OVERVIEW
NEW WORDS
Nouns.
Festivals and Celebrations
- Columbus Day Parade a celebration of Italian-American heritage held in October along Fifth Avenue in NYC.
- Coney Island Mermaid Parade an art parade held in June on Coney Island in Brooklyn.
- Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival held on Easter Sunday on Fifth Avenue near St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
- Independence Day/ 4th of July fireworks display Coney Island 4th of July celebrations.
- Lunar New Year Parade held in Chinatown, NYC, to ring in the new lunar year.
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade starting at 77th St and Central Park West and heads down to 34th Street in NYC.
- NYC Pride March held in June and marching from Fifth Avenue through Greenwich Village, passing by the historic Stonewall Inn.
- St. Patrick’s Day Parade held in March along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
- Times Square New Year’s Eve Celebrations Festivities held in Time Square on December 31st to welcome in the New Year.
- Tribeca Festival a festival with a diverse selection of film, music, games and art held in June in Manhattan.
- Village Halloween Parade held on October 31st on on Sixth Avenue from Spring Street to 16th Street in Manhattan.
- Weekends in Bloom Cherry Blossom Festival held in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in late April/early May.
Talking about Christmas.
- angel (plural: angels) a typically benevolent celestial being that acts as an intermediary between heaven and earth.
- carol (plural: carols) a song of praise or joy, especially for Christmas.
- caroler (plural: carolers) a singer of carols.
- chimney (plural: chimneys) a vertical structure of brick, masonry, or steel that carries smoke or steam away from a fire or furnace.
- Christmas a Christian feast commemorating the birth of Jesus.
- Christmas cake (plural: cakes) a rich fruitcake eaten at Christmas.
- Christmas card (plural: cards) a decorated card sent at Christmas to express goodwill.
- Christmas Eve the evening before Christmas.
- Christmas Parade (plural: parades) parades held in some countries to celebrate the official opening of the Christmas season with the arrival of Santa Claus who always appears in the last float.
- Christmas stocking (plural: stockings) a stocking hung up by children on Christmas Eve for Santa Claus to fill with presents.
- Christmas tree (plural: trees) an evergreen or artificial tree decorated, as with lights and ornaments, during the Christmas season.
- decoration (plural: decorations) something used to decorate, especially when put up temporarily to celebrate or call attention to a special occasion.
- evergreen tree (plural: trees) a tree, shrub, or plant having foliage that persists and remains green throughout the year.
- fireplace (plural: fireplaces) an open recess for holding a fire at the base of a chimney.
- frankincense (plural: frankincense) an aromatic gum resin obtained from African and Asian trees used as incense and in perfumes.
- gold a precious yellow metallic element.
- holly (plural: hollies) branches of evergreen trees used for Christmas decorations.
- Holy Family the infant Jesus, Mary, and St Joseph.
- Jesus founder of Christianity, born in Bethlehem and brought up in Nazareth as a Jew. He is believed by Christians to be the Son of God and to have been miraculously conceived by the Virgin Mary, wife of Joseph.
- Joseph was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus.
- Magi/wise men the biblical Magi —also known as the Three Wise Men, Three Kings, and the Three Magi—were distinguished foreigners said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
- manger (plural: mangers) a feeding trough for livestock; the stable where Jesus was born.
- Mary a young virgin who was chosen by God to conceive Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
- mistletoe (plural: mistletoe) a European plant with berries used as a Christmas decoration.
- myrrh an aromatic gum resin obtained from several trees and shrubs of Africa and Arabia, used in perfume and incense.
- Nativity the birth of Jesus.
- New Year’s Day the first day of the year.
- New Year’s Eve the last day of the year.
- New Year’s resolution a promise that you make to yourself to start doing something good or stop doing something bad on the first day of the year.
- North Pole the home for Santa Claus where it snows all year.
- Nut Cracker thSuite a ballet by Tchaikovsky for a concert performance often during the Christmas season.
- ornament (plural: ornaments) something that decorates or adorns.
- poinsettia (plural: poinsettias) a plant with scarlet leaves, often displayed during the Christmas season.
- present (plural: presents)/gift (plural: gifts) a gift.
- Santa Claus the spirit of Christmas represented by a fat jolly old man in a red suit who gives toys to children.
- Santa’s elves the helpers of Santa who live with him at the North Pole.
- Santa’s reindeer the nine reindeer led by Rudolph that pull Santa’s sleigh.
- Santa’s workshop (plural: workshop) the place where Santa Claus and his elves live and make the toys and presents given out at Christmas.
- shepherd (plural: shepherds) one who tends sheep.
- sleigh (plural: sleighs) the vehicle on runners and pulled by reindeer that Santa travels in on his Christmas Eve route to deliver presents to houses.
- sleigh bells a bell attached to a sleigh.
- Star of Bethlehem a sign sent by God to lead the Magi to the Christ Child.
- St. Nick (St. Nicholas, Santa Claus) the legendary patron saint of children who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas.
- tiding (plural: tidings) the good news referring to Jesus’ birth.
- tinsel (plural: tinsels) threads of a glittering material used as a decoration.
- toy (plural: toys) an object for a child to play with.
- turkey (plural: turkeys) often served as part of a feast at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Yuletide the Christmas season.
- a white Christmas having snow on the ground on Christmas day.
- wreath (plural: wreaths) a circular band of flowers or evergreen boughs, often used as an adornment during the Christmas season.
Verbs.
- to unwrap to remove the wrapping from something.
- to wrap (a present) to enclose something such as a gift in cloth or paper.
Greetings.
- Happy New Year a wish said around the start of a new year to wish someone well for the New Year (holiday) or for the (entire) new year.
- Merry Christmas used to wish somebody an enjoyable Christmas holiday.
- Season Greetings a lovely, nonreligious way to greet people and spread the cheer you’re feeling during this time of year.
VISUAL VOCABULARY
KEY PHRASES
GRAMMAR TIPS
QUIZ
