VOCABULARY related to Christmas

As we are approaching the holiday season we thought the topic should be something to do with Christmas. Have a great Christmas holiday wherever you are in the world.  

Let 2014 bring peace, health and happiness to you, your families and the world.

The Istanbul IELTS Team

VOCABULARY	DEFINITION	EXAMPLE
DONATION	money or goods that are given to help a person or organization, or the act of giving them	On special occasions such as Christmas and Eid people tend to be generous and give gifts or food to neighbours, friends and the poor.
EVE	the period or day before an important event	24 December, the day before Christmas Day / the last day of the year 31 December.
GATHER	a party or a meeting when many people come together as a group	On Christmas Day in many countries around the world, families and relatives gather together to enjoy and celebrate Christmas together.
TRADITIONAL	a belief, principle, or way of acting that people in a particular society have      continued to follow for a long time	A traditional Christmas dinner especially in the UK is usually a turkey, with cranberries and roast potatoes followed by a Christmas pudding.
RESOLUTIONS	a promise to yourself to do or to not do something	Every year I make a resolution that I will lead a healthier lifestyle and start going to the gym. For 2014, one of my resolutions is that I am definitely going to start looking after myself.

Christmas is celebrated by billions of people around the world by Christians and non-Christians.  People start getting ready for their Christmas holidays on Christmas EVE (24^th December) when families and friends start GATHERING in anticipation of Christmas Day. The TRADITIONAL food on Christmas Day is turkey with lots of side dishes and followed by Christmas pudding.  The followıng day, on Boxing Day (26^th December) people and especially the Church make DONATIONS to those who need it the most.   Then on New Year’s EVE    (31^st December) everyone starts getting prepared for the arrival of the New Year and when people start making RESOLUTIONS of things they will do and thing they will not do for the following year.