It’s the holiday season – which means there’s lots of excitement in the air about Christmas and the New Year.
And to join in with the festive spirit, there’s no better time to add some essential festive-themed vocabulary. So read on to discover some very Christmassy words and phrases that you can use!
Some phrases are very unique to this time of year – and to emphasise this, they’ll usually have the word “Christmas” in them.
“A White Christmas”
This describes the idyllic Christmas scene of a snow falling on Christmas Day. It became a popular phrase due to the classic Hollywood movie and song of the same name!
For example:
“Do you think it will be a White Christmas this year?”
Christmas lights or decorations
In many parts of the world where Christmas is celebrated, both homes and businesses will put up special lights in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
You might see all kinds of decorations and lights – from simple lights, to all kinds of extravagant displays.
It’s also considered bad luck to keep them up after January 5th, so people will usually take them down by then, after Christmas is over.
For example:
“This year, our school had the best Christmas decorations in the entire town!”
Christmas tree
A Christmas tree is a particularly iconic part of the festive season. This is a special tree that is kept indoor in homes or businesses, or put outside in public areas.
The Christmas tree is no ordinary tree or plant though. People will often decorate their tree with lights and special decorations, and place wrapped gifts at the bottom, to be opened on Christmas Day.
For example:
“We’re all going to decorate the Christmas tree together this year.”
Christmas Eve/ Christmas Day
These two days refer to two specific dates on the calendar on which Christmas is usually celebrated – these are December 24th and December 25th.
For example:
“I will have to catch a flight on Christmas Eve to make sure I get home in time.”
Christmas cards and presents
One of the best parts of the festive season is the tradition of sharing and exchanging gifts with people – these are usually called “Christmas presents”.
It’s also traditional to give special cards to people which are similar to birthday cards, with a festive message written inside them.
Christmas cracker
You might see these if you share a meal with someone around Christmas, or go to a party. These are small paper tubes that are usually wrapped in colourful paper, and are pulled apart by two people.
There’s often a little gift hidden inside for the lucky person too!
Christmas carols
As Christmas is a religious holiday, there are often special songs or hymns sung to celebrate the special day, known as “carols”.
People may often sing them in churches and gatherings, but you might also see groups of people singing together in public, or going to people’s houses to sing. These are known as “carol singers.”
Are you excited about Christmas? What are you planning to do this festive season? We’d love to know!
