Christmas Special

Level - Intermediate/ Upper-Intermediate

5 Golden Traditions

A time to Get Stuffed

Christmas Eve: On Christmas Eve, we leave a mince-pie and a glass of sherry on the mantelpiece of the fireplace. These are presents for Santa Claus who is allowed to drink and drive at Christmas and tresspass on private property. We sometimes leave a carrot out for the reindeer too but this always seems frugal as one carrot will hardly feed 9 reindeer who undoubtedly burn up a considerable amount of energy flying across the whole world in one night. We put up our stockings and go to bed and try really hard, sometimes impossibly, to sleep. 

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dicken´s
as seen from the periscope
of Captain Nemo´s Submarine

Christmas Dinner: It´s Christmas time and there´s no reason to be afraid... unless, of course, you are a turkey. A big, juicy turkey is the traditional cooked bird for Christmas Day dinner. They are roasted and served with stuffing, roast potatos, parsnips and carrots and yorkshire pudding (savoury). In my family, we have Christmas dinner at 3pm after opening half our Christmas presents. We usually have a soup for starters and a christmas pudding (sweet) for dessert. The worst Christmas Dinner ever had was at Bob Cratchit´s house in London 1842, where a small rat was served with pepper for several children. The best Christmas Dinner ever was at Bob Cratchit´s house in London 1843, where a huge turkey was served twice as big as a child suffering from a consumptive disease.

original crackers actually contained fairies
whose bones would crack in the pulling

Crackers: Just before dessert we pull crackers. Inside the crackers are our crowns, jokes and small packets of screws. The crowns are the same size as they were when we were children but nowadays they fit our heads. We tell each other jokes like ´What do you call five bottles of lemonade? A Pop Group´ and we all groan. We leave the screws out for the elves to take back to their magic sweatshop. 

The Radio Times: Every year this weekly television and radio guide brings out a Christmas Edition. For the first couple of days of December we used to spend our time meticulously planning the programmes and films we would watch, avoiding turkeys (or bad films). In the old days we only had 5 channels to choose from but nowadays, with DVDs and Digital television, the Radio Times is no longer as relevant. We use it instead to swat mischevious elves. 

In the Korean horror film Mistletoe Monster,
a young clerk becomes a plant and uses his powers
to snog many an attractive co-worker

Mistletoe: Mistletoe is a small plant that we hang from the ceiling and if you stand under it someone will attempt to snog you. Personally, I´ve never had much luck with mistletoe, I once wore a mistletoe hat to a Christmas Office Party with a sort of crane-like misteltoe dangling device but it malfunctioned and I was attacked by an owl. It was my first and last Christmas Party at an aviary. Actually, mistletoe is far from romantic, it´s actually a parasitic plant and it´s name comes from the German for Dung Branch or Shit Branch. 

Christmas Glossary:

mince-pies torta de frutas

sherry xerez

mantelpiece cornija

fireplace lareira

reindeer rena

stocking meia 

turkey peru, fracasso

roast assado

christmas pudding pudim de natal

crackers explosivos de natal

mistletoe visco

TASK: 

A) HE-MAN and SHE-RA CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

I know that´s you He-Man

Watch the story of how Christmas came to Eternia in the He-Man She-Ra Christmas Special on Youtube and answer the following quesions! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh4kIiH3Sm8
See ANSWERS PAGE to check your answers. 

QUESTIONS: 

Just Chilling

1. Why are the Eternians decorating?

2. What are Prince Adam and Man-at-Arms building?

3.What does Two Bad mistake the Sky Spy for?

4. When He-Man is captured by Skeletor´s Force Belts, She Ra comes to the rescue a) late as always, b) ahead of schedule or c) Just in time

5. What colours are She-Ra´s horse´s rings?

6. Complete Orko´s spell ´Little children up and away______________________________´

7. What were Miguel and Alicia doing when they got lost in the snow?

8. What does Orko leave behind beside the Launch Pad?

9. What is the following: 1220006610528500179181079133581834574144720847?

But I don´t want to feel good!

10. What two stories do the children tell Orko?

11. Match the insults with the recipient:

INSULTS:

a)Bone Brain                                                                                        

b)Miserable Excuse for a Villain

c)Metal Mouth/ Bucket of Bolts

d) Dratted Dog

RECIPIENT:

i) Relay

ii) Skeletor

iii) Hordak

iv) Monstroids

12) What people live in the Fright Zone?

13)What adjectives do the kids use to describe Skeletor?

14)Name 2 things that Skeletor does for fun?

15) What does Relay do that wakes Skeletor up?

16) What does Santa give the 2 children?

B) WRITING A THANK YOU LETTER

Imagine your long lost English speaking relative has sent you a present. Choose one of the following items and write an extended letter of gratitude including information about why you like or don´t like the present, how you spent Christmas and any peronal news you´d like to share. 

Giver: Long Lost Fritz                       Present: A Nazi flag

Giver: Cousin He-Man                      Present: A flying belt

Giver: Long lost Colonel Fawcett       Present: A Map to the Lost City of Z

Giver: Long lost Ash                          Present: The Necronomicon or Book of Blood

Giver: Long lost Willy Wonka            Present: A Chocolate factory

Giver: Long lost Aunty Pauper           Present: A bag of coal and an orange peel

I bequeath you a chocolate factory