PRESENTATION ABOUT CHRISTMAS IDIOMS

However, Christmas is not the same without music. Therefore, here you are two typical songs of this time: "All I wnat for Christmas is you", by Mariah Carey, and "Rockin' around the Christmas tree", by Brenda Lee. Hope you enjoy them!

TURKEYS VOTING FOR AN EARLY CHRISTMAS

Meaning: it is when a person chooses to accept a situation which will have very bad result for them.

Origin: Turkeys voting for Christmas is an English idiom used as a metaphor  in reference to a suicidal political act, especially a vote. In the United Kingdom, turkeys are customarily eaten on Christmas Day dating back to 1573 when they became part of the English Christmas dinner.

Example: ‘’A woman voting for divorce is like a turkey voting for Christmas.’’

  

HO HO HO

Meaning: The words are spoken by a fat man, bearded man in a red suit slipping through chimneys to leave presents for children. These words are similar to laughter of Santa.

Example:

‘’HO HO HO! Merry Christmas!!! ‘’

 TRIM THE TREE.

Meaning: This an old tradition to decorate a pine tree with ornaments and lights or other things for the Christmas day.

Origin: The Christmas tree was first introduced by Germany long back in 16th century. It was the moment when Christians brought adorned Christian tree to their homes, for Christmas day.

Example:

‘’This year we have to trim the tree early, our grandparents come here tomorrow for Christmas!! ‘’

Christmas comes but once a year

Nowadays, this has become an excuse for eat or spending too much on presents, but this proverb states that people need to be kind to each other always rather than just during the holidays.

Christmas only happens once a year and we have to enjoy it. We often use it to reassure ourselves.

Example

Christmas comes but once a year, so we can eat a lot of chocolates.

Wish upon a star

At Christmas we often 'Wish Upon a Star'. This idiom means to make a dream come true, or to have a wish come true, because the star can answer our wishes. So, at Christmas time, we often use this 

phrase to hope that the next year will be a good year.

Example

The woman was wishing upon a star to have good health next year.

I hope you enjoy this video from the film Pinocchio.

Cancel someone's Christmas

This phrase means to kill someone; to destroy someone. The idea is that the dead person will not live until Christmas. This is a humorous expression that can be heard in films. It is that you are so angry with someone that you are going to kill him/her.

Example

If you do not stop teasing me, I'm going to cancel your Christmas.

                                                              

                                                               Deck the Halls
It means decorate your halls.

                                                                           ORIGIN

“Decking"  or decorating the halls with branches from a holly tree is an old tradition, and the popular Christmas song started as a Welsh tune from the 1700s. Nowadays, guests at a parties deck their halls with bright lights, pine branches, and glittery decoration.

Example of the popular Christmas song:

"Deck the hall with boughs of holly,

Fa la la la la la la la la.

'Tis the season to be jolly,

Fa la la la la la la la la...." 

Now, you can sing this popular song with this karaoke:

                                                         White Christmas
 It's an expression to call the Chistmas related to the snow.

The most beatiful holiday is one where it has snowed.  In Spanish is "Blanca Navidad"

                                                                        ORIGIN

This wish for white was celebrated many years ago in a popular song, and the title of this carol is now a traditional holiday phrase.

  This video is the example of this expression:

                    Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

It means that you shouldn't be ungrateful whe you receive a present, even if you don't like it. In Spanish means "a caballo regalado no le mires el diente"

Example: In A dialogue conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the proverbes in the Englishes tongue" by John Heywood --> "No man ought to looke a geuen hors in the mouth."

                                             

                                                       ORIGIN

This idiom appears in 1546 as "don't look a given horse in the mouth", in John Heywood's work. Maybe he obtained it from a Latin text called "The Letter to the Ephesians" (AD 400).

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EXERCISE ABOUT CHRISTMAS IDIOMS

Christmas idioms

choose the correct answer

 

1. turkeys voting for an early Christmas
   1.   To embellish with or as if with ribbons, lace, or ornaments the Christmas tree
   2.   They accept a situation that will yield very bad results for them.
   3.   The traditional greeting at Christmas
2. HO HO HO
   1.   santa claus’s laugh
   2.   two person are under a mistletoe they kiss each other
   3.   The traditional greeting at Christmas
3. Trim the tree
   1.   Expression used to show digust at the Christmas season
   2.   They accept a situation that will yield very bad results for them
   3.   To embellish with or as if with ribbons, lace, or ornaments the Christmas tree
4. Merry Christmas and a happy new year
   1.   Traditional greeting at Christmas
   2.   Expression used to show digust at the Christmas season
   3.   If two person are under a mistletoe they kiss each other
5. Bah Humbug
   1.   they accept a situation that will yield very bad results for them
   2.   expression used to show digust at the Christmas season
   3.   to embellish with or as if with ribbons, lace, or ornaments the Christmas tree
6. Kissing under the mistletoe
   1.   Santa claus’s laugh
   2.   They accept a situation that will yield very bad results for them.
   3.   If two person are under a mistletoe they kiss each other

(CLICK HERE TO SEE THE EXERCISE CORRECTLY)

Exercise about Christmas Idioms

Gap-fill exercise.

Fill in all the gaps, then press "Check" to check your answers. Use the "Hint" button to get a free letter if an answer is giving you trouble. You can also click on the "[?]" button to get a clue. Note that you will lose points if you ask for hints or clues!

- , so we urge you to give to those less fortunate through this Christmas charity campaign.

- If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you
As dreamers do

- If he keeps bugging me, I'm gonna . Willie threatened to cancel Richard's Christmas if Richard didn't pay up.

- with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la!

- I prefer to wear light colored shirts, but my mom gave me a bunch of dark colored ones; oh well, I shouldn't and will try them on later.

- This year will snow, everyone is dreaming of a .