Listen and fill in.

December 1 ____________! And children begin to get 2 ____________

because of Christmas. About two thousand years ago, Jesus was born in the
town of Bethlehem. At Christmas, people 3 ______________ that special Dme.
Today, Christmas is a very 4 ________________ Dme in the ChrisDan year, but it
is also very important to people who do not go to church. It is a Dme for
presents, parDes, and De with the family.
People start to get ready for Christmas in late October or early November.
They decorate their shops with lights, trees, and other decoraDons. Shops get
very busy and stay open 5 _____________.
In the middle of December, most families buy Christmas trees, put them
inside the house, and put colourful decoraDons on them. They also send cards
to friends and family. The cards say things like “Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year” or “Seasons GreeDng”.
Many children 6 _______________ about the baby Jesus at school.
SomeDmes they do a play about the story and sing Christmas songs, called
carols, for their mothers and fathers. A lot of schools have parDes for the
children, and many 7 _____________ have parDes at work in December. Most
people do not have to work on 25 and 26 in December, and many have a week’s
holiday, from 25 December to 1 January. They usually spend this Dme at home
with their family, or perhaps they visit friends or family who live far away.
The Christmas holiday begins on 24 December: Christmas eve. People
oYen stop 8 ____________ early and have a drink together, or finish their
Christmas shopping. They put special paper on the presents and leave them
under the tree. Children leave a stocking for Santa Claus (called Father Christmas
in Britain) when they go to bed. Santa is a big man with white hair and red
clothes who brings presents for children during the night. Mothers and fathers
tell their children that Santa only comes when they are sleeping. They also tell
them that Santa leaves presents for good children- but for bad children only
leaves a piece of black coal! The children are 9 _____________, of course, so
oYen they do not sleep very well. Some children leave a drink and a mince pie
for Santa and some vegetables for his animals.
Many people go to 10 ____________ at midnight on Christmas Eve. They
listen to Christmas story and sing carols. Next morning it is Christmas Day 25
December. Children usually wake up very early. They look in their stockings to
see presents that Santa put there for them. AYer 11 _____________ they open
their other presents around the tree.
Christmas dinner is in the aYernoon and is the biggest meal of the day.
Before they start to eat, people pull crackers. The crackers make a loud noise,
and have a small game and a hat 12 ________________. Dinner is usually turkey
with lots of winter vegetables and then a Christmas pudding. OYen there are
hot mince pies too.
26 December is called Boxing Day. It is a holiday for many people, but a lot
of shops open on this day. In the nineteenth century, rich people gave 13
_____________ of presents to their workers on Boxing Day. Now people enjoy
eaDng, drinking, and watching television at home, or going out to watch some
sport.
Another BriDsh Christmas tradiDon is the pantomime. A pantomime is a
kind of 14 ______________ with a children’s story (like Cinderella or Aladdin)
and lots of music and songs. There is usually a 15 ____________ who wears
women’s clothes and plays an old woman. “She” is not very beauDful, but she is
usually very funny. Children like pantomimes because they can laugh, sing,
shout, and make lots of noise. They oYen go with their school or family.
The Christmas season ends on the twelYh day aYer 25 December, which is
6 January.
1.What do people celebrate at Christmas? 7.Why do children wake up early
A. Santa’s birthday. on Christmas Day?
B. St Nicholas’s birthday. A. To wrap the presents
C. Jesus’s birthday. B. To open the presents
2.Christmas is a very important Dme … C. To eat Christmas breakfast
A. Only for ChrisDans 8.A Christmas Cracker is
B. For all people A. a Christmas dessert
C. For children B. a cardboard paper tube
3.When do people start to get ready C. a Christmas present
for Christmas? 9.Rich people gave boxes of presents
A. In autumn to their workers
B. In winter A. on Boxing Day
4.What do children do at school
B. on Christmas Day
before Christmas?
C. on Christmas Eve
A. do plays about Jesus
10.A pantomime is
B. sing Christmas carols
A. a play
C. have parDes
B. a film
D. all of the menDoned above
5.What do people usually do during C. a song

their Christmas holidays? D. a game

A. Have parDes at work

B. Visit their families
C. Spend Dme alone

6.What does Santa leave for bad children?

A. A piece of paper
B. A piece of cake
C. A piece of coal
 Watch the video and answer the quesDons.
hjps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1f9OOLSERA&t=1s
Do you celebrate Christmas in your country?
Is Christmas a naDonal holiday in your country?
What’s the weather like at Christmas in your country?
What do you usually eat at Christmas?
Do you put up a Christmas tree? What decoraDons do you put on it?
What Christmas events do you have at school/work?
Who brings presents to children in your country?
Do people go to church at Christmas in your country?
How long is your Christmas holiday?