ΧριστούγενναThe English Corner - Christmas
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a famous children’s story which was written by Dr Suess in 1957. The main character in this story is the Grinch, a mean little creature who hates Christmas. He lives in a cave on a high mountain, north of the village of the Whos, called Who-ville. The Whos are warm-hearted creatures who love Christmas and spend all year preparing for it. So, the story goes… How The Grinch Stole Christmas (abridged) by Dr. Suess Every Who But the Grinch, The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! The Grinch watches the Whos from his cave preparing for Christmas day and all he can think of is how to stop Christmas from coming… "And they're hanging their stockings!" he snarled with a sneer. ...All the Who girls and boys Then the Whos, young and old, would sit down to a feast. And THEN They'd sing! And they'd sing! The Grinch decides to stop Christmas this year from coming. He thinks of an awful plan. Then he got an idea! "I know just what to do!" The Grinch Laughed in his throat. "All I need is a reindeer..." The Grinch dresses himself up as Santa and then uses his dog Max to lead his sleigh into the village of the Whos at the night of Christmas Eve. He pretends to be Santa but instead of giving presents, he steals everything he finds under the Christmas tree. Not only does he take the presents, but he also steals the Christmas trees, the Christmas stockings and all the Christmas food!!! … So, the Grinch takes all the Christmas things from every house until a little girl called Cindy-Lou Who, who is no more than two years old sees him… He turned around fast, and he saw a small Who! The Grinch had been caught by this little Who daughter But, you know, that old Grinch was so smart and so slick The Grinch rides his sleigh to the top of mountain Crumpit and throws all the Christmas things away. He is sure that Christmas is not going to come this year! Until he hears a noise…
But the sound wasn't sad! He stared down at Who-ville! Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, And what happened then...? ...HE HIMSELF...! So, the Grinch realises the true meaning of Christmas and his heart grows. He understands that Christmas is more than just presents and Christmas trees. He decides to give all the presents back to the Whos and celebrate with them Christmas Day!
The Gift of the Magi
by O’ Henry (abridged) ONE DOLLAR AND EIGHTY-SEVEN CENTS. That was all. She had put it aside, one cent and then another and then another, in her careful buying of meat and other food. Della counted it three times. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas. There was nothing to do but fall on the bed and cry. So Della did it. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a gift. She had had many happy hours planning something nice for him. Something nearly good enough. There was a looking-glass between the windows of the room. Suddenly she turned from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brightly, but her face had lost its color. Quickly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its complete length. The James Dillingham Youngs were very proud of two things which they owned. One thing was Jim’s gold watch. It had once belonged to his father. And, long ago, it had belonged to his father’s father. The other thing was Della’s hair. So now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her, shining like a falling stream of brown water. It reached below her knee. She put on her old brown coat. She put on her old brown hat. With the bright light still in her eyes, she moved quickly out the door and down to the street. Where she stopped, the sign said: “Mrs. Sofronie. Hair Articles of all Kinds.” Up to the second floor Della ran, and stopped to get her breath. Mrs. Sofronie, large, too white, cold-eyed, looked at her. “Will you buy my hair?” asked Della. “Twenty dollars,” said Mrs. Sofronie, lifting the hair to feel its weight. “Give it to me quick,” said Della. Oh, and the next two hours seemed to fly. She was going from one shop to another, to find a gift for Jim. She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the shops, and she had looked in every shop in the city. It was a gold watch chain, very simply made. As soon as she saw it, she knew that Jim must have it. It was like him. Quietness and value—Jim and the chain both had quietness and value. She paid twenty-one dollars for it. And she hurried home with the chain and eighty-seven cents. When Della arrived home, her mind quieted a little. She began to think more reasonably. She started to try to cover the sad marks of what she had done. Within forty minutes her head looked a little better. With her short hair, she looked wonderfully like a schoolboy. She stood at the looking-glass for a long time. At seven, Jim’s dinner was ready for him. Jim was never late. Della held the watch chain in her hand and sat near the door where he always entered. Then she heard his step in the hall and her face lost color for a moment. She thought “Please God, make him think I’m still pretty.” The door opened and Jim stepped in. He looked very thin and he was not smiling. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two—and with a family to take care of! He needed a new coat and he had nothing to cover his cold hands. His eyes looked strangely at Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not understand. It filled her with fear. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor anything she had been ready for. He simply looked at her with that strange expression on his face. Della went to him. “Jim, dear,” she cried, “don’t look at me like that. I had my hair cut off and sold it. I couldn’t live through Christmas without giving you a gift. My hair will grow again. You won’t care, will you? My hair grows very fast. It’s Christmas, Jim. Let’s be happy. You don’t know what a nice—what a beautiful nice gift I got for you.” “You’ve cut off your hair?” asked Jim slowly. He seemed to labor to understand what had happened. “Cut it off and sold it,” said Della. “Don’t you like me now? I’m me, Jim. I’m the same without my hair.” Jim put his arms around his Della. From inside the coat, Jim took something tied in paper. He threw it upon the table. “I want you to understand me, Dell,” he said. “Nothing like a haircut could make me love you any less. But if you’ll open that, you may know what I felt when I came in.” White fingers pulled off the paper. And then a cry of joy; and then a change to tears. For there lay The Combs—the combs that Della had seen in a shop window and loved for a long time. Beautiful combs, with jewels, perfect for her beautiful hair. She had known they cost too much for her to buy them. And now they were hers, but her hair was gone. But she held them to her heart, and at last was able to look up and say: “My hair grows so fast, Jim!” And then she jumped up and cried, “Oh, oh!” Jim had not yet seen his beautiful gift. She held it out to him in her open hand. “Isn’t it perfect, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You’ll have to look at your watch a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how they look together.” Jim sat down and smiled. “Della,” said he, “let’s put our Christmas gifts away and keep them a while. They’re too nice to use now. I sold the watch to get the money to buy the combs. And now I think we should have our dinner.”
The magi, as you know, were wise men —wonderfully wise men— who brought gifts to the newborn Christ-child. They were the first to give Christmas gifts. Being wise, their gifts were doubtless wise ones. And here I have told you the story of two children who were not wise. Each sold the most valuable thing he owned in order to buy a gift for the other. But let me speak a last word to the wise of these days: Of all who give gifts, these two were the most wise. They are the magi.
Glossary
The Christmas Crossword
Santa Claus Crossword
Christmas Quiz Answers
Crossword Answers
Christmas Quiz
1. Santa’s little helpers and toy builders are known as: a. elves b. javas c. hobbits d. munchkins
2. Why does Rudolph get to lead Santa’s sleigh? a. He’s the biggest b. his nose is so bright c. he is Santa’s favorite) d. because he’s cool
3. Which of the following is not one of Santa’s reindeer? a. Comet b. Cupid c. Dasher d. Murray
4. What is Santa’s favorite Christmas Eve snack? a. milk and cookies b. broccoli c. pizza and beer d. nachos
5. Santa Claus is also known as: a. Saint Nick b. Father Christmas c. Kris Kringle d. All of the above Christmas Collocation Crossword Answers
The English Corner - Christmas
Christmas Story: The Girl Who Missed Christmas
Natalie’s life was almost perfect – apart from her annoying little brother called Joe. There was just one thing she didn’t like doing – and that was getting up in the morning. Her Dad was always warning her that one day she would miss something important. And one day she did…
The Girl Who Missed Christmas (author unknown)
Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Natalie. Natalie was six. She lived in a nice house, in a nice street. She had a little brother called Joe, and dog called Marmalade. And most of the time Natalie was happy. She played with her friends. She played with her dog. Sometimes she even played with Joe – when he wasn’t being annoying. But there was one thing Natalie didn’t like. Getting up. Every morning her Dad would come into her room and say: “C’mon Natalie, time to get up.” And Natalie would say: “Just one more minute.” “Now, now, you’ll be late for school,” said Dad. “Just one tiny minute,” Natalie would say. “Pleeeeeeease…..” “Now, Natalie.” “It’s so warm in bed,” Natalie would moan. And so it went on every morning. Dad would shout at Natalie to get up. Mum would shout at her. And Marmalade the dog would bark. And Joe would already be up. And then Mum would shout at her again. And the dog would bark even louder. But Natalie just pulled the cover over her ears. Because Natalie just really, really, really hated getting out of bed in the morning. “You know, Natalie, one day you’re going to miss something really important because you stay in bed too long,” said Dad. As it happened, something very important was about to happen. The nights were getting longer, and the leaves were falling from the trees, and soon Natalie was getting very excited because it was getting close to Christmas. And she had so many different things she had asked for. She wanted a new game for her Nintendo DS. And a doll that cried real tears. And a new DVD. And lots and lots and lots of things. Of course, she had to rehearse for the school play – except she nearly missed it because she was sleeping. And she had to go and see Santa in the grotto – but she nearly missed that as well because she didn’t want to get out of bed. “I just don’t know what to do about all this sleeping,” said Mum. But Natalie didn’t care. If I want to stay in bed, why shouldn’t I? She decided to herself. So finally Christmas Eve arrived. And Natalie was so excited she found it really hard to get to sleep. She wanted to stay and see if she could really see Santa. She tried ever so hard to stay awake as long as she could. But eventually, she went off to sleep. And she slept. And slept. And slept. At one point she heard Dad coming into the room to wake her – but she just rolled over, put the pillow over her head, and went back to sleep again. Finally she decided she had been so long in bed that it was starting to get boring. She pulled away the pillow and looked towards the window. It was morning. “Wow, it’s Christmas day,” said Natalie. “I’m so excited.” She looked towards the end of her bed. But where was the stocking? She wondered. Where had Santa left all his toys? Natalie jumped out of bed, and ran downstairs. She was quite out of breath – because she’d never jumped out of bed before. “Mum, Dad, it’s Christmas,” she shouted. She glanced around the room. Joe was playing with a new toy car. Mum was folding away some used wrapping paper. Dad was reading a boring looking book with no pictures — in fact, the sort of book Mum gave him every year. And Marmalade the dog was eating something that looked suspiciously like turkey leftovers. “Mum, Dad, it’s Christmas,” shouted Natalie, even louder this time. There was a silence. Everyone looked at her – everyone that is except Marmalade who was busy eating turkey. “It’s Christmas…isn’t it?” said Natalie, more quietly now “You mean, it was Christmas,” said Dad. “You slept right through,” said Mum. “We tried to wake you,” said Dad. “But, but, but….” Said Natalie. “I told you you’d miss something important one day,” said Dad. “It was really good,” said Joe. “We had loads of food, and loads of presents.” “And I missed it,” wailed Natalie. And she started to cry. And cry. And cry. “Sorry,” said Dad. “It also means you didn’t get any presents from Santa. But don’t worry, there will be another Christmas next year.” “It’s not faaaaair,” wailed Natalie. “But I always told you you’d miss something important if you didn’t get out of bed in time,” said Dad. “Now, help me clear away all this wrapping paper….” But Natalie just walked out of the house. She walked through the garden. And across the park. When she got there, she cried and cried. She was so upset about missing Christmas. And she didn’t know how she could wait for a whole year. Now, it so happened that it was still very early in the morning. And the sun was only just coming up, so it was still quite dark. And at that very moment, Santa was just trudging his way across the sky in his sleigh on his way back to Lapland. He was very tired. And so were the reindeer, because they’d been all around the world delivering presents to all the children. But, even though he was tired, he couldn’t help noticing one little girl sitting on a park bench all by herself. And crying and crying. “Whoa there Rudolf,” said Santa. “I wonder what’s wrong with that girl.” “Maybe she didn’t like her presents,” said Rudolf, who was hungry and tired, and wanted to get back to his grotto to get some food. “Kids today! No gratitude….” “We better see,” said Santa. And so he pulled the sleigh down into the park. “What’s the matter?” asked Santa. But Natalie was so upset, she just kept crying, and her eyes were so full of water she couldn’t see anything. “Huh, she’s probably upset because she only got one Nintendo, ten Polly Pockets, and a dozen Barbie dolls,” said Rudolph. “Kids today! When I started this job they were happy with a small piece of wood and an orange. The stuff you have to carry nowadays. It’s hardly surprising my back hurts.” “Didn’t you like your presents?” said Santa. Natalie rubbed her eyes, and then looked up. And she gasped. Santa was sitting right next to her. “Oh-my-gosh,” she said. “Is it….you?” “Shhhhh,” said Santa. “You see I’m not really supposed to show myself to children.” “We’ll be in trouble for this,” moaned Rudolph. “I told you we should have gone straight home.” But Natalie gave Santa a hug. “You see Santa, I slept right through Christmas….and now I’ve missed it.” “Oh dear, oh dear,” said Santa. Then he looked towards the house. “We’ve still got a few things left in the sack,” he said. “So go inside, and check the fireplace in your bedroom in a few minutes.” “But, but….” “Just go,” said Santa. So Natalie started to walk home. And Santa went back to his sleigh. “We’re not doing another delivery are we,” said Rudolph. “Because, that’s overtime, that’s what that is…I’ll need an extra carrot for that.” And then Natalie came back into the house. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Jingle bells was playing on the hi-fi. Everyone was wearing hats. And her mum had re-heated some turkey and made some fresh roast potatoes. “We thought we’d re-start Christmas,” said Dad. “Just for you.” And Natalie jumped up and down, then ran upstairs.
Because in the fireplace in her bedroom there was a stocking bursting with presents – there was a doll with real tears, a princess on a white pony, game for her nintendo, and, finally, after she had opened all the other presents from Santa there was one special one from Dad – An Alarm Clock ! So for the rest of the day, Natalie had the best Christmas ever. And do you know what? A couple of weeks later it was the first day of a new term. Dad came into the bedroom. “Wake up, Natalie. Time to go back to school,” he said. The he looked around. “Natalie,” he said, sounding worried. “Natalie..” But he couldn’t see her anywhere. Then he heard a voice from downstairs. So he rushed down to kitchen. And Natalie was out of bed, had put on her school uniform and brushed her hair, and had made breakfast for everyone. “I’m never going to be late for anything again, Dad,” she said.
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