British Christmas
The average person in Britain sends 50 Christmas cards each year. Christmas cards were invented by Sir Henry Cole in 1843. Why did he invent them?
a Because he realised that people would pay for cards with pictures of snowmen on them, so he could make money from his idea.
b Because he worked at the post office, and it was his job to make people buy more stamps.
c Because he had lots of friends and couldn’t be bothered writing letters to all of them. He thought sending a card would be much quicker.
Because he had lots of friends and couldn’t be bothered writing letters to all of them. He thought sending a card would be much quicker.
Robins are often the subject of pictures on Christmas cards. What is a robin?
a A figure of a man made of snow.
b A person who takes money from the rich to give to the poor.
c A little bird with a red breast.
c A little bird with a red breast.
The traditional Estonian Christmas food is .....
pork with sauerkraut and blood sausage.
Why do we celebrate December the 25th?
a. It’s the day on which Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
b. Pope Julius I decided it was a good day to celebrate Jesus’ birth – people already celebrated pagan festivals around this time.
c. The shops are closed and there’s usually a good film on TV.
b. Pope Julius I decided it was a good day to celebrate Jesus’ birth – people already celebrated pagan festivals around this time.
The British send around 125 million Christmas cards each year. Santa has his own postcode, according to the Royal Mail. What is it?
a XMAS1
b WC1 XA
c XM4 5HQ
c XM4 5HQ
In many countries, people eat turkey on Christmas Day. Do you know where turkeys come from?
a. Turkey.
b. North America.
c. Hungary.
b. North America.
What's the secret to making good gingerbread?
Plenty of butter.
Why does Santa Claus always come down the chimney instead of using the front door?
a Santa is from Lapland. People in Lapland used to live in houses under the snow, where a hole in the roof was used both as a chimney and a front door.
b Because doors and windows are locked at night to stop burglars entering. So the chimney is the only way for him to get into the house.
c Because he travels through the air, and lands on the roof. The chimney is nearer than the front door.
a Santa is from Lapland. People in Lapland used to live in houses under the snow, where a hole in the roof was used both as a chimney and a front door.
After finishing the turkey, the British eat a special pudding. The pudding, which traditionally has a special ingredient. What is it?
a. Money!
b. A prediction!
c. A crown!
a. Money!
At Christmas, lots of men dress up in red outfits and white beards and say, ‘Ho ho ho.’ Where did Father Christmas (also known as Santa Claus) originally come from?
a The Vikings used to dress a man as ‘Winter’.
b Father Christmas is based on Nicholas, a bishop who became very popular after his death.
c. The Santa Claus that we all know today was created by Coca-Cola in 1931 for the company’s winter advertising campaign. The artist, Haddon Sundblom, decided to make Santa’s clothes the same colour as the famous Coca-Cola red.
all variants are correct
Carols are songs celebrating the birth of Jesus. In Bavaria in 1818, Franz Gruber and Joseph Mohr, a priest, wrote one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time, which was first performed on a guitar. Which song?
a ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas?’
b ‘Silent Night’
c ‘White Christmas
b ‘Silent Night’
How does Santa Claus travel on Christmas Eve?
a On a magic sleigh, pulled by ten flying reindeers.
b By private plane, or sometimes helicopter.
c Santa isn’t real – he’s actually your mum or dad – so he doesn’t travel anywhere.
c Santa isn’t real – he’s actually your mum or dad – so he doesn’t travel anywhere.
What do children do with their socks on the night before Christmas?
a Wash them so that their feet will be clean on Christmas Day.
b Hang them on the Christmas tree for decoration.
c Leave them at the end of their beds for Santa to put presents in.
c Leave them at the end of their beds for Santa to put presents in.
Christmas can be hard work, so most people relax the next day. The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day. Why?
a This is the day when people gave presents (Christmas boxes) to servants, postmen and rubbish collectors.
b There used to be boxing matches in the streets on this day.
c It is traditional for people to throw old things out of their houses, to be ready for the new year. These are put into boxes and given to charity.
a This is the day when people gave presents (Christmas boxes) to servants, postmen and rubbish collectors.
What is a Christmas cracker?
a It’s a triangular object that people place under the Christmas tree. On Christmas Eve they crack it open and eat the sweets inside.
b It’s a square box-like object with a figure inside. When you open the box, the figure jumps out. The figure is called Cracker Jack.
c It’s a cylindrical object that two people pull. It breaks open and the person with the biggest portion wins a paper hat.
c It’s a cylindrical object that two people pull. It breaks open and the person with the biggest portion wins a paper hat.
What do people do under the mistletoe?
a Pray for happiness in the year to come.
b Kiss each other.
c Leave a glass of whisky for Santa Claus.
b Kiss each other.
Christmas is celebrated in countries around the world. In Germany people say, ‘Fröhliche Weihnachten.’ What does it mean?
a Merry Christmas.
b God bless you and your family.
c Come to our traditional wine drinking festival tomorrow at eight o’clock and bring a friend.
a Merry Christmas.