CHRISTMAS VOCABULARY

Here are typical words and expressions that people use when talking about or at Christmas.

Christmas Expressions

• Merry Christmas!
• Happy Christmas
• Happy New Year!
• Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
• Wishing you a prosperous New Year
• All the best for the coming year
• Seasons Greetings!

Christmas Terms

advent	the arrival of someone or something important
Advent	the coming (or second coming) of Jesus Christ; the month leading up to Christmas
angel	a spiritual being acting as a messenger of God (usually shown as a human being with wings)
berry	a small round fruit
Bethlehem	the small town in the Middle East believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ
candle	a cylinder of wax with a central wick (like string) which burns to produce light
chimney	a vertical pipe in a house that allows smoke and gases to escape from a fireplace (Father Christmas traditionally enters a house through its chimney)
Christ	the title of Jesus (also used as His name)
Christian	a person who believes in Christianity; also an adjective
Christianity	the religion based on the teachings and person of Jesus Christ
Christmas	the annual Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ (Christmas Day is on 25 December)
Christmas cake	a rich fruit cake covered with white icing, eaten at Christmas
Christmas card	a greetings card that people send to friends and family at Christmas
Christmas carol	a religious song or popular hymn that people sing at Christmas
Christmas Day	25 December, the birthday of Jesus Christ
Christmas Eve	the evening or day before Christmas Day (24 December)
Christmas holidays	the holiday period for about a week before and after Christmas Day
Christmas present	a gift or present given at Christmas
Christmas tree	an evergreen tree (often a spruce) that people decorate with lights and ornaments at Christmas
cracker	a decorated paper tube that makes a sharp noise ("crack!") and releases a small toy when two people pull it apart
decoration	something that adds beauty; ornament
egg-nog	a traditional Christmas drink made of alcohol with beaten eggs and milk
Father Christmas	an imaginary being who brings presents for children on the night before Christmas Day (also known as Santa Claus) - traditionally an old man with a red suit and white beard
fireplace	a partly enclosed space in a house where people light a fire for warmth
frankincense	a gum used for incense, one of the gifts that the three wise men gave to Jesus
gold	a yellow precious metal, one of the gifts that the three wise men gave to Jesus
holly	an evergreen plant with prickly dark green leaves and red berries
Jesus	the name of Christ, the central figure of Christianity (believed by Christians to be the Son of God)
Joseph	the husband of Mary (the mother of Jesus)

magi	the wise men from the East who brought gifts for the baby Jesus
manger	a trough for food for horses or cattle (used by Mary as a cradle or bed for Jesus)
Mary	the mother of Jesus
mistletoe	a parasitic plant with white berries, traditionally used as a Christmas decoration
myrrh	a gum used for perfume or incense, one of the gifts that the three wise men gave to Jesus
nativity	the birth of a person
the Nativity	the birth of Jesus Christ
nativity play	a play that people perform at Christmas based on the birth of Jesus
new year	the start of a year; the period just before and after 1 January
New Year's Day	1 January
New Year's Eve	31 December
ornament	an object that adds beauty to something; a decoration
present	a thing given to somebody as a gift.
reindeer	a deer with large antlers found in some cold climates (believed to pull the sleigh for Santa Claus or Father Christmas)
Santa Claus	an imaginary being who brings presents for children on the night before Christmas Day (also known as Father Christmas) - traditionally an old man with a red suit and white beard (Santa Claus may be based in part on the historical figure of Saint Nicholas.)
shepherd	a person who looks after sheep
sleigh	a sledge or light cart on runners pulled by horses or reindeer over snow and ice
snow	water vapour from the sky that falls as white flakes and covers the ground
star	a bright point in the night sky which is a large, distant incandescent body like the sun
the star of Bethlehem	the star that announced the birth of Jesus and guided the wise men to find Him
tinsel	a decoration consisting of thin strips of shiny metal foil, traditionally used at Christmas
turkey	a bird like a large chicken, traditionally eaten at Christmas
white Christmas	a Christmas with snow on the ground
Xmas	abbreviation or informal term for Christmas

9 ADVANTAGES OF LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

1. Meet new people

One of the most phenomenal benefits of learning a new language? Doors are opened to you around the world. If you’re learning in a group setting, you immediately have new friends to share your new language with. If not, then once you go somewhere and are actually able to employ what you’ve learned, you’ll be surprised how open people are when you speak their mother tongue.

2. Employers love it (and they’ll love you more)

If your C.V. accolades include fluency in a second language, your chances of employment in today’s economy are much greater for you than for those who speak only one language.

Multilingual people are able to communicate and interact within multiple communities. Potential employers consider this a valuable asset in an employee’s skill set, as they’re able to connect with a broader range of people. In this new age of start-ups, companies are increasingly breaking into new markets. You up your personal and professional value if you’re able to negotiate with manufacturers in another country or communicate with customers who don’t speak your native language.

Not to mention, your ability to speak a second language conveys that you’re motivated and driven to learn new skills, and this also gives you a competitive edge over those who haven’t yet become bilingual.

3. It’s becoming essential

Many would argue that bilingualism is becoming a progressively necessary and essential skill for anyone who wants to keep up with today’s rapidly increasing global economy. As more and more people recognize the importance of learning an additional language, those who only speak one language will begin to get left behind in our shift towards a more integrated and connected global society.

4. It’s great for traveling

Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein is credited with saying that “the limits of your language are the limits of your world,” and he was right.

Knowing more than one language opens up your vacation destination possibilities. Traveling through a foreign country becomes much easier if you can speak the language of that country. Fluency isn’t required. Locals anywhere appreciate that you’ve taken the time to at least attempt to learn and communicate in their tongue. It shows a greater level of respect and is an easy way to meet new people.

Also, getting to a comfortable speaking level in a foreign language is a great motivator to get you out there and practicing your new language in a new country.

Not ready to rush off to a foreign land just yet?

Not a problem. You can start exploring the everyday cultures of the countries where your target language is spoken with FluentU right now. FluentU takes real-world videos—like movie trailers, music videos and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language lessons.

5. After learning one, it’s 1000x easier to learn another

As you begin to learn a second language, you’ll find that the acquisition techniques you’re using can be applied to learning additional languages as well.

The positive cognitive effects of learning to speak a second language can train the brain to analyze and process different linguistic structures. It’s not specific to your first target language — it’s a skill that can be applied to learning any language.

You’re increasing your ability to replicate the process with multiple languages. This is called “metalinguistic awareness,” where your brain learns to identify the techniques of learning a language and break them down into a series of steps. After learning one language, you retain the muscle memory. Your brain will intrinsically understand how to learn a language and how different languages are structured, through increased awareness of syntax, grammar and sentence structure.

6. You become smarter

Acquiring a second language improves your memory and increases your attention span. The process of becoming bilingual exercises your brain, challenges you to concentrate and boosts your problem solving skills.

Bilingual students tend to score higher on standardized tests than monolingual students, especially in the areas of vocabulary, reading and math. As you learn to toggle from one language to another, you improve your multitasking abilities. Bilingual individuals have also been shown to be more logical and rational, have better decision-making skills and be more perceptive and aware of their surroundings.

Learning a second language also improves your native language, as it teaches you the mechanics and structure behind any language — not just new languages.

7. You’ll stay smarter for longer

Recent research has shown that bilingualism can stave off the effects of Alzheimer’s and dementia by years. Regardless of their education level, gender or occupation, bilingual subjects in the linked study experienced the onset of Alzheimer’s, on average, 4 1/2 years later than monolingual subjects did.

Study results out of the American Academy of Neurology are showing that speaking more than one language increases the amount of neural pathways in the brain, allowing information to be processed through a greater variety of channels. They’ve also begun to demonstrate that multilingualism improves development in the brain’s areas of executive function and attention, no matter what age the language learner is.

8. It boosts your creativity

Researchers are also concluding that multilingual speakers are more creative than monolingual speakers. Learning a foreign language improves not only your ability to solve problems and to think more logically, it also makes you experiment with new words and phrases.

Leveling up your second language skills forces you to reach for alternate words when you can’t quite remember the original one you wanted to use. It improves your skills in divergent thinking, which is the ability to identify multiple solutions to a single problem.

9. It builds up your self-confidence

You’re about to teach yourself to believe, “yes, I can.”

It’ll become your new personal mantra.

Confidence increases when a new skill is mastered, and learning a foreign language is no different. It increases your self-confidence. And let’s face it: confident people are more interesting than those who are unsure of themselves. The techniques you use to develop a second tongue result in a greater sense of open-mindedness.

In order to master a new language, conversations with native and fluent speakers are essential. If you’re shy but want to meet new people, using the excuse that you want to practice your speaking skills is a great opener and a doorway to making new friends, expanding your horizons and broadening your life experiences. Plus, who doesn’t want to be more interesting?

So, How Do I Get Started?

Fortunately, gone are the days where the only way to learn a second language was to either become stranded in a foreign country or go back to high school language classes (and be honest, did you actually learn all that much in there?) There are now many different online lessons and tutorials to help you become proficient in the language of your choice.

FluentU stands out amongst language learning websites thanks to the huge range of interactive learning opportunities it provides.

FluentU makes it possible to learn languages from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks. It’s all stuff that native speakers actually watch. 

With FluentU, you learn real languages—the same way that natives speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here: