【FT- Christmas Day】双语工程2005期No.69Beck打卡Day64

海陆空的奇思妙想

1. What is Christmas day?

Christmas is in December. It's a season with many traditions.People think about families, friends and giving. Most families put up a tree, hang decorations and give gifts.

Christmas Day is december 25th. Wake up early, then you can run to open the presents under the tree. There's going to be a lot of food to eat. It's a time to spend with your family and people you love.

Christmas is the most widely celebrated festival , and also the most popular festival globally. I will try to present you with not only the history of Christmas, but also enjoyable information on the different Symbols like Santa Claus, reindeer, star and the reasons behind their association with Christmas.

In fact, these things have become so common with the celebration of Christmas, that when we see the Santa riding on a reindeer sledge with the stocking full of gifts and candies, or the familiar coniferous([kəˈnɪfərəs] 针叶植物) green trees being decorated with tinsels（金箔） and stars, and gingerbread and fruits, or houses being decorated with holly twigs and mistletoes（槲寄生） - we know Christmas has come.

2. The origin of Christmas.

Christmas is for joy, for giving and sharing, for laughter, for coming together with family and friends, for tinsel and brightly decorated packages... But mostly, Christmas is for love. Christmas, Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. It was this love for which Jesus came to this world and sacrificed his life.

Christmas is a Christian holiday which is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ on December the 25th as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.


Some 2000 years ago a young lady, named Mary, about 15 years of age, was praying in her home. All of a sudden she saw a stranger standing before her. She did not know how he had come in. The visitor was brighter than the light of day, and Mary frightened. She understood that he was not a man but an angel, when he greeted her. The angel told her not to be afraid. Then he delivered her the message that she would bear a son to be called Jesus." He shall be great," said the angel. It is not know why December the 25th became the date of the birth of Jesus as its birthday is not really known.


The date was taken from the ancient Roman calendar,as they thought it was the shortest day of the year. Also ancient Romans had a series of festivals near the age of the year and Christmas may have been scheduled at this time to compete with them.

On this day, many Christian go to church where they take part in special religious services. During the Christmas season, they also exchange gifts and decorate their homes with holy mistletoe and Christmas trees.

The word Christmas comes from an early English that means Mass of Christ. The story of Christmas comes chiefly from the Gospels of Saint Luke and Saint. Matthew in the New Testament.

3. Symbols and customs of Christmas.

Christmas colors are red and green.Today, traditional Christmas activities include caroling，making and giving presents ,sending cards to family and friends and enjoying festive dinners and parties.

3.1Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is december 24th. It's a night before Christmas. It's a great time to sing carols.

On Christmas Eve, the family reunite in the sitting room, they will gather around the tree to sing Christmas carols，exchange gifts ，share the joys and sorrows of life， express wish.

3.2 Santa Claus.

• How does he look like?

Santa Claus is the most popular people. He is generally depicted as a portly,joyous, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white fur collar and cuffs,white-fur-cuffed red trousers ,a black leather belt and boots and he carries a bag full of gifts for the children.

• What will Santa clause do?

Every year on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus goes into the sleign with lots of sacks full of presents for the good boys and girls all over the world.

If you have been a good girl, Santa Claus will be bringing your presents on Christmas Eve.

He flies around the world delivering the presents with his sleigh pulled by 9 reindeer.

Santa lands gently on each snowy rooftop and tiptoes into the chimney. He puts the present in the stocking you hung up on your bed.

• Origin of Santa

Santa Claus,also known as saint Nicholas ，Father Christmas or simply santa，is a legendary figure of western Christian culture.

Santa Claus has a Dutch origin, he was developed from saint Nicholas, who was a real person. Saint Nicholas was the patron[ˈpeɪtrən] saint of school boys, he brought gifts to the children.The idea that Santa Claus comes down the chimney originated in Norway, where children hang Christmas stocking on the fireplace mantle.

• Where he lives.

Santa Clause,as known in popular culture , is believed to live at the North Pole. The North Pole is the northern -most point on earth.

Santa Claus village is an amusement park in Rovaniemi in the Lapland region of Finland, which was opened in 1985.

• Handcrafts about Santa Claus.



What you'll need:

Small paper plate

Craft paint: flesh tone

Red craft foam

Cotton balls

2 googly eyes

1 pink pom pom

Scissors

Glue

Paint Brush

Red marker or crayon

How to make your Cotton Ball Santa Craft

• Turn the paper plate upside down and paint it in the flesh tone of your choice. Set the plate aside to dry.
• Cut a hat shape out of red craft foam and glue a cotton ball to the tip of the hat and then glue a line of cotton balls along the bottom of the hat.
• Once the paper plate is dry, glue the bottom of the hat to the top of the paper plate.
• Glue a "beard" of cotton balls along the outside edge of the paper plate.
• Glue two googly eyes onto the plate near the hat.
• Glue a pink pom pom under the eyes as a nose.
• Cut a cotton ball in half and glue above the eyes as eyebrows.
• Cut a cotton ball in half and pull it slightly to form a mustache. Glue under the nose.
• Use the red marker to draw a smile under the mustache.

What you'll need:

• 1 push pop
  
• Scissors
  Clear tape
  Glue
  Popsicle stick
  5 brads
  Red, black, orange, and white construction paper
  1 large black pom pom
  1 small white pom pom
  Hot glue gun and glue sticks
  2 googly eyes

How to make Santa Down the Chimney

• First, make sure the push pop can be easily raised and lowered by children’s hands. Cut the pop lengthwise and add a strip of tape to widen the opening just a bit. You want the plunger to go up and down easily, but still fit tightly enough so the plunger won’t fall out of the push pop.
  
• Cut a piece of red construction paper to wrap around the outside of the push pop. Draw a brick pattern onto the paper.
  
• Cut a large round circle from red paper and four rectangles that will become Santa’s arms, legs, and body.
  
• Cut a smaller orange circle for his face, two small orange circles for hands, and a beard from white paper.
  
• Cut two boots from black paper and a 1/4 inch strip of black paper for Santa’s belt.
  
• Glue Santa’s face and body together. Use a brad for Santa’s belt buckle. Attach the arms and legs to Santa’s body with brads so they can move.
  
• Glue the large pom pom to Santa’s hand. This is his toy bag!
• Glue a popsicle stick to the back of Santa. Make sure the bottom of the stick doesn’t stick out farther than his boots and the top isn’t longer than his hat. You may need to trim the stick a little.
• Use hot glue to glue the bottom of the popsicle stick to the push pop plunger. (If a child is making this, make sure an adult does the hot glue gun work!)
• When the glue is dry, insert the plunger into the push pop chimney.
• Push and pull the plunger and Santa will go down and up the chimney.
  

https://www.sightandsoundreading.com/santa-crafts-for-kids/

What you'll need:

• Felt
  
• 2 Cotton balls
  
• 7 Popsicle sticks (glued and painted)
  
• Googly eyes
  
• Pom poms
  
• Hot glue
  

How to make Popsicle sticks Santa

To make Santa; start by gluing some popsicle sticks together. Use two sticks just as wide as your entire piece and use hot glue to stick on the back.

Let it dry. And then paint the front side.

Cut a triangle-shaped hat for the Santa and add pom pom to it. Stick it at the top.
Now shred the cotton balls and use glue stick to glue it at the bottom.
With the help of glue dots stick googly eyes and red pom pom.

That’s about it all.Have fun making your own Santa Claus.

3.3Christmas Elf

• What is elf?

Elvs are very popular mythical creatures. Unlike trolls and ogres they are generally depicted as friendly and helpful creatures. There are actually many types of them.

• What is Christmas efl?

Every child, for example, knows about Christmas elves.

In American, Canadian,Irish and British cultures, Christmas elf is a diminutive elf that lives with Santa at the North Pole and acts as his helper.

Christmas elves are often depicted as green or red clad with large, pointy ears and pointy hats.

They are youthful but immortal and have magical powers.

• What Christmas elves do.

Santa's elves are often said to make the toys in Santa's workshop and take care of his reindeer among other tasks.Here is an elf's to do list Which shows what they are doing.

• make toys throughout the year.
• make sure Santa receives his mail.
• clean every house on Christmas Eve.
• deliver presents with Santa.
• take care of Santa's reindeer.
• decorate the Santa's house.
• sell toys online.
• write to Santa about their requests.
• bake cookies and make candy.
• cook vegetables on Christmas Eve.

• Christmas tradition--Elf on the shelf.

For those of you, like me, who have never heard of "elf on the shelf", It has become a Christmas tradition where a special little scout is sent to your home from the North Pole to make sure kids are behaving themselves.

It can be hidden anywhere around the house, keeping a careful eye on your little ones, before returning at night to the North Pole to make the reports on who has been naughty or nice.

M: Baby,here's a letter for you. You can open it and I will read it for you.

B: Who's that?

M: This is a letter from santa's elf. It has come to our house to keep a careful eye on you. It is hidden in some place in our house. You can go to find it out, but you shouldn't touch it.

M: It will change the place to hide itself from today. You must be good, or you won't receive the present from Santa on Christmas Eve.

• Handcrafts about Christmas elf

What you'll need:

Acrylic Kid Friendly Paint
Coloured Paper
Pom-pom’s
Yellow felt (or paper)
Stappler
PVA Glue
Fine tipped paintbrush (or sharpie)
Scissors

How to make your toilet paper roll christmas elf

Cut into the top of the toilet paper roll at a slant and then fold it to create a triangle shape in the middle.Repeat on the otherside of the toilet paper roll

Next paint the toilet paper roll using some kid friendly acrylic paints.Add some detail.

We can use a fine tipped paint brush to create facial features, this could easily be swapped for some fine tipped sharpies!

we should have two pointy Elf ears by folding the cardbaord tube into itself.

Cut out a yellow buckle square, a black strip for the belt, and a jagged edge red piece for the neck part.

Using a piece of coloured paper, draw and cut out a large circle and cut the circle in half.Fold half of the circle round to create a cone shape and before putting together, make sure it fits snuggly onto the cardboard tube, with the ears sticking out and the two triangles in middle section covered.

Add a pom-pom to the tip of the hat using some PVA glue. You can choose to glue or tape it down or not because you may like to take it on and off :)

What you'll need:

Paper Plate x2

Kids Washable Paint
Cotton Wool Balls
Scissors
Black Sharpie

How to make your Paper Plate Christmas Elf

Step 1: To begin, mix the paints to create a skin tone and then paint half of the paper plate a skin coloured shade.
Paint the other half of the plate a bright vibrant colour, filtering down the rim of the plate to create a ‘droopy’ hat shape.

Step 2: Add a few cotton wool balls to the hat, with an extra cotton wool ball added to the tip.

Step 3: Add some facial features!
We added a big red nose (as it’s cold in the North Pole) and a pair of eyes, with a smiley face using a red paint and a sharpie.and we could replace the black dotty eyes for googly eyes!

Step 4: having mixed our paint on a paper plate, we then reused it to create the must-have Elf Ears!

Step 5: Cut out two ‘Elf Ear’ shapes and paste them onto the Elf with PVA glue, finishing off the Paper Plate Christmas Elf Craft.

3.4 Christmas tree.

• What is Christmas tree?

A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce（云杉）,pine（松树） or fir（冷杉） or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas.

The concept of decorating this tree was first introduced by Germany long back in 16th century. It was the time when Christians brought adorned Christian tree to their homes. But soon after the Reformation, the upper class protestant started keeping this decorative tree back home.

• Origin of Christmas tree.

Christmas trees have pagan origins. When pagans became Christian, they used evergreens ( a sacred tree.)for the holiday by decorating them with nuts and candles.

The tradition of holiday tree has been around since ancient times and has played an important part in winter celebrations for many centuries.

Many pagan festivals use the trees when honoring their gods and spirits.

The sang Christmas carols as they danced around the Christmas tree.

Long before Christianity， plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Ancient people hung evergreen boughs大树枝 over their doors and s in many countries, it was believed that evergreens would keep away witched，ghosts ，evil spirits and illness.

The shortest day and longest night of the year falls on December 21 or December 22, and it's called the winter solstice. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and that winter came every year because the sun god had become sick and weak. They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well.

In northern Europe, the Vikings considered the ever green as a symbol and reminder that the darkness and cold of winter would end and the green of spring would return.

• Handcrafts about Christmas tree

What you'll need:

• Green Construction paper
• Single hole punch (the larger the size of the hole the better)
• Multiple colors of tissue paper
• Scissors
• Glue stick

How to make your Light Up Christmas Tree Craft

• Print our Christmas tree template and cut it out. Trace it onto green construction paper and cut the tree out.
• Punch holes on the tree using your hole punch. Our hole punch is a bit smaller than I would have liked (hopefully Santa will bring a better one this Christmas!), but it still worked pretty well.
• Cut strips of different colored tissue paper, and then cut the strips into small squares. You want the squares to be big enough to cover one of the punched holes. This is a great step to let your preschooler practice their scissor skills.
• Cover the back of the tree with glue (a glue stick is the best way to avoid a mess).
• Have your child stick the tissue paper squares over the holes on the back of the tree.
• After it dries (so you don't accidentally glue your tree to the ), hang your tree on the . When the sun shines through the "lights" will glow!

What you'll need:

• Green Paper Triangle ~ I precut them, but it would be a great time to work on those all important scissor skills.
  
• Jewels ~ Lots and lots of Jewels!
  
• Glue
  
• Q-tips
  
• Clothes pin

How to make Jeweled Christmas Tree

Squeezing glue from a bottle is great for building hand muscles and co-ordination. However if Im being honest, most of those bottles are hard even for ME to get to work. I find that its easiest to pour a bit of glue out and let the kids dip and dot the glue onto their project. Q-tips work great for dipping glue, plus the kids love it!
We also love our homemade glue sponge. If you have not tried it yet, I bet your kids will love it! So easy to make, and it really saves on glue!

I love how clothes pins look as the stems of these little Christmas Trees. Simple, cute and so easy. Everything we love about kids crafts!

What you need

• green yarn
  
• pom poms in various sizes and colors
  
• glitter pom poms are optional but certainly fun
  
• cardboard
  
• scissors
  
• white school glue

How to make Yarn Wrapped Christmas Tree

Cut the triangles out of cardboard (this being a job for the adult as cardboard can be quite tricky to cut).

Tie the yarn to the triangle, somewhere in the middle. You can add some glue to secure the yarn before continuing.

Add a generous amount of white school glue on one side of the triangle.

Start wrapping the yarn all around the triangle – make sure you wrap the yarn around all 3 sides of the triangle.

When you are happy with how the wrapped tree looks like, finish up by tying the yarn – make a knot and secure it with some glue. You can add more glue in order to glue on the pom poms (if you were super generous with the white school glue before, there might be enough already).

If you want to make this into an Christmas ornament just tie some yarn to the back/top of your Yarn Wrapped Christmas Tree Ornaments and you are ready to go.

25+ Easy Christmas Tree Crafts for Kids {that make fabulous Holiday decor!}

https://justbrightideas.com/christmas-tree-crafts-for-kids/

3.5Reindeer.

• Fun facts about the reindeer.

The reindeer is species of deer,which live in the northernmost parts of the world; they are native to Arctic regions, as well as northern Europe and Siberia[saɪˈbɪriə]. This explains why reindeer lead Santa's sleigh - he needed animals that could live at the North Pole!

They are also known as Caribou[ˈkærɪbuː]in North America.

Reindeer can be different sizes and colors.They have thick coat and big hooves.

Both males and females have antlers.Males have bigger than females.there's no way to be sure, but that could mean that Santa's reindeer were in fact female.

Reindeer are hunt for their meat and antlers.Others are used for transporting.

Reindeer hooves change depending on the season.When it is wet and the ground is soft,their footpads become sponge-like and provide extra grip.The footpads shrink in winter,showing the rim of the hoof that cuts into the ice and stops the reindeer form slipping.

Reindeer have four-chambered[ˈtʃeɪmbərd] stomach and like to feed on lichen地衣(fungus). They also eat leaves of willow and birches桦树 and grasses.

Reindeer are uniquely capable of living in harsh and cold environments. Their noses actually warm the air before they breathe it in, so that their lungs don't freeze.

Reindeer are the only mammals that can see you ultraviolet light.This means that they can easily tell the difference between white fur and snow, because white fur has much higher contrast. It helps them discover predators in snowy landscapes.

The sense of sight and hearing are not brilliant,relying mainly on their sense of smell.

• 　　A male reindeer is called a ball.
• A female reindeer is called a cow.
• A baby reindeer is called a cow.
• A reindeer's milk has more fat than cow's milk.

• Reindeer's role in Christmas legend

Reindeer clearly have a lot of significance in Christmas legend.

Reindeer are a well-known part of Christmas lore,but you might not be aware that their part of the Christmas tradition is less than 200 years old.

Santa's reindeer made their first official appearance in 1823, when Clement C. Moore published the poem "The Night Before Christmas," where he says that "eight tiny rein-deer" led Santa's sleigh through the night.

The original reindeer were Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder, and Blixem (later known as Donner and Blitzen). The names Donder and Blitzen translate from German as thunder and lightning.

Some people like to leave carrots for Santa's reindeer as a special treat on Christmas Eve, but think about leaving moss instead - that's a real reindeer's favorite food!

Originally, Santa only had 8 reindeer.

• Rudolph Fun Facts
  

Rudolph wasn't an original member of Santa's reindeer posse; the little red-nosed reindeer didn't make an appearance in popular culture until 1939, when department store Montgomery Ward hired writer Robert L. May to write a book starring a brand new Christmas character.

Rudolph's story was adapted into the famous song, still sung today, in 1949.

The much loved stop-motion movie version of Rudolph's story first aired on December 6, 1964, and has aired countless times each year since then!

To celebrate his 75th birthday, the United States Postal Service issued a set of Rudolph stamps in November 2014.

• Handcrafts about reindeer

What you'll need:

• Light brown construction paper
• Dark brown construction paper
• 2 googly eyes
• Red pom pom
• Scissors
• Glue

How to make your Handprint ReindeerTrace your child's foot onto the dark brown construction paper and cut it out.

• Trace both of your child's hands onto the light brown construction paper and cut them out.
• Glue the two handprints (at the wrist portion) to the back of the footprint (up near the toes) to be the antlers.
• Glue two googly eyes onto the footprint.
• Glue the pom pom onto the heel of the footprint as a nose.

What you'll need

• Brown Paper Cups
  
• Light and Dark Brown Cardstock
  
• Red Yarn
  
• Red Pom Poms
  
• Wiggle Eyes
  
• Black Marker
  
• Glue
  
• Scissors

How to Make Paper Cup Reindeer

• Start your flying reindeer craft by making two small holes in the base of your brown paper cup.
  
• Next cut an arm span of red yarn and thread the two ends through the holes in the bottom of the paper cup to leave a loop. Pull the ends of the yarn through the paper cup and tie them together.
  
• Cut four thin strips of light brown cardstock to make the reindeer legs and concertina [ˌkɑːnsərˈtiːnə] fold them. You can make them as long or short as you like.
  
• Cut four dark brown reindeer hooves and glue them onto the end of the legs.
  
• Glue the reindeer’s legs into the inside of the paper cup.
  
• Cut some reindeer antlers from light brown cardstock.
  
• Then make some small ears from light brown cardstock too and fold over the ends slightly.
  
• Glue the antlers, ears, wiggle eyes and red pom pom nose onto the front of the paper cup reindeer craft.
  
• Finish off your flying reindeer by drawing on a friendly smile.

Now your interactive flying reindeer is ready to be enjoyed! To make Rudolf fly pull the two bottom strings out to the side. This will push him up the length of the yarn. When you bring your hands back together he will fall back down. You can make your reindeer fly up and down over and over! Such fun.

https://kidscraftroom.com/flying-paper-cup-reindeer-craft/

What you'll need:

antler and ear template

small craft bucket

scrapbook paper or construction paper

tape and craft glue

scissors

pencil

googly eyes

pom pom for the nose

black marker or sharpie

ribbon (for a bow or even a bowtie, if you want)

glue

fine tipped black pen or sharpie

How to make your reindeer bucket craft



Print and cut out the antler and ear template. Trace onto fun patterned paper or construction paper.

Cut out and tape the ears on top of the antlers. Tape or glue all of this to the inside of the front of the bucket. (see pic)

Glue on googly eyes and pom pom nose.

Draw a smile.

Make a bow or bowtie to add to your reindeer.

Fill with your favorite Christmas candy!

reindeer bucket craftreindeer bucket craft materialsreindeer face

What you need

• brown yarn
  
• pom poms in various sizes and colors
  
• glitter pom poms are optional but certainly fun
  
• cardboard
  
• scissors
  
• white school glue
  

How to make Yarn Wrapped reindeer

Cut the triangles out of cardboard (this being a job for the adult as cardboard can be quite tricky to cut).

Tie the yarn to the triangle, somewhere in the middle. You can add some glue to secure the yarn before continuing.

Add a generous amount of white school glue on one side of the triangle.

Start wrapping the yarn all around the triangle – make sure you wrap the yarn around all 3 sides of the triangle.

When you are happy with how the wrapped tree looks like, finish up by tying the yarn – make a knot and secure it with some glue. You can add more glue in order to glue on the pom poms (if you were super generous with the white school glue before, there might be enough already).

If you want to make this into an Christmas ornament just tie some yarn to the back/top of your Yarn Wrapped reindeer Ornaments and you are ready to go.

use two clothes pegs as antlers，stick two googly eyes and a red pom-pom as the red nose

3.6 Christmas decoration

Christmas tree ornaments can be found in nearly every size, color and shape imaginable,and they are used to decorate the millions of Christmas trees used throughout the world.

Here are some decorations that we can use to decorate the Christmas trees.

• bauble
• Snowflake.
• Candy cane：The Christmas Candy Cane is originally from Germany about two and a half centuries ago. They began as white,straight sticks of sugar. A tale goes that in 1670, a choirmaster was afraid about the children seated quietly all through the elongated Christmas delivery service. So he provided them with something to eat to keep them mum. As he wanted to prod them of Christmas, he moulded them into a 'J' shape like a shepherd’s crook, to make them remember the shepherds that came to visit the baby Jesus at the first Christmas.
• pine cone
  
• Stocking.
  

• gift box.
  
• christmas bells：A long time ago, people were under the impression that they could use bells to scare away evil spirits. Bells were a hassle free form of noise-making. The custom of using sound makers like bells at these times escalated over into the celebration of Christmas. But people made noise to laud something happy, instead of making noise to shoo away evil things.
• Santa Claus/ Father Christmas.
• Snowman
• Gingerbread man.

• bow
  
• angel tree topper:Putting angel decorations a top Christmas trees or on their evergreen forks is a favorite holiday custom. People would often put angels on the very peak of their Christmas trees to denote the importance of the angels who appeared way above Bethlehem to cheerfully announce Jesus' birth on the first Christmas. By putting angels on the apex of their Christmas trees, some folk were also issuing a statement of faith with the intention of scaring away any bad spirits away from their houses.
  
• star tree topper：If people didn't adopt an angel decoration as a tree topper, they usually placed a star, to represent the bright star that came in the sky to lead people to Jesus' birthplace.The Christmas Star represents the star of Bethlehem. The star appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew, where magi "from the east" are guided by the star to travel to Jerusalem. There they meet King Herod of Judea, and ask him, where the king of the Jews had been born. Herod directs them to Bethlehem, a nearby village. The star leads them to Jesus's house in Bethlehem, where they pay him homage and give him gifts.
  
• christmas light
  
• tinsel/garland

• ribbon
• tree pick（插花)
  
• wreath
• poinsettia（圣诞红，一品红）：The Poinsettia is a beautiful red, star shaped flower, favourite of United States. Some legends are associated with this flower, which make this flower even more divine. The legend comes from Mexico, where a poor little girl named Maria and her little brother Pablo, used to celebrate Christmas in their village. The two children were very kind hearted. They wished to distribute gifts in the manger scene set up. But they were heartbroken since they did not have enough money to buy gifts. So they picked up some weeds on their way, and presented them to their baby Jesus. Though they became an object of fun to every villager present, but to their astonishment, the green top leaves turned into bright red petals, and soon the manger was surrounded by beautiful star-like flowers and so we see them today.

• mistletoe（榭寄生，友谊和爱情的象征）：Mistletoe is an evergreen partial parasitic plant, which grows on the branches of trees, where it forms pendent bushes, 2 to 5 feet in diameter. It sends out roots which penetrate into the tree and take up nutrients. Many mystical power is been associated with this plant
  

• Glastonbury Thorn：Glastonbury Thorn legend is associated with Christ’s death as well as a celebration of his birth. As per the legend goes, soon after the death of Christ, Joseph of Arimathea came to Britain to preach about Christianity. While travelling he brought his staff along. Soon after a tiring nap, he noticed his staff have grown and fully blossomed. It is believed he left his staff there, from then onwards it flowered in every Christmas as well during spring.
• Holly Prickly：The plant with its shiny green prickly leaves and red berry has come to stand for peace and joy. People often settle arguments under a Holly tree. It is believed Holly frighten off witches and protect homes from thunder and lighting. There’s a pagan connotation attached to this tree, the Druids believed that Holly, with its evergreen look keeps the earth beautiful when the sacred oak lost it leaves. They used to wear twigs of Holly in their hair when they went into the forest to watch their priests, cut the sacred mistletoe.

• candle：There are several unique reasons why candles are linked with Christmas, even though no one knows when they became correlated in the first place. They were used at the time of the age old winter solstice galas as a way of recollecting that spring would arrive soon.

Handcrafts about decorations

What you'll need:

Construction paper (the heavier weight the better)

Single hole punch

String (or shoelace)

Glue

Cotton balls

Crayons, glitter, etc.

Tape

Stocking template

How to make your Lacing Stocking Craft

Print our stocking template and cut the piece out. Trace it onto construction paper and cut that out.

Punch holes around the outside of the stocking. The amount of holes and how close together they are should be determined by the age/skill level of your child. For really young kids, keep the number small and space them out to minimize frustration.

Tape one end of the string onto the back of the stocking at the top, then thread it through the first hole to get your child started. We've found the simplest threading material to be shoelaces - they have a built in "needle"! Our daughter is older so we've progressed to ribbon.

Help your child weave the string in and out of the holes. You want to end on the back side of the stocking so you can tape it down. You can either plan out your holes really well, or if you end up front punch an extra hole and weave it through.

Add some glue to the top of the stocking and let your child put on some cotton balls for a fluffy top.

Let your child decorate the stocking however they would like!

What you'll need:

Construction paper (green & red)

Large paper plate

Holly leaf template

Scissors

Glue

How to make your Holly Leaf Wreath

Print our holly leaf template. Trace the leaf onto green construction paper. You will need about 25 leaves total.

Cut the center out of a paper plate, and discard it (keeping only the rim).

Squeeze a generous amount of glue onto the paper plate rim and add the leaves, overlapping them a bit so that no white is showing from the paper plate.

Cut some small circles out of red construction paper and glue them onto the wreath as berries.

Let's decorate our house and Christmas tree.

M: Baby.Christmas is coming .shall we get ready for the holiday?

M: At Christmas ,we spend time with family and friends. We give and receive gifts.We also like to put decorations up inside and outside the house. Does it sound like fun？

B: Yes, it sounds like fun.

M: First, we need to choose a Christmas tree and some decorations online.We'll receive it and put it in the living room, and then we'll decorate it.

B: Sounds great.

M: Daddy, can you please put up the tree for us?

D: Of course, I can. I will put the tree up and you can decorate it.

B:How do we decorate the tree?

M: Look, here is a box of decorations. What can you see. in the box?

B:I can see……

M:We put all of the decorations on the tree and around the house.On the tree, we put ornaments, lights, ribbons and tinsel with an angel or star sitting on the top.

M:Around the house, we put more ornaments and candles.We also hang up the Christmas cards we receive or place them around the house.Then we hang up lights outside and put a wreath [ri:θ] on the door.

B: Can I help?

M: Of course, it's a lot of fun.

5. Letters from and to Santa Clause

M: Today, I received a letter for you. Would you like to open it? Who's that?

B: There are Santa Claus and reindeer on the paper.

M: Oh, it's a letter from Santa Claus. Would you like me to read it out for you?

B:Yes.

M： Baby ，look, there were some cats paws on the letter. Maybe when Santa was writing the letter, his cat jumped on the desk and step into some paint and left his paw prints on the letter. Can you help me to guess what is missing and read the letter？

B：OK.

M: You can also write a letter to Santa to tell him what you would like for Christmas.

B: I'm so excited. I cannot wait to write to him right away.

M:I picked up some new stationery today.We can use that.

M:I have two pieces of paper. This one has Santa clause on it While that one has Santa Claus ,reindeer and Christmas elf on it. Which one would you like better?

B:I like this one better.

M: Well, we should probably start the letter with a "Dear Santa".This type of greeting is called a salutation. You should always start your letters with a salutation, so writing to Santa is really good practice.

B: Okay. What else do I write?

M:Tell Santa who you are. Santa knows you of course--He's been watching you all year! However, he gets lots and lots of letters, so he needs to know which one is yours. Include your name and add your age if you want.

For example, write, “My name is _____. I'm __ years old.”

B: I can do that.

M: Tell Santa the good things you've done this year. Santa is a busy guy, so he may need a little reminder about how good you've been. Tell him about your accomplishments at school, the nice things you've done for your family and friends, and how well you've listened to your parents. Remember to be honest! Santa had his eye on you, so he'll know if you're not being truthful.

M：You might write something like the followings:

• Listening to Parents
• Paying Attention in School
• Sharing with Friends
• Playing Nicely with Siblings
• Doing Chores
• Finishing Homework
• Telling the Truth
• Treating Others Gently

you may have done so many good things this year, write the top three good things you have done will be enough. Santa’s had his eye on you, so he knows everything.

B：Does Santa know what I want even if I don't send him a letter?

M: He might, but it's helpful to send him a letter anyway so he'll know for sure.

M:Ask Santa nicely for the things on your list. You can tell him the gifts you want. What do you want for Christmas?

M:Maybe you can start out by writing down everything you think you want on another piece of paper. And then reconsider what you wrote, cross off items that you aren’t crazy about, keep only the ones you really love.

B：Why can't Santa help me with all my wishes？

M：Santa gets tons of letters from kids across the globe, so sometimes he isn't able to get a kid everything on their list. That's why it's important that you only include your top items.

M：Write down the top three things . Politely ask Santa for these goodies in your letter. Remember to say please! You may write something like,“I would please like a new soccer ball, a scooter, and a cool pair of sneakers.”

And be sure to thank Santa for reading your letter and giving you such nice gifts in the past.

B: Okay. What should I write at the end?

M: We should also share some food with Santa. What food would you like to share with Santa?

B:Biscuits, milk and candies.

M: At the end of your letter,Finish up by thanking Santa. It's a lot of work delivering millions of presents to kids all over the world in a single night, so thank Santa for his kindness.Well done! You should sign your English name at bottom right. Yes, write your name here.

B: Are we done?

M: Good. Now you can say and I will write the letter for you.

M: It's a nice letter. Now let's go get it to santa. We have to put the letter into an envelope and get it shut. Now we should write the address on the front of the envelope in the middle.

M: His address is:

Santa

Lapland

North Pole, 88888

M:Don't forget to add a stamp to the upper right-hand corner.We will post it.

M: Now you can put the envelope into the mailbox. You are all done. Santa makes his delivery every year on Christmas Eve which is on December 24th.

M: It's very soon. But santa will go to the houses of good boys and girls. Do you think you have been a good boy this year?

B: I sure hope I am.

6.Wrappining presents and writing the christmas cards

M: Hello baby, would you like to help me?

B: Of course, what can I do for you?

M: We have to wrap Christmas presents for our family and friends. Let's wrap the paper around the box. Can you please put some tape here to hold it?

B: Okay, I will.

M: Great. Now let's tape the ends close too.

M: Well done baby, let's put some ribbon around the box, too. Help me tie a bow, put your finger here to hold the ribbon, I will tie and bow.

M: We can also use the fabric to wrap the presents besides paper.There are also many ways to wrap the gift ,we can try another way.

7. Christmas Eve.

M:Today is december 24th. It's the night before Christmas. Tonight，we can exchange gifts ，share the joys and sorrows of life，express wish.Santa will come to deliver the gifts for you.

B:Can I stay up on Christmas Eve to meet him?

M: No, you can't.Santa only comes when children are sleeping, so you must go to bed.But before we go to bed, we should leave Santa and his reindeer a treat – a glass of milk and some cookies for Santa and a carrot for his reindeer.

（很多家庭还会给驯鹿留trail mix，或者叫reindeer food，一盘干货，包括nut、raisins、dry cereal、dried fruit等）

M:When you wake up ,you will find your stocking filled and presents under the tree. We will open them all up.It's the most wonderful time of the year!

8. The traditional food on christmas

The day following Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the Christmas season which means tons of traditional Christmas foods. Specialty drinks, treats and edible works of art all lead up to the much anticipated Christmas dinner.

Every family and circle of friends will add their own variations and flavors to these traditional foods but at least some of the dishes are common to all.

Christmas cookies are one of the signature Christmas foods that inspire the holiday spirit in young and old alike. Sugar cookies are easy to make and are just as much fun to prepare as they are to eat. Children love to help mix the dough, use Christmas themed cookie cutters and decorate them with frosting and sprinkles. Other popular holiday cookies include gingerbread, mint cookies, stained glass cookies and gourmet cookie confections that require special preparation. The most common Christmas meat is Turkey. Along the same line as gingerbread cookies, gingerbread houses are one of the most celebrated holiday dishes. Constructing a house out of gingerbread with frosting, candy and more, the baker becomes an artist leaving a tempting work that is just waiting to be devoured. Certainly some gingerbread houses are too elaborate to be eaten and are designated and preserved to become a part of the Christmas decor for years to come. Eggnog is a favorite Christmas beverage that can be served with or without a punch. Some people like to add spiced rum, whiskey and even wine to this drink to create a warming holiday cocktail. The same also goes for hot apple cider which is a must among holiday foods and is great with or without the added alcohol. Hot chocolate is also a popular Christmas beverage that goes over well with countless children and adults, especially when warming up from outdoor play on cold and snowy days. Stuffing is a traditional Christmas dish. All of these Christmas foods are enjoyed up to and at the big Christmas dinner. However, the foods that are normally reserved for the big day are a much anticipated event. Traditional Christmas dinners will likely have a meat like turkey which is the most common, ham, roasted duck or goose to a lesser degree. Along with the meat, Christmas foods found at the traditional dinner include stuffing which is also called dressing, and a number of different vegetables like corn, creamed onions, broccoli, squash, potatoes and cranberry sauce. Every Christmas dinner worthy of its name will also have a variety of enticing deserts. Spread out in front of all the diners will be Christmas cookies, fruit cakes, figgy pudding, pumpkin bread and an assortment of pies. Some of the most popular types of pies are apple pie, pumpkin, mincemeat, chocolate and lemon meringue pie. Desert is incomplete unless it is accompanied by coffee, tea, eggnog and any variety of after dinner liqueurs. Figgy pudding, a traditional Christmas dessert. Mincemeat is used for traditional pies. Pumpkin pies are popular during the Christmas holiday season. Squash may be featured as a Christmas food. A traditional stuffing may include squash among its ingredients. Mint is often added to Christmas dishes. Roasted duck is a traditional Christmas food in some households. Hot chocolate is a popular Christmas beverage. Lemon meringue pie is a common Christmas dessert. Fruit cake is a traditional Christmas dessert. Savory gravy is a Christmas dinner staple in many households.

9. making christmas cards and Greetings on Christmas Day.

Another important custom of Christmas is to send and receive Christmas cards which are meant to help express the sentiment of the season.

People began sending Christmas cards early in December to friends, acquaintances and co-workers, the post office advises customers to mail early in the season and avoid the Christmas rush. Some people heed the advice. Others wait until the last minute and then are upset when their loved ones have not received the greeting card or the present which they sent.

Here are some greetings that we can write on Christmas cards.

• Wishing all of you with great wishes for Christmas.
• And may your kind and gentle ways， we blessed with happy ，peaceful days.
• Becoming more beautiful with every thought， like every flake the earth has caught.
• May peace and joy wrap you in blankets of love， where hope has been.
• Love peace and joy came down on earth on christmas day to make you happy and cheerful.May Christmas spread cheers in your life.
• Best wishes for holiday and health and happiness throughout the coming year.

10. Some worksheets about Christmas.

11.Cartoon about Christmas

清华幼儿英语 ：

• 1a unit12
• 3a unit12

peppa pig：

• S2-13 Peppa Christmas
• S3-51 Santa's grotto
• S3-52 Santa's visit
• S4-25. MR potato Christmas show.
• S5-32 Father Christmas.

12.Nursery rhymes about christmas

13.Books about christmas

14. Stories about Christmas.