In the U.S.A., the holiday season starts with Thanksgiving at the end of November and encompasses Christmas and New Year. For over 50 years, African Americans have had another holiday to celebrate: Kwanzaa, from 26 December to 1 January. The celebration was conceived by a civil-rights activist and doctoral student in African studies at the … Continue reading “Happy Kwanzaa”
Christmas crackers are such an integral part of British Christmas dinner celebrations but do you know how they were invented? Hint: there’s a French connection. Enjoy our animated slideshow with your students from A2.
As Boris Johnson said as he announced a new lockdown: “‘Tis the season to be jolly careful”. But it’s nice to know that some festive traditions have survived the pandemic. Friday 11 December is the ninth Christmas Jumper Day, organised by Save the Children U.K. Normally, people wear a Christmas-themed jumper to work or school … Continue reading “Ho, Ho, Ho, Christmas Jumper Day is Back!”
Do you fancy using an advent calendar in class in December as a cultural reference, but want to avoid the religious connection? How about using this fabulous December Kindness Calendar instead? Produced by British charity Action for Happiness, it encourages you to do a kind act each day, like counting your blessings or seeing how … Continue reading “Do Good in December”
Christmas Jumper Day has been a big charity event in the UK for several years. The U.S. is catching up with Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. Either way, it’s a great way to get in the Christmas spirit and make a donation to a children’s charity. Christmas Jumper Day in the UK is organised by the … Continue reading “It’s Christmas Jumper Day!”
Sometimes a simple idea can have an enormous effect. A suggestion from a group of British teenagers could brighten Christmas for hundreds of thousands of families living on the breadline. The group of 13 teenagers from Exeter in southwest England participated in a National Citizen Service programme last summer. One of the steps was to … Continue reading “A Gift for Christmas”
It has all the ingredients of a great British event: tradition, wearing costumes, doing silly things and collecting money for charity! Every year at Covent Garden Market in London, teams of people participate in The Great Christmas Pudding race. They make their way through a series of obstacles while carrying a Christmas pudding on a … Continue reading “The Great Christmas Pudding Race”
Like Red Nose Day, Christmas Jumper Day is becoming a tradition for British people to do something silly – wear a kitschy Christmas jumper — to do some serious good, for the charity Save the Children. Christmas is of course a special time for children, which is why the charity wants people to donate to … Continue reading “Merry Christmas Jumper Day!”