English in Pics: Where's the Christmas Tree at ? Let's Design it up!

Hi!

You didn't think I was going to snub you and not wish you a Merry Christmas, did you? :)

Merry Christmas!

May all your wishes come true at this magical time of the year :)

I'm going to throw in a few Christmas-related pics now :)

I hope you like them.

SANTA

Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas is the guy in red, with an impressive 'stache and a beard who snacks on milk and cookies. He might leave you quality presents but most of the time it's just another gift set you will pass on to your mum.

FAMILY HOLIDAY CARDS

For Christmas some families have their picture taken professionally. Then they add a few lines of wishes and send it in the form of a Christmas card. It may come out cute, awkward or totally wrong.

GIFT SETS

A gift set is a compilation of useless products that you would never buy for yourself but which, for some reason, you are more than willing to buy for your family member or a friend because it seems so cute and creative and nicely packaged.

CANDY CANE

Traditional candy canes are cane-shaped, red and white peppermint-flavoured sweets but you can find them in different flavours and colour combinations too. This year I got candy canes for my students. It was funny to look at how some of them examined them suspiciously while others popped them into their mouths, totally unfazed.

 GINGERBREAD MAN

The most famous gingerbread man is Gingy from Shrek. Whatever you do, don't touch his gumdrop buttons.

gumdrops

Gingy in Shrek

EGG NOG

Egg nog is a traditional Christmas drink made of milk (and/or cream), sugar, eggs and liquor, and spiced with cinnamon or nutmeg.

CHRISTMAS TREE

Whether it is a real fir, spruce or pine tree or a fake plastic one, you think that yours is the most beautiful one and deserves some kind of a Christmas-tree-of-the-year award. 

The one at the Rockefeller Center in New York might seem impressive to others, but you just think it's too flashy for your taste.

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

If there ever was a Christmas special on Santa's entourage, Rudolph would hog the camera. Although there are eight other reindeer that pull Santa's sleigh, it is Rudolph who is the most hyped reindeer. Despite there being Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, it is Rudolph who gets most buzz. All this talk of him being bullied and called names seems like a well-fabricated story. Just saying!

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

I had to include Christmas lights in my post just to be able to post this photo.

DITTO – me too; I agree; likewise

Whatever you do, please keep in mind what happened to Mr Clark Griswold in the movie Christmas Vacation.

STOCKING

A Christmas stocking should be filled with small boring gifts such as sweets (candy) or fruit. Don't even try stuffing your stocking with bulky objects. That is not going to work!

Unrealistic-looking stocking

WRAPPING PAPER

Around Christmas I am always jealous of how some people seem to be gift wrapping wizards. They need a bit of wrapping paper and a few seconds to turn a regular present into a work of art.

If you are like me – a hopeless gift wrapper – just stick to gift bags or have your gift gift-wrapped.

Below the classic gift-wrapping scene from Love Actually:

Love Actually scene

GLOSSARY:

to snub – zignorować, zlekceważyć

to throw in – dorzucić

a 'stache – short for moustache – wąsy

to snack on – podjadać, przekąszać

quality presents – tut. fajne prezenty

a gift set – zestaw upominkowy

to pass something on to – dać, przekazać dalej

awkward – niezręczne, kłopotliwe 

cane-shaped – w kształcie laski

peppermint-flavoured – o smaku miętowym

to examine something – dokładnie oglądać, analizować

suspiciously – podejrzliwie

unfazed – niezrażony (not surprised or worried)

liquor – alkohol

nutmeg – gałka muszkatołowa

fir – jodła

spruce – świerk

pine tree – sosna

fake – sztuczna

flashy – krzykliwy

for somebody's taste – jak na czyjś gust

a Christmas special – odcinek świąteczny, świąteczne wydanie

somebody's entourage – orszak, świta

to hog – okupować

a sleigh – sanie

to hype – robić szum, reklamować

buzz – rozgłos

to bully – dręczyć, znęcać się

to call names – przezywać

fabricated – zmyślona, stworzona (to fabricate – to invent or produce something false in order to deceive)

to keep in mind – pamiętać, wziąć pod uwagę

to stuff something with something– wypychać

bulky – olbrzymi, o dużej objętości

a wizard – geniusz, czarodziej

hopeless – beznadziejny

to stick to something – pozostać wiernym