Always remember that during the lesson we are continuing our RP practice to be able to improve our pronunciation and diction.

In this lesson we are going to look at what happened on December 24th 1914 in northern France and Belgium.

“COMMON CHRISTMAS EXPRESSIONS”

During the first year of the First World War on December 24th (Christmas Eve) something miraculous happened on the front lines.

SECTION  ONE:  CHRISTMAS READING

On a frost-covered Christmas Eve in 1914, an extraordinary moment of humanity emerged from the horror of World War I. It began when German soldiers started placing lanterns and small fir trees along their trenches, singing “Stille Nacht” (Silent Night). British troops, hearing these familiar melodies floating across No Man’s Land, joined in with English carols, creating an impromptu choir across the battlefield. As Christmas morning dawned, soldiers from both sides cautiously emerged from their trenches, meeting in No Man’s Land to exchange seasonal greetings, cigarettes, and food. While the popular tale of an organized football match has become legendary, the reality was more spontaneous – there were several informal kickabouts between small groups, with some accounts suggesting a game between the 133rd Royal Saxon Regiment and Scottish soldiers ended in a 3-2 victory for the Germans. Most notably, this remarkable pause in fighting took place at various locations along the Western Front, particularly in Ploegsteert, Belgium, where British and German soldiers were photographed fraternizing on Christmas Day. As the day drew to a close, officers on both sides reluctantly ordered their men back to their trenches, and by December 26th, the guns of war tragically resumed their deadly chorus, though this spontaneous demonstration of peace and goodwill would be remembered for generations to come.

SECTION TWO: 

CHRISTMAS VOCABULARY SECTION: 

5 Useful English Christmas Expressions

1. 1. 1. 1. ‘Tis the season to be cheerful’

            • Meaning: Used to refer to the Christmas period and its festive spirit
            • Example: “The streets are decorated with lights and wreaths – ’tis the season for celebration!”

         2. Deck the halls

            • Meaning: To decorate a space for Christmas celebrations
            • Example: “We spent all weekend decking the halls with garlands and twinkling lights.”

         3. In the nick of time

            • Meaning: Just at the last moment (derived from old stories about St. Nicholas arriving with gifts just when needed)
            • Example: “Dad finished wrapping all the presents in the nick of time, just before the kids woke up on Christmas morning.”

         4. Like a kid on Christmas morning

            • Meaning: Expressing extreme excitement or joy
            • Example: “When Sarah got the job offer, she was grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.”

         5. Eat, drink, and be merry

            • Meaning: To enjoy oneself by having good food and drinks while celebrating (particularly associated with Christmas festivities)
            • Example: “The office Christmas party was fantastic – we all ate, drank, and were merry until midnight!”

SECTION THREE: CHRISTMAS GRAMMAR QUESTIONS:

• Identify the grammatical error in the following sentence (if any):
  “Neither the twinkling Christmas lights nor the freshly fallen snow were able to lift Sarah and Tim’s spirits after they learned their flight home had been cancelled.”

• Choose the correct form of the verb in this sentence:
  “Every one of Santa’s reindeer (was/were) fitted with a specially designed harness that (gleam/gleams/gleamed) with magical properties on Christmas Eve.”

• Rearrange the following words to create a grammatically correct sentence while maintaining the intended meaning:
  “in stockings Christmas hanging the carefully morning before had children their the”

• Identify and correct the misplaced modifier in this sentence:
  “Wrapped in shimmering paper with a golden bow, Tommy spotted the bicycle he’d been dreaming of under the tree.”

• Which sentence demonstrates correct parallel structure?
  A) “The elves spent December making toys, wrapping presents, and they delivered them.”
  B) “The elves spent December making toys, wrapping presents, and delivering them..”
  C) “The elves spent December to make toys, wrapping presents, and delivered them.”

SECTION FOUR:  CHRISTMAS VIDEO

Video Listening Section

Questions:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. What is the guy who is given a letter from home’s name ?
            2. When the guy steps out from the trench and walks across the area, what is that area between the British and German soldiers called?
            3. What are the names of the two soldiers?
            4. This story brings to mind just one word in my mind. “Futility” What does this word mean?

ANSWERS TO THE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS:

Answer Key:

1. The sentence is correct. The compound subject joined by “nor” takes a plural verb when the closer subject is plural (“lights” is plural).

2. Correct form: “Every one of Santa’s reindeer was fitted with a specially designed harness that gleams with magical properties on Christmas Eve.” (singular subject with singular verbs)

3. Correct arrangement: “The children had carefully hung their stockings before Christmas morning.”

4. Corrected version: “Tommy spotted the bicycle he’d been dreaming of, wrapped in shimmering paper with a golden bow, under the tree.” (The original implies Tommy was wrapped in paper)

5. B is correct, as it maintains consistent gerund forms (-ing) throughout the list of activities.

Once a student reaches a certain level of knowledge the most important aspect of using a new language is the ability to use their knowledge in a social or formal setting. Here we have the opportunity to show off our skills.

Below is a movie clip from the 2005 movie of the story called, “Joyeux Noel” 

Answer to question 4