Happy Xmas (War is Over)

Happy Xmas (War is Over) es una canción del músico británico John Lennon grabada en los Record Plant Studios de Nueva York a finales de octubre de 1971 y publicada como sencillo. Es una de las canciones más bellas y sentimentales para celebrar esta época tan especial del año. Desde Home English tenemos ganas de felicitarte las fiestas con este tema que esperamos que practiques y cantes con tus seres  más queridos. Merry Christmas!!!

                                                            Happy Xmas (War is Over)

 

So, this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Lets hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The road is so long

And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so happy Christmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

War is over
If you want it
War is over
Now

Christmas

Another year has gone so quickly  !  You think you have just got rid (acabas de librar) of Christmas and it's upon you again with all its demands  ! 

"The Christmas tree is a green fir tree decorated with lights ..."

Christmas is the most important holiday in the whole year for British and American people.It is a time when all the family meets and celebrates.

Christmas tree

This is an old Scandinavian tradition showing that Nature is still alive because the Christmas tree is a green fir tree ( un abeto verde) . The tree is decorated with lights and it usually has a star at the  top.

Christmas presents

On Christmas Day , there are presents for every member of the family. Santa Claus comes down the chimney at night and leaves presents next to the Christmas tree.

Boxing Day

In Britain, December 26th is called Boxing Day. The name "Boxing Day" comes from an old tradition when rich employers  ( jefes) used to give their servants a big hamper of food (lote de comida) , called a Christmas box as a gift.

Going shopping

Do you like window shopping? (ir de escaparates) I do! I love going window shopping and then buying things. Most shops in Britain open at 9 a.m. and close at 5:30 p.m. Most towns also have a market day (día de mercado) where you can buy clothes, food or flowers from stalls (tenderetes) in the street.

London also has specialised markets in Portobello Road and Petticoat Lane where you can often find bargains (gangas/chollos)

        

The High Street

Most towns in Britain have a High Street, which is where lots of the shops are located. You will find lots of world famous shops there – Marks and Spencer’s, Boot’s the chemist’s, and W.H. Smith’s the newsagent’s (quiosco).

Apart from those famous shops, there are other traditional shops where you can buy food or other goods. For example, if you need meat, you have to go to the butcher’s, (carnicería) but if you want fish, you have to go to the fishmonger’s.(pescadería) And where would you buy vegetables and fruit? In the greengrocer’s,(verdulería) that’s right. If you’re a smoker and you want to get some cigarettes, you have to go to the tobacconist’s.(estanco)

By the way, where do you buy stamps (sellos) in your country? In Britain, you can only buy stamps at the Post Office. Oh! And don’t forget to buy a lottery ticket there! The British lottery is on Wednesdays and Saturdays. You choose six numbers and mark them on a card.

How are you going to pay?

Once you have bought something in a shop, the shop assistant may ask you: “How are you going to pay?” If you have enough money with you, you can pay in cash (pagar en efectivo)

However, if you’ve bought something very expensive, you can pay with your credit card. Some shops also accept travellers’ cheques, but some don’t, so it’s safer (es más seguro) to take your credit card with you when you travel.

Prepositions of time: for and during

"He lived in France for three years...  !

FOR expresses the duration of an action. It is used to say how long an action took. We cannot use “during” to express that. Examples:

He lived in France for three years and then went back to England.

We have been waiting here for twenty minutes now and he hasn’t come yet.

We will travel around South America for six months and visit different countries.

"During the conference, the minister talked to the press... "

DURING introduces a period of time in which something happens. Sometimes, “during” can be substituted by “in”.

We saw each other twice during [in] that week.

During the conference, the ministers talked to the press after every meeting.

We never got round to seeing each other during the month that I spent in London.

Practice 

Complete the sentences with for or during.

a) Marc has been studying English ___________ two years.

b) Helen and Peter fell in love _____________ a trip to Africa.

c) ___________ his hunger strike, he didn’t eat anything and only drank water.

d) The workers have been on strike ________________ a week now.

Answers: a- for b- during c- During  d- for