By Vahid Alaghehband
The main greeting is Merry Christmas! December 24 is Christmas Eve, December 25 is Christmas Day and December 31 is New Year's Eve. Happy holidays! works for the whole season.
How do you spell Christmas?
It's spelled Christmas, with a capital C because it's the name of a holiday, and pronounced roughly "KRIS-mus": the t is silent. You'll also see Xmas, an informal short form. The Britannica Dictionary defines Christmas as the Christian holiday celebrated on December 25 in honor of the birth of Jesus.
Christmas vocabulary
| Word | Example |
|---|---|
| Christmas | We spend Christmas with my grandparents. |
| Christmas Eve | We have dinner on Christmas Eve. |
| Christmas Day | Christmas Day is a holiday. |
| New Year's Eve | We celebrate New Year's Eve at home. |
| Christmas tree | Let's decorate the Christmas tree. |
| nativity scene | My mom sets up the nativity scene. |
| gift / present | I bought a present for my sister. |
| wrap | Can you help me wrap the gifts? |
| ornament | This ornament is from Otavalo. |
| lights | The lights are on all night. |
| star | Put the star on top of the tree. |
| angel | My little brother is an angel in the play. |
| candle | We light a candle each Sunday of Advent. |
| bell | Can you hear the bells? |
| Santa Claus | Santa Claus wears a red suit. |
| reindeer | Santa's reindeer pull his sleigh. |
| snowman | There are no snowmen in Guayaquil! |
| carol | The children sang a carol. |
| stocking | They hang stockings by the window. |
| card | I wrote a Christmas card to my teacher. |
| turkey | We eat turkey on Christmas Eve. |
| celebrate | How do you celebrate Christmas? |
Christmas and New Year phrases
- Merry Christmas!: the most common greeting.
- Happy holidays!: for the whole season.
- Happy New Year!: on December 31 and in January.
- Season's greetings: in formal or business cards.
- Thank you for the present!: when you get a gift.
Carols to practice with
Traditional carols are short and repetitive, so they're great for pronunciation and rhythm: Jingle Bells, Silent Night, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Deck the Halls. Listen to a verse, repeat it aloud (shadowing) and look up new words.
Christmas in Ecuador
- Many families pray the novena for nine days before Christmas.
- In Cuenca, there's a big parade on December 24 called the Pase del Niño Viajero, with children dressed as shepherds and angels.
- Many families have dinner together on Christmas Eve, and some open presents at midnight.
Christmas activities for kids
- My wish list: write 5 sentences with I want… and read them aloud.
- Christmas spelling: spell 10 words from the table out loud (tree, star, gift, candle, bell…).
- A card in English: write a short card with Merry Christmas, … Love, …
Practice Christmas words with Vozi Bee
With Vozi Bee you practice spelling English words by level.
Explore Vozi Bee →Read next: 50 everyday English expressions and Halloween vocabulary.
Next step: if you don't know your level, take the English level test (about 15 minutes, with instant results). To keep working on this topic, see Vozi Bee's spelling bee practice by level.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve?
December 24 is Christmas Eve and December 31 is New Year's Eve.
Merry Christmas or Happy Christmas?
Merry Christmas is the most common. Happy Christmas is also used in British English.
What does Happy holidays mean?
It's a general greeting for the whole holiday season, including Christmas and New Year.
Which carols are good for practicing English?
Short, repetitive traditional carols like Jingle Bells, Silent Night, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Deck the Halls.
