Christmas trees.Most important thing is the Christmas Mass and Christmas lunch with auspicious non-veg items like chicken, turkey and duck.We will cut the Christmas cake and most of the time our entire family together celebrates Christmas together.
ReplyDeleteIn Iraq...the Christians celebrate in this occasion with Joy and pleasure ...Reflect on the birth of Christ, Savior of the world . The whole family goes to the church at 5 am .
ReplyDeletethe breakfast after returning from the church called ( bacha ) .
After that the children go to play ,they were verey happy for there new clothes and the gifts provided to them from (noel father ) at night .
Every child when he get up at the morning he find a gift on hes bed in this occasion .
Iraqi Christians cuisine prepared klaija , kubba , bacha ,....
the Others will be celebrated at night in a dance party
But now, it has most of the festivities were canceled because of the radical Islam Who controls Iraq...
hi everybody! my name is Du, i am from Viet Nam, and my School i am studying is Ha Noi Tourism College. The Chrismast is coming,i wish have a Laptop support my study english. but i never ever receive the gift. i realy like this Website, and i want to share my feel to everybody, and talk with them. please sent email for me by this Add. dunguyenthi90@gmail.com. Best regart for everybody...
ReplyDeletehi Everybody! my name is Du, i am from Viet Nam,my School is Ha Noi Tourism College. Christmas is coming, i wish i will have a Laptop support for my study. but i never ever receive the Gift, and i like this Website, i want to share my feel and talk with them. best regard to everybody in the World...
ReplyDeletethe topic is really very old, it is near 3 years ago, but i want comment on it as an opportunity for my practising my english.
ReplyDeleteChristmas is not popular in my country, only someone who is in Catholic celebrate that day. but,in positive aspect, culture of that day has affected partly on young people, especially love couples, they go out and exchange gifts. On streets on that day,many stores and place are decorated beatifully and lightly. And now, that day become a special day in my hometown
i'm from Vietnam
that's hear interesting. so sometimes me and my family go to hotel to stay the night. it's also the best christmas ever
ReplyDeleteI'm from Colombia we often prepare for all the famlily a especial food by christmas eve. and then we meeting toguether friends and family and we dancing until other day.
ReplyDeleteHello Randall and all,
ReplyDeleteI'm from Colombia. In my country we celebrated the Christmas eve on december 24th, we exchange gift with each others and the children hope gift from your parents. The whole family meets and they prepare traditional delicious food like 'natilla': cornstarch mixed with milk, canella. It boil until jell. We drink beer, coke or wine as a accompanying drink.
At midnight, we go by the chistmas tree to deliver gifts. Uncover all gifts and hugging to each others.
I hope haven't made many grammar mistakes.
Thank you!
Dear Randall and all,
ReplyDeleteI often spend Christmas with my family and friends...On 25th morning I love to prepare a big chocolate cake and roasted chicken. Then with my husband I usually went for a shopping. I love to buy gifts and candies for my friends and family. In the evening we gathered in our friends house we exchange gifts n wishes each other. We also had dinner together...We also enjoy listening Christmas music, talking and laughing...that's how we celebrates Christmas
Hello everyone
ReplyDeleteEnglish is not my mother language and I just have stadied English for a short time so my English is not good especialy my English writing skill. So please help me to correct my wrongs.
I am not Cathotic so I didn't care about Christmas when I was a child. I even didn't know about Christmas and my parents, my siblings didn't know too. But when I go to the college, I started to know about Christmas. In Christmas, I and my friends usually go out the street to watch how people welcome the Christmas. and sometimes we go to the churchs because all churchs usually be decorated very stunning in Christmas. But at Christmas, every churchs are crowded so it's is difficult to enter them. And I like watching the movie "Home alone" at Christmas. It's so interesting.
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteI'm from turkey and like most of the people here I'm not christian too.
In islam holidays which is known "bayram" in turkish and eid in arabic are "kurban", "ramadan". Like most of other cultures we too gather around as a family in holidays too just diffirent foods are on the table like "kebap", "baklava" etc.
All the human kind looks like each other at the end isnt it? just the different cloths, languages, cultures, belifs and colours because as beign a human we all moral creatures and that morality gived us from our creator and most of the time that moral side of us effects our decisions and personalities.
To all the my "moral" friends out there no matter who you are happy holidays.
Hi,everyone
ReplyDeleteI'm from Taiwan.In my country , many people don't just celebrate Christmas.Actually,most people celebrate this holiday just for strongthening their relationship.Because of the romantic sense of Christmas,many couples will reserve a expensive and luxurious restaurant to enhance their love.There are also some families celebrating this special day to let their kids be happy and take a chance to reunion.
In a nutshell, in Taiwan ,you can feel the sense of Christmas sush as Christmas trees and decorations;however,it's not the reason for religion.
By the way, December 25th is Constitutio Day in Taiwan which still is working day.
dear randall
ReplyDeleteIn vietnam- my country, christmas is not an official
holiday but it is gradually being regarded like a genaral holiday,
On this date,everyone decorated christmas tree in many place and organize cultural activities together
ReplyDeletehi everybody
My name is Dung, i am from viet nam, my school is LAK. This is the topic isn't new but i want to comment to pratice my English skills.
christmas is not an official holiday in my country but gradually the christmas holidays as a general. On this day, everybody in my country organize cultural activities together.
thanks for letting me share comments.
Hi guys,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Severuss in Turkey, the christmas is celebrated in my country,excitedly.When it came,everybody prepare to celebrate and enjoy.Especially,it is celebrated effectively in İstiklal Street and Bagdat Street that are some of largest streets in Istanbul.I think,definitely you should see and live Christmas in there.
Well, We usually prepare a wonderful and delicious meal for dinner. We have the biggest familiar meeting in the year and we celebrate a lot.
ReplyDeleteDear Randall,
ReplyDeleteIn my country, Christmas Eve its a special day for children. They hit a trunk called TIÓ singing Christmas carols and it shits gifts. It's a funny tradition.
Hello everyone!
ReplyDeleteAlthough this topic is a bit old, I want to comment to practice my English writing skill.
In my country, Christmas isn't an offical festival. But everyone welcomes and celebrates it very much. There are umpteen people going out with their friends, mates, families... Besides, plenty of people chose the way of staying at home with family and enjoying a favorite film, for example. I always wonder if only Santa Clauswere were real, so I could receive gifts I wish !
In my country, Guatemala, we celebrate Christmas by cooking a special food, named Tamales, this Tamales are made with corn pork grease, tomatoes, Hot sauce, pork meet, and white bread..... and for drink we make fruit Ponche, we add to the ponche pinaple, green apples, papaya, coconut, big bananas, raisins, sugar, milk and ginger, this is so delicious, then we wait until midnight to celebrate together eating Tamales and ponche, sharing huges and burning fireworks... After midnight everybody go to dance Salsa, and merengue, and keep dancing until the next day, it finish at 9 am.
ReplyDeleteChristmas is not a religious tradition in my country. However, most people have started to celebrate Christmas in recent years. I think Christmas is a significant tradition which everyone can take and give present to express our gratitue for the friendship/love through the year. I have a two-year daughter. Anh this year, I start to tell her about Christmas, Santa, pine and gifts. She is very excited. I am happy because this make my daughter happy.
ReplyDeletehi everybody!I from Colombia, but I was bord in Venezuela, we celebrate Christmas by cooking's Venezuela food; Hayacas , bread's ham.It's food is delicios and traditional,Too is tradition which everyone can take and give present to express our gratitue for the friendship/love through the year averyone in family.
ReplyDeletegreat…. this is the site I wanted to find long time ago
ReplyDeleteIn Vietnam, although it is not our traditional holiday, we still celebrate it really huge. There are fake santa all over the places, Christmas tree, and more.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone my name is Sue,Well I'm Fiji and currently staying in Vanuatu. These two countries they both celebrate Christmas.During Christmas it's like families come together and celebrate Christmas,normally we cook traditional food, sea foods and other menus.We will exchange gifts.We sing,dance,put powder on each other,we [pour water.we also do family devotional,we will come and have lunch together wearing our brand new clothes. After we have lunch we will go on with activities like swimming or playing games.
ReplyDeleteHi everybody,I'm from Fiji,We do celebrate Christmas in so many ways,We either go for a picnic,and celebrate it along the beach or we just at home with other families members cooking our traditional food and many other menus.During Christmas we sing, dance and do lots of kind of activities.WE will come out wearing our best or brand new clothes.We do exchange presents.I always look forward to Christmas especially my kids all they can think for is presents
ReplyDeletehello I am from Mexico, but i live nearly of the border, so the people here in Chihuahua celebrate this holydays like in USA. I like this holydays so much for all the feelings that comes to me and memories. I love this season .I like the lights outside of the houses ,songs and food we can eat like turkey, pays and mexican food.
ReplyDeletewell in my country ( i live in Peru) have the same tradicion of north America we drink hot chocolate althoung it's summer , we buy new clothes for wear inside the house we share delicius food and we burst fireworks.
ReplyDeleteIn my host country, from the end of November until mid- January, malls, houses, streets, buildings are decorated with very beautiful lights and Christmas trees to prepare Christmas. Even it is usually very cold at this moment of the year, people are very happy and excited. They go for shopping to buy Christmas gifts for every one. We celebrate Christmas with family then exchange gifts.
ReplyDeleteCanada
The scene in my City the beautiful Cannabis city of Calabar at Christmas is known as the biggest street party in Africa. Always telecast live on Cable TV network esspecailly DSTV.
ReplyDeleteBefore the beginning of December every year, the major streets are decorated with wonderful lighting with it unique concept and messages each year. The crowning event is the display of beauty, culture and the heritage of the African Continent. Four different Band always compete for supremacy for the major prices put up by the Cross River State government. The weather is always very beautiful and different people from all over the World visit Calabar because of carnival Calabar.
Local and international artist always come to show Case their worth. The period is always a memorable one. Please come 2020 come and witness carnival Calabar.
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteI'm from Turkey, we generally celebrate Christmas with our family, and we prepare a wonderful and delicious meal for dinner, exchange gifts, and we talk about our memories and wish each other.
I don't live nearly my family, so I often have Christmas with my friends. I'm from VietNam and Christmas lasts nearly 1 month here. Many families decorate pine trees, Santa Clause and berries in front of porch, they spread lights all the way.On Christmas Day, the streets are always crowded, many tourist come and take pictures. Many families celebrate eating, drinking and singing during many night. It's also a good time for many couple dating
ReplyDeleteI'd say most of the Islamic countries don't celebrate Christmas, but we have other annual celebrations such as: EID AL-FITER where we visit our siblings and usually they give money to children.
ReplyDeleteDuring these dates Colombia is filled with light and color. Christmas is above all a Catholic celebration, it is also used to intone the typical prayers as the novena of aguinaldos. During those nine days the Colombians stand around the manger to pray and sing carols.
ReplyDeleteOn December 24, families gather at their homes and enjoy a dinner where they prepare chicken, suckling pig, potatoes and tamales; among others, sweets are also shared where puff pastry and custard fritters are found, and at the end Christmas greetings are exchanged.