That's Christmas to me

Dear students,
Here you have another catchy Christmas carol for you to keep practising your listening. Enjoy it : 

Christmas video compilation

Hello fellow bloggers,
Lately my blog seems more like the Quirks of Christmas rather than the Quirks of English, so I promise this will be but my last post about Christmas. Last week I wrote several blog entries (one about Christmas carols that included some exercises and videos; and another about Christmas vocabulary (I think it is pretty clear that I love the Christmas season). This time I would like to compile the funniest videos about Christmas. 

1. Do you like my decorations ?
As I mentioned in my post about the different Christmas traditions, one typically American tradition is to go to a farm to cut down your own real Christmas tree (or have it cut down). This video perfectly reflects that tradition in a funny, engaging and surprisingly humorous way. It also includes a pun with the word 'saw'. Simply hilarious. 

2. I gave my children a horrible Christmas present 

Jimmy Kimmel has a very famous late-show program in America. He likes pulling pranks and asking others to pull pranks too. One of his most famous and well-known pranks is to ask parents to tell their children that they ate all their Halloween candy. However, at Christmas, he also asks parents to give their children terrible presents. Watch the children's reaction. It's priceless ! :

3. The singing Christmas hedgehogs

This is an interactive video about some cute hedgehogs eager to sing a Christmas carol, but... you know... accidents always happen. Enjoy : 

4. Christmas clumsiness compilation 
This video shows a lot of clumsy people doing their best at Christmas...

5. The scary snowman
A spooky snowman terrifying pedestrian as they go past the street...

6. Christmas lights : Gangham Style 
Some people at Christmas go crazy and decorate their houses with tons and tons of lights. By contrast, other people go even crazier and use the lights to reproduce the song : Gangham Style...

7. Christmas pranks
A compilation of some very funny Christmas pranks. 

8. Santa's adventure to catch some Christmas cookies 
This Santa is a decoration on a Christmas tree trying by all means to eat some delicious Christmas cookies. But how will he go down the tree in the first place ?

9. John Lewis's advertisement

In this lovely ad, a young child eagerly awaits Christmas to get a special present...Really touching !

Did you like my selection of videos ? Would you like to share some more videos with me ? Well, Christmas is almost over. The Three Wise Men are about pop up with your presents. Have you been good or naughty ? We'll see, hehe. Remember, on the Twelfth Night (5th January), it is believed that you must remove all your Christmas decorations and ornaments to avoid bad luck and start the year on the right foot. I hope this Christmas has been fun and welcoming for you all. 
See you soon.
Enjoy the rest of the holidays.

I game my children an awful Christmas present

Remember Jimmy Kimmel's programme where he asked parents to tell their children that they had eaten all their Halloween candy ? Well, at Chritsmas, Jimmy Kimmel also usually asks parents to give their children an awful Christmas present. These are the children's reactions. Watch it ! It's priceless ! 

Did you like the videos ? Then, post a comment ! 

Christmas in Killarney

Hello folks,

As you know most of the Christmas carols, I thought it would be a good idea for you to get to know some Irish carols. Indeed. One fun Christmas carol is "Christmas in Killarney." To fully enjoy this carol, follow these steps. 

Maybe on Christmas Eve or on New Year's EVe you could get to sing as the folks in the video. 

1) First of all, listen to the first video to catch the rhythm and the lyrics. 

2) Secondly, have a look at the second video.  It is the carol sung and danced by some drunken friends. It is a funny, amazing video. Don't miss it ! 

3) Finally, KARAOKE ! sing yourself following the third video. (Remember the second video and go banana!)

Quite an interesting and new Christmas carol, don't you think ?

Jingle bells

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer

Here you can see another Christmas carol with a questionnaire . I hope you like it !

The last entry of the year

Well, hello there !

2018 is coming to an end. Tonight is New Year's Eve and the twelve chimes of the clock will finish a year that, at least for me, has been particularly good ! I have passed my public examinations once again and thanks to that I can get to live in Madrid with my significant other. Besides, my niece keeps growing and growing and she can walk and she's learning to do things quite fast ! Anyway, since I'm on holiday, this entry will be a compilation of some touching Christmas videos and carols. What better way of ending the year than with a bunch of optimistic songs of Christmas ?

Let's begin with Mog's Christmas. It's quite an entertaining advertisement about a clumsy -yet friendly cat that, much like the Grinch, ruined its owners' Christmas. Or didn't he ? 



Let's continue with another catchy Christmas carol representing all the Christmas values. 

You know today it's New Year's Eve. It's an important family celeberation in Spain where we will definitely try to eat the twelve grapes (one for every chime of the clock). However, in the English-speaking world it is not that important, Christmas Day being far more important for them. Anyway, the year is coming to an end, so to finish this post, here you have the trailer of a well-known film : New Year's Eve. Watch it because you will see some of the Christmas traditions, including New Year Resolutions. Here you have it : 

If you want to keep learning stuff about Christmas, you can click on the following links : Boxing Day ; Christmas vocabulary; Christmas videos; Practise your listening at Christmas; Christmas carols; Christmas in Spain, the UK and the US.

What are your New Year's resolutions for 2018? Come on, post them in a comment ! 

P.S. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas origins...some surprising facts

Hiya!

How are your Christmas hols going? Mine absolutely awesome, to be honest. Anyway, I keep writing about my favourite time of the year, yeah Christmas. As some of you may have noticed, I adore Christmas and every year I write several entries about this topic. If you're keen on knowing more about Chrismas, do not hesitate to click on my entries on Christmas: New Year resolutions; Christmas-touching videos; Boxing Day; Christmas vocabulary; Christmas videos; Practise your listening at Christmas; Christmas carols; Christmas in Spain, the UK and the US; Christmas short stories; Christmas origins.

Today I will show you some Christmas-related facts that are quite interesting, are you ready?

1. Jesus Christ wasn't actually born on December, 25th: There's no concensus on when exactly he was born, so from the third century onwards they chose that date to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It was close to some pagan festivals like Saturnalia, a festival in honour of God Saturn and to celebrate the winter solstice. 

2. Christmas has its roots in Pagan rituals : It began to be celebrated as such from the eighth century onwards with wild parties. In fact, some Puritans opposed to Christmas celebrations due to its pagan origins. 

3. In the past, during a brief period of time, you would be fined if you were caught celebrating Christmas : Yes, you had to pay 5 shillings to celebrate Christmas. Can you believe it ?

4. Our way of celebrating Christmas began in the nineteenth century when prince Albert of Germany started decorating the pine tree himself : To celebrate his marriage to Queen Victoria, he had a photo taken of the royal family. In that photo, you could see an enormous decorated pine tree. After this photo publication, this fashion caught on and was imitated in other parts of the US. This also gave wings to the tradition of sending Christmas cards as well. 

5. The tradition of gift-giving is ancient, far more ancient than you can imagine, dating back to year 10 AD : At that time, the gift-giving ritual had a clear purpose: to remind people of the presents brought to Baby Jesus by the Three Wise Men. 

6. Christmas became a consumerist party thanks to the advent of the industrial revolution and the rise in advertising : Yes, obviously, with innovative breakthroughs such as chain production and the advent of the media, people started to spend a great deal of money on Christmas presents...

7. Santa Claus was, in fact, a Christian saint who used to give presents to people. He was known as Sinterklass, hence the popular name that caught on until today. 

8. Santa didn't officially dress in red and white until a Coca-Cola advert was released on TV. So, mass media and big companies have proved themselves outstandingly powerful. Santa wouldn't be the man we picture today, were it not for Coca-Cola or TV. Can you believe it ?

9. In 1990, very recently, a school board banned Christmas celebrations. Yes! Again due to ots pagan rituals. Parents opposed and the court decided that Christmas was independent from religion. 

10. Christmasy plants like holly or mistletoe also date back to pagan origins...what a surprise! : People would place wreaths of holly top decorate places of worship in pagan rituals. Likewise, kissing under the mistletoe was a tradition first observed during Saturnalia on a night that involved alcohol and orgies...yap, you heard right. However, some people insist that holly has a religious meaning, its thorns representing Christ's crown at the cross and the red berries representing his blood. 

So, nowadays many people are upset because Spain is a secular state and they associate Christmas celebration with religion. However, without the shade of a doubt, Christmas origins are pagan and although it has something to do with Christian religion, Christmas today has an own entity. It is not religious or secular; it's a celebration for all kinds of citizens, regardless of their beliefs. If you are interested in getting to know more, click on the link below. You'll be redirected to a three-minute video  quickly summarizing everything I wrote.  http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas.

This will be the last entry of the year, so Happy New Year everyone!

It's Christmas time in the city (Elvis Presley)

Christmas carol compilation

Hello there. Did you have a look at my ranking about the best Christmas carols ?. Now, let's do some exercises. You can listen to the songs and practise your listening skill at the same time. Listen to these  Christmas carols, watch the Christmas videos and do the self-correctable questionnaires. Then, you can share your results if you like. I hope you like them !
This first one is the carol White Christmas sung by Michael Bublé. 
Here you can listen to another Christmas carol about the most famous reindeer. Remember to do the questionnaire. Enjoy !




Here you do a questionnaire about one of my favourite (and widely known) Christmas carol. 
!
Here you have a Christmas carol that perfectly summarizes the Christmas season and the mobile phone addiction. It includes a questionnaire to test your English level. I hope you like it !

Christmas gift-bringers across the globe

Well, tonight is the night. Tonight, you'll get to receive your Christmas presents! January, 5th is an important night for Spanish children (and adults), the night preceding the Epiphany, the night where the Three Wise Men will come to bring presents to everybody. You all know that in the UK or the US, the Three Wise Men won't bring any presents, but they do have an expression to refer to our beloved tradition : The Twelfth Night (that is, the Twelfth Night after Christmas). In this entry, I will analyze who the gift-bringers are across the world. Let's begin:

In Spain, on the night of January, 5th, the Three Wise Men will bring the Christmas presents. In Spanish we just call them "the three magical kings". They are Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar, the Three Wise Men from Orient, who brought baby Jesus gold, incense and myrrh. In the Bible, they are also known as the Magi. Well, the idea is this: they travel from Orient on their camels bringing all the presents and they are accompanied by their royal pages. Before their arrival, important preparations need to be made : you have to leave a shoe of yours under the Christmas tree (or some other place of your choosing) and, if possible, leave them something to eat. We normally leave them milk and cookies, "turrón" (nougat) or other Christmas sweets, and also a glass of brandy. In addition, some people leave something for the camels as well, namely a bucket of water or some carrots for them to nibble on. They must be starving after such a tiring journey, don't you think ? If you've been good and kind, you'll get tons of presents. However, if you've been a naughty boy, beware because you may find a lump of coal. Prior to this gift-giving ritual, on the fifth of January, there are parades all over Spain, where the Three Wise Men and their pages will throw sweets and toys for children. These parades include fun, music, and lights and usually finish in the Main Square of the town, where they salute all the children and promise to bring them presents on the condition that they have behaved well. They usually give a final speech. Then, the mayor of the town will give them the town keys, a treasured object that will give them access to all the houses in town! There is one problem of our tradition. children don't have much free time to fully enjoy their presents, since they normally go back to school after this festivity. The Three Wise Men are not exclusive from Spain, of course. They visit countless countries including Argentina, Venezuela, Philippines, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras and Andorra, among others. 

The Three Wise Men is not the only tradition we have. Importing festive traditions is Spain's national sport hehe, and that is why on Christmas Eve, most houses in Spain (if not all of them) receive presents from Santa Claus as well !

However, there is a special tradition in a Spanish region. In Basque Country, presents will be given out by the Olentzero, an overweight old man who brings presents on Christmas Eve (much like Santa Claus or Father Christmas). HIs origins are not very clear and there are countless versions on how the Olentzero came to be Basque Country's gift-bringer. Some people think he is a giant; some legends state that when leaving presents, he would cut the throat of widely-awake children. However, the etymology of his name is quite clear : "time of the good ones." The version that has best caught on is the one where the Olentzero is an abandoned child, who becomes a charcoal burner and uses his hands to carve presents for children. He died when he was saving some children and a fairy bestowed him the power of eternal life, which he used to bring children presents every year. In any case, the Olentzero is adored by the citizens of Basque Country. There are famous songs and chants invoking this lovely character and in some parts of the country, there are parades in his honour.

In Catalonia, there's a weird tradition. There's an object, called Tió de Nadal (Christmas Log). Apparently, you must cut down a log, cover it with a blanket, and feed it. On Christmas Day, children will have to hit it with a cane and sing so that the log "defecates" presents. 

In Italy, as in many other countries, Babbo Natale leaves presents. Who is this Babbo Natale? No other than Santa Claus. However, in Italy, there's yet another gift-bringer who is female and scary... Yap, that's right. She is called Befana and she is the witch in charge of leaving presents on the Twelfth Night, that is, on the night of January, 5th. Apparently, the Three Wise Men themselves bumped into Befana on their way to Bethlehem. Befana hosted them and cared for them, asking them what they were up to. The Three Wise Men answered that they were going to bring presents to a newly born child and they asked Befana if she wanted to join them. She declined because she was busy sweeping the floor and cleaning. When she realized the newly born child was the Messiah, she tried to go to Bethlehem herself but was unable to do so on her own. From that day she flies around Italy on her broomstick, leaving good children some presents. Naughty children will receive a lump of coal. You can leave her some bread soaked in milk or wine. 

In Russia, there is another version of Santa Claus, no other than Ded Moroz. This present-bringer delivers gifts on New Year's Eve accompanied by his granddaughter, Snegurochka. He is also known as Father Frost. 






In Germany, Santa Claus can pay a visit to you, but there is another cute personage that can leave your presents on Christmas Eve: the Christkind. The Christkind (Christmas child) is very popular in Germany and other countries, such as Austria and Switzerland. This angel will deposit the presents only if not spotted by children. If children spot them, it'll disappear. A bell will ring to show children that their presents have been successfully delivered. It is believed that the Christkind is Baby Jesus himself delivering the Christmas gifts.





In Sweden, an elf-like figure, called Tomte, delivers the Christmas gifts. It is much like a gnome, wearing a cone-like hat and it is less than one metre tall. His job is to protect farmers and help them. On Christmas Eve he will hand presents door-to-door aided by the Yule Goat.




In Iceland, the task of delivering presents is divided into thirteen goblin-like figures, the Yule lads. One of this lads will visit children on the thirteen nights prior to Christmas and each night, a different lad will deliver a present next to a shoe placed near the window. Naughty children will receive rotten potatoes. 




 

As you know, Santa (Claus) is the plump old man who brings presents in the US, whereas Father Christmas does so in the UK. 


Other versions of Santa Claus :
- Father Christmas (the UK)
- Saint Nicholas (the Netherlands)
- Père Nöel (France)
- Babbo Natale (Italy)
- Aggios Vasilis (Greece)
- Viejito Pascuero (Chile)
- Julemanden (Denmark)
- Sinterklass (Indonesia)
- Baba Noel (Iraq)
- Siôn Corn (Wales)

Well, I hope you have learnt a lot about Christmasy figures and characters. Should you like to learn more about Christmas, do not hesitate to visit my previous entries : New Year resolutions; Christmas-touching videos; Boxing Day; Christmas vocabulary; Christmas videos; Practise your listening at Christmas; Christmas carols; Christmas in Spain, the UK and the US; Christmas short stories; Christmas origins; Christmas gift-bringers all across the world.

Christmas season is about to finish, so remember to be good and I hope you receive tons of presents. 

White Christmas

Another nice Christmas carol for you to practise your listening skill. It won't be challenging for you because it's a piece of cake (very easy!) Here you can listen to another famous Christmas carol by Michael Bubble and, at the same time, do this questionnaire. I hope you like it !

Christmas short stories

Merry Christmas everyone! 
Want it or not, Christmas is already here. Look around you: sparkling lights, presents, freezing cold weather, and the Christmas spirit. Well, in previous years I have devoted a great deal of entries to the Christmas season : New Year resolutions; Christmas-touching videos; Boxing Day ; Christmas vocabulary; Christmas videos; Practise your listening at Christmas; Christmas carols; Christmas in Spain, the UK and the US; Christmas short stories.

This year, I propose some very short readings involving Christmas. Here you have a fine selection of Christmasy short stories : 

a) "The Gift of the Magi"  It's a good story about generosity including:  Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar (the Three Wise Men). 

b) "The Little Match Girl   

c) "The Mail Coach Passengers" 

d) "The Twelve Months" 

e) "Dinah's New Year Present" 

f) "The Fairy's New Year Gift" 

g) "The Little New Year"

Well, everyone to practise their English now that you have no excuse, hehe. 
See you around. Merry Christmas to all of you!

Christmas presentations

Here you have two Christmas presentations with a lot of information about this important festivity. I hope you like them : 

A British Christmas

Listen to the differences between an American and a British Christmas and explain the differences regarding : 
- Christmas letters
- Stockings
- Food left to Santa/ Father Christmas
- Differences in food in America and England
- Date to remove the Christmas tree

Xmas vocabulary

Dear students, 
Here you can see my presentation about Christmas vocabulary. I hope you like it. 

Do you like my decorations?

Christmas is coming, students. I think you should watch this video about Christmas tree farms (very typical in the US). I'm sure you won't stop laughing. 

What is your favourite work of art?

Dear students,
as promised today in class, here you have a canvass where you can share your works of art and make a brief description just like I did. Click on the link and add your favourite works of art and upload a picture of it. 
https://padlet.com/miguelanheal/zxbos8ondz9u 

The best composition of the month: Patricia Garrido's

As usual, here you have a brilliant essay written by one of you. Use it as a model and pay attention to the words in bold:

Sports survey

Nowadays experts from all over the world recommend playing sports in order to keep ourselves fit and healthy, so we decided to conduct a study related to it. The aim of our survey was to study sports participation by gender; these are some of our conclusions:

On the one hand and as expected, the vast majority of the men who were interviewed usually play football, and only a tiny percentage of women (9.2%)  play it. This was followed closely by golf, a sport played mostly by men. On the other hand, some sports such as aerobics or dance are usually more enjoyed among women than among men. And the difference is even bigger in the case of yoga, which is a sport that is only done by 17.5% of men.

However, there are some sports such as health and fitness or swimming where we cannot see a big difference by gender, and the results also reveal that roughly a third of the women go running or cycling.

To sum up and according to our statistics, we think that it is important to mention that the big difference between women and men in some kind of sports (such as football or dance) may be due to the stereotypes of our society, because it is a well-known fact that certain people still find that some sports are only exclusive for men or for women.

PATRICIA GARRIDO RODRÍGUEZ

Glastonbury festival

Predict the end of these videos

Rio de Janeiro Carnival

Have a look at the video on Rio de Janeiro carnival and fill in the gaps
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-latin-america-21421812/rio-rev

Thanksgiving cloze

This is the cloze that we did today in class.  Fill in the blanks with the words in the boxes. There are some extra words :  aboard        arrived      at        colony         died      feast got             grow        happy         hard           ill          into land            leave       room   pleasant     strong   survived    thanks       taught         voyage      was       were

The first Thanksgiving

In 1620, a group of people decided to (0)__leave__England. They crossed the Atlantic  Ocean and (1) _____________ to America. These people (2) ________  called pilgrims. They decided to make the long journey because they wanted religious freedom.

The pilgrims crossed the ocean in a ship called the Mayflower. There were 102 passengers (3) _________ the ship. The ship had very little ______ for so many people.  At first, the weather was (5)  _________, but then the ship met storms and (6) _________ winds. During the (7) _____________, two people died and one child was born. Finally, after 65 days (8) ______ sea, they got to ___________ (9), well to an island.

The pilgrims created a (10) _____________at Plymouth. Life was ______ (11)  at the colony. At first, the pilgrims lived on the Mayflower while they built their homes on land. It was winter so they were cold and wet. Soon many of the pilgrims became _____________ (12) . About half of the pilgrims _________ (13) during the first year of diseases such as scurvy and pneumonia.

With the help of Native Americans, the colony _____________  (14) the first year. Native Americans __________  (15) the colonists how to __________  (16) corn and how to collect sap from maple trees. The colonists who survived the first year had a three-day _____________ (17) to give _____________ (18) for their first harvest.

Thanksgiving video explanation

Dear students,
Here you have the listening about Thanksgiving that we did in class today. You can also de the exercises proposed.

Thanksgiving video

Thanksgiving history told by children

Vocab : 
Pilgrims = peregrinos
Buckle = hebilla 

1. How does the first boy describe the pilgrims ?
2. According to the girl, why did the pilgrims go to America ?
3. How did they get to America ? What's the name of the transport they used ?
4. According to the children, how long did they take to cross the ocean ? (3 answers)
5. They were really cold, what did the forget to bring to America ?
6. How do you say corn in American English ?
7. What did the Indians teach the pilgrims ? And according to the children ?
8. What does the Indian say ?
9. What did they have in the banquet? 

Answers to the video :
1) "The pilgrims was a bunch of people that wore belt buckets on their heads."
2) They came to America because they wanted to go to a church, but the king of England wouldn't let them. 
3) They got to America onboard a ship called the Mayflower. 
4) 8 days / 4 months / 100 days.
5) They forgot to bring blankets.
6) Maize
7) They taught them how to grow crops, how to hunt and how to dance. According to the children they also taught them how to grow stuff like flowers, how to learn race bicycles and how to shop. 
8) he says :" I bet there won't be problems between the Englishmen and the native American ever again."
9) They had turkey, fruit and vegetables, deer and pumpkin pie.

Bet you didn't know: Thanksgiving

Listen to the video and choose the right answer a), b) c)

The First Thanksgiving feast :
a) lasted one day
b) included eating and other activities
c) celebrated the Indian's first successful harvest

In the first Thanksgiving menu : 
a) didn't include cranberries
b) included turkey
c) included deer provided by the Indians

Thanksgiving :
a) was celebrated every year until 1789
b) wasn't celebrated in subsequent years
c) immediately became a national holiday

Some traditional Thanksgiving dishes such as stuffing are due to :
a) a writer's idea
b) an idea established in a diary of a pilgrim
c) to historical reasons : Pilgrims would often cook those dishes

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday :
a) because Franklin Delano Roosevelt did so in 1939
b) as was established by Abraham Lincoln 
c) as a result of different protests

One of the quirkiest traditions is :
a) turkey pardoning
b) turkey slaughtering
c) saving turkey farms