English Now N°41 décembre 2008 - janvier 2009
6
10 things to know
American holiday traditions
The holidays are coming!
In America the holiday season officially begins on
Thanksgiving Day, which is always the fourth Thursday
in November. Macy’s, a New York City department
store, holds an annual parade with Santa arriving on the
last float to officially start the holiday season. The day
after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the
year as shoppers take advantage of the after-Thanks-
giving sales and start their holiday shopping early.
department store
float
sales
Christmas tree
outside
lawn
neighborhood
fairy-like
twinkling
greeting card
to account for
sale
to tell of
to catch up
un grand magasin
un char
les soldes
un arbre de Noël
l’extérieur
une pelouse
un quartier
comme féerique
clignotant
une carte de vœux
représenter
une vente
évoquer
rattraper le temps
story
to enjoy
throughout
to show
reading
Christmas Eve
church service
meal
gift
to wait
to deliver
plate
glass of milk
reindeer
une histoire
aimer
tout au long de
diffuser
une lecture
le réveillon
une messe ou un culte
un repas
un cadeau
attendre
livrer
une assiette
un verre de lait
un renne
1
Decorating inside and out
Many people also use Thanksgiving weekend to buy
and put up their Christmas trees. They might also
decorate the outside of their
house with lights and put
out lawn decorations. The
result is that each night the
neighborhoods have an
almost fairy-like quality with
all the twinkling lights.
2
Holiday cards
Many Americans send out holiday greeting cards in
December to their friends and family. Christmas is the
greeting card industry’s biggest holiday, accounting for
60% of all greeting card sales each year. Most of the time
a Christmas card will also have a photo or letter telling
of the family’s activities over the past year. For those
distant friends and relatives, it’s a nice way to catch up.
3
Classics
There are many holiday films and stories that Americans
enjoy year after year. Throughout December these
Christmas classics are shown