Christmas
is the most popular family holiday in Britain. On 24 December usually
all preparations for Christmas are complete. Christmas greeting cards
are exchanged, a Christmas tree is decorated and presents are purchased.
In many work places the annual parties are held and shops and banks
close earlier. Late in the evening some people go to church to attend
the so called "midnight mass". Childrendo not forget to hang up old
stockings at the head of their beds as they believe that Santa Claus who
arrives in a sledge drawn by reindeer visits each child's house and
leaves wonderful presents.
Chistmas
Eve is followed by Christmas Day (25th December) which is the most
important day of Christmas. Early in the morning children wake up and
open their presents. At midday the whole family gathers at the Christmas
table. Christmas dinner traditionally consists of roast turkey, mince
pies and rich Christmas pudding decorated with holly and containing
delicacies, dried fruit and spices.
Everyone
eats one's fill and children have much fun pulling "crackers"
(cardboard tubes containing small presents, printed jokes and paper
hats). When two people pull a cracker, it explodes and throws out its
contents. Then everyone puts on a paper hat and jokes are read. On this
day the Queen delivers an annual oration on television.
The 26th
December, following Christmas Day, is called Boxing Day. It is
celebrated as a bank holiday. On this day people give presents of money
to paperboys or dustmen. They visits their friends or arrange parties.
This is the last non-working day and the last day of the Christmas
celebration. However, the Christmas season continues until the twelfth
day after Christmas Day (6th January).
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holiday - święto
preparations - przygotowania
complete - ukończone
Christmas greetings cards - świąteczne kartki z życzeniami
Christmas tree - choinka
purchase - kupić
annual parties - doroczne przyjęcia
hold - odbywać się
attend - wziąć udział
midnight mass - msza o północy
stockings - skarpety na prezenty
Santa Claus - Święty Mikołaj
sledge (BrE) - sanie
sleigh (AmE) - sanie
reindeer - renifer
presents - prezenty
midday - południe
gather - gromadzić się, zbierać
Christmas dinner - świąteczny obiad
roast turkey - pieczeń z indyka
mince pies - okrągłe babeczki z suszonymi owocami, bakaliami itd.
rich Christmas pudding - suty świąteczny pudding
delicacies - bakalie
dried fruit - suszone owoce
spices - przyprawy
holly - ostrokrzew (krzew z czerwonymi owocami o ostro zakończonych twardych listkach, tradycyjne przybranie świąteczne w Anglii)
to eat one's fill - najeść się do syta
crackers - walce (tuby) papierowe z niespodzianką i ogniem bengalskim, które wybuchają, gdy dwie osoby ciągną je w przeciwne strony
cardboard tubes - tekturowe tuby
printed jokes - wydrukowane żarty
to put on - wkładać
to deliver an annual oration - wygłosić doroczne uroczyste orędzie
Boxing Day - drugi dzień świąt, nazwa pochodzi od dawnego zwyczaju dawania prezentów (Christmas Boxes) służącym i dostawcom
bank holiday - oficjalne święto państwowe, gdy wszystkie banki, sklepy i biura są zamknięte
paperboys - roznosiciele gazet
dustmen - śmieciarze
arrange a party - wydać przyjęcie
celebration - świętowanie
Christmas season - okres świąteczny
