Talking point: How are you spending the Christmas holidays?

If you are spending the Christmas holidays trying to catch up with your rusty English, this activity from The New York Times learning blog will come in handy to do so: How are you spending your Chritmas holidays?

I know some people may feel a bit slighted, as they do not enjoy the traditional holiday break starting before the 24th December and finishing after Epiphany , 6th January, which are the traditional school holidays here in Spain, but even if we do carry on as usual, the atmosphere around us and in the streets is completely different.

Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, think about the answers to the questions below, so that you are not ideas short when you discuss the topic with your friends:

• How do you usually spend the Christmas holidays?
• What family traditions do you have?
• Do you attend religious ceremonies?
• Do you spend much on presents?
• Are you worried about your diet?
• Do you usually make new year resolutions?

• Is this year different from others?
• Are you spending the Christmas holidays the way you want?
• Is there anywhere you would rather be?
• Is there anyone you would like to spend the holidays with but can't?
• What do you think of the people who spend the Christmas holidays away from home?
• Given the chance, where would you like to travel over the holiday break?
• Have you ever spent the Christmas holidays working away from home? And anyone in your family?

To get further insight into the topic, you can also read Jan Benzel's post on the Expatriate Life Blog of The New York Times, where he writes about what it is like to be away from home for Christmas.

As for the more 'traditional' side to Christmas, I came across this interesting BBC video through Desginer Lessons, where you can do a listening and speaking activity about shopping at Christmas.



Here's the transcript for the clip.

Whether they raise your spirits or drive you mad, they’ve become the soundtrack to shopping at this time of the year but it seems the science behind background music could be more complicated than we think.
Repeated renditions of Christmas songs like Jingle Bells may seem entertaining but actually they could be enticing you to stay longer and spend more. 
According to a study by Royal Holloway University, slow it down and we’ll relax, stay longer. Speed it up and it’ll improve our mood.
It’s such a subtle trick, it’s such a clever trick, because it kind of makes you, the music does seep into you, and no matter how rank and how awful the song is, you catch yourself humming it and whistling it. I mean, it’s clever, isn’t it?, the way it pervades your consciousness.
But can a song really make you part with your money?

[dark-haired woman] 
Guess more of a festive mood, I suppose, doesn’t it, they´re more inclined to buy Christmas presents well thinking about Christmas.
[blonde woman] 
It gets on your nerves after a bit but generally it’s all part of it, int’it?
[two girls] 
This is great, if you know it, it’s cheerful, it does actually and you need to when you are shopping.
[black woman] 
It sets you in the mood, you know, you are in the Christmas mood, so you want to stay in the shop to buy more.
So  while the shops are wishing it really could be Christmas every day, the bank balance might not thank you.