Episode 0177

Hello English learners and welcome back to English Pod. My name is Marco.

That's right. Christmas is coming up and well, a tradition among many people around the world is to buy a Christmas tree.

So, we're going to explore this in today's lesson. After we listen to the dialogue, we'll be back to talk about some of these interesting words and phrases.

Wow, it's huge! Are you sure it will fit in the living room?

Of course it will. Help me put it in the living room.

We could also place these stockings next to the chimney.

All right, we're back and as we mentioned, well, the entire dialogue is about a Christmas tree. So, why don't you explain what a Christmas tree is because many people maybe don't even do or buy Christmas trees?

Okay, well, a Christmas tree is usually a green tree that we cut down and we put in the house, okay? So it's not a real tree with roots in the ground. But sometimes it comes from a real tree outside.

And the tree is very small in the top and it goes out like a triangle, okay? So it's a special shape, and we generally make it look very pretty with lights and ornaments and decorations. And on Christmas, on the 25th or the 24th, it depends where you come from, we put lots of presents underneath the Christmas tree.

And well, as you mentioned, sometimes the tree is just a fake plastic tree, but many times it's a real tree and the type of tree that you use is a pine tree.

Exactly. And so a pine tree is a kind of tree that doesn't have leaves. It has needles. That means that they're long, very thin green pieces that are all over the tree. And you can see these trees in most northern places, like Scandinavia or in America, maybe Illinois, and Minnesota, and Michigan, and Vermont.

And they're very, uh, as you say, very unique trees, but they also have a very special smell, the smell of pine.

Very good. So a pine tree. The dad brought a pine tree or a Christmas tree home and uh well the wife was a a little bit worried if it will fit.

Okay, will it fit? This is a very important question because a lot of pine trees are very, very tall. So if a pine tree is 3 meters tall or 4 meters tall, will it fit? Is the question we ask. Is it too big or is it going to be stuck on the ceiling in the house?

And so we could ask this about anything. I just bought a new TV. Will it fit in the living room?

I don't know. I'm very nervous. I spent a lot of money.

All right. And uh well, you were talking about the Christmas tree and how you put a lot of nice decorations on it. And so we say that we decorate the tree.

That's right. So the verb here, this is an action word, to decorate. Um, so every holiday season in my family, we take one day and we decorate the tree. That means that we take very small, special, uh, ornaments and ribbons and lights and we put them on the tree to make the tree look pretty.

You can also say decorate the house or to decorate the house for a party. So this means to make something look special or pretty.

Very good. Um, we've taken a look at very specific words related to, you know, Christmas trees and decorating it. So, why don't we listen to the dialogue again, and we'll be back to continue with some more language takeaway.

Wow, it's huge! Are you sure it will fit in the living room?

Of course it will. Help me put it in the living room.

We could also place these stockings next to the chimney.

All right, we're back. So, why don't we take a look at three more words on Language Takeaway part two?

There's just so many words that are associated with Christmas and the Christmas season that we have to look at them again here in Language Takeaway part two. And the first one we've already mentioned, um, it goes together with the phrase to decorate the tree, okay?

So, what do we decorate the tree with, Marco?

Ornaments.

That's right. Christmas ornaments.

Christmas ornaments. And so an ornament is a thing, it's something that we use to make something else look prettier. And so in this case, ornaments are sometimes round and red or green or gold. We hang them on the tree.

And well, this is, in this case, it's a Christmas ornament for the tree, but an ornament can be anything, any nice piece of art or something that you can use to decorate your house, right?

Oh, that's really nice. And well, uh, apart from ornaments, there is also this tradition of hanging stockings.

Okay, so a stocking, you might have heard this word before in in the sense of a clothing item. A stocking is like a sock, okay? A big sock. And, uh, it also means old the old stockings that women would wear, like tights. But in this case, a stocking, a Christmas stocking is a very, very, very big sock that we hang and on Christmas, we get to fill it with very special things like candy and toys.

Candy, toys, very good. So, uh, actually you hang the stockings and the commonplace to do it in, uh, or to put them on is a is uh on the chimney, right?

That's right. So there's a fireplace and usually above the fireplace, there's a shelf. We call it a mantel. And there's a place there to hang these. And, um, the place where all of the smoke from the fire comes out is the chimney. It's also the place where Santa Claus comes down.

Right. So, you have the fireplace where you put the wood, you have the mantel that's the space where you actually put the stockings on, and the tube that goes up and where the smoke comes out of is called the chimney.

Right. So you don't want to live there and then actually, the joke is that Santa Claus is definitely too fat to go down the chimney. But, uh, it's a special place in the Christmas story because that's what Santa Claus does.

Very good. Interesting words. Why don't we listen to the style dialogue one last time?

Wow, it's huge! Are you sure it will fit in the living room?

Of course it will. Help me put it in the living room.

We could also place these stockings next to the chimney.

All right, we're back. So, as you say, the Christmas season is important in uh, in America, and people not only decorate Christmas trees, but also their house. And even outside they put uh Christmas lights all over the house. They put little statues of Santa Claus and reindeer and it's just it's a very uh, I don't know, sometimes lavish thing to do.

It is. It's almost uh, it's almost funny how much people like to spend on not just time, but also money on decorating their houses. And so where I come from, people decorate the outside a lot. You have Christmas lights on all parts of the house and then maybe, you know, all of the reindeer in the front yard, all whatever.

12 of them.

Right.

All right. Well, that's all the time we have for today, but we'll definitely post a link of the or of this movie that's actually very good. It kind of depicts the traditional American in a funny way.

All right. So, and if you have any questions, any other doubts or comments, you can come to English pod.com and we'll see you there.

The English audio review.

Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.

Very big.

Huge.

Decoration. Something used to beautify.

Ornament.

Beautify.

Decorate.

Certainly true.

Of course.

Large sock. Traditionally Christmas gifts are put inside.

Stocking.

Let's try that faster.

Beautify.

Decorate.

Decoration. Something used to beautify.

Ornament.

Certainly true.

Of course.

Very big.

Huge.

Large sock. Traditionally Christmas gifts are put inside.

Stocking.

Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.

Huge.

He gave the kids huge pieces of chocolate.

Huge.

Your shoes are huge. What size do you wear?

Huge.

I got a huge parcel in the mail from my grandmother for Christmas.

Ornament.

Some people buy new matching Christmas tree ornaments every year, while others put up old ornaments that mean a lot to them.

Ornament.

We have many ornaments around our house.

Ornament.

The children's parents let them buy one new Christmas ornament every year.

Decorate.

She decorated her house in red and green for Christmas.

Decorate.

We will decorate the tree with Christmas ornaments and then decorate some cookies with icing.

Decorate.

The war veteran was decorated with many metals.

Of course.

Of course I won't tell your secret. That's what best friends are for.

Of course.

Of course I will come. I wouldn't miss your concert for the world.

Of course.

Of course your mother loves you. You can see it in her eyes.

Stocking.

On Christmas Eve, children put up stockings near the fireplace and find them filled with candy and gifts on Christmas morning.

Stocking.

Christmas stockings are usually special stockings that are oversized and colorfully decorated. They are not meant to be worn.

Stocking.

He put on his stockings before putting on his boots.