The Speedo 12/19/06 - 2/1/07

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
It is the last week of classes before the holidays and everyone is getting excited. Some people are traveling, some people are visiting their families. However you spend the holiday, make sure to stay in good spirits and enjoy your time with your loved ones.

CHECK OUT MORE PICTURES FROM THE CHRISTMAS PARTY:
(thanks to Darren for sharing his photos)















CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

Christmas is celebrated all around the world - but different cultures celebrate in different ways. Take a look at how various countries spend their holidays:


IRELAND~
It is tradition to leave mince pies and a bottle of Guinness out as a snack for Santa.

SPAIN~
Papa Noel delivers his presents by climbing up balconies. On January 6, the three wise men come to visit and also leave gifts for the children.

MEXICO~
Children sometimes leave their shoes out instead of stockings.

NORWAY~
On Christmas Eve, a bowl of porridge, "nisse" is left in the barn for the gnome who protects the farm.

SWEDEN~
On Christmas morning, churches are lit up entirely by candles for the Christmas service.

ITALY~
On the evening of the day after Christmas, children are visited by a good witch named Strega Buffana. She flies around Italy on a broom and leaves treats for good children and coal for naughty children.

NEW ZEALAND~
It is the middle of summer at Christmas time. Instead of a hot drink Santa often gets a cooling beer as a snack on Christmas Eve.


AUSTRALIA~
Santa's sleigh is pulled by eight white kangaroos.

SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE:

There are 6,800 spoken languages in the 200 countries of the world. 2,261 have writing systems, and the rest are only spoken out loud. Here are a few different ways to say Merry Christmas if you travel around the globe:


Afrikaner (Afrikaans) ~ "Een Plesierige Kerfees"
Argentine ~ "Felices Pascuas"
Bohemian ~ "Vesele Vanoce"
Brazilian ~ "Boas Festas"
Chinese (Cantonese) ~ "Saint Dan Fai Lok"
Danish ~ "Glædelig Jul"
Dutch ~ "Vrolijk Kerstfeest"
English ~ "Merry Christmas"
Filipino ~ "Maligayang Pasko"
Finnish ~ "Hyvaa Joulua"
French ~ "Joyeux Noël"
German ~ "Froehliche Weihnachten"
Greek ~ "Kala Christouyenna"
Hawaiian ~ "Mele Kalikimaka"
Hebrew ~ "Mo'adim Lesimkha"
Icelandic ~ "Gledileg Jol"
Indonesian ~ "Selamat Hari Natal"
Irish ~ "Nollaig Shona Dhuit"
Italian ~ "Buone Feste Natalizie"
Japanese ~ "Kurisumasu Omedeto"
Korean ~ "Sung Tan Chuk Ha"
Lithuanian ~ "Linksmu Kaledu"
Malay ~ "Selamat Hari Natal"
Maori ~ "Meri Kirihimete"
Norwegian ~ "God Jul"
Romanian ~ "Craciun Fericit"
Peruvian ~ "Felices Fiestas"
Portugese ~ "Boas Festas"
Slovakian ~ "Vesele Vianoce"
Spanish ~ "Feliz Navidad"
Swedish ~ "God Jul"
Welsh ~ "Nadolig Llawen"



CHRISTMAS JOKES!
Have a laugh as you share some of these jokes with your family over the holidays :)

As Santa would say, Ho ho ho!!!

Q: What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?
A: It's Christmas, Eve.

Q: What did the gingerbread man put on his bed?
A: A cookie sheet

Q: What kind of ball doesn't bounce?
A: A snow ball!

CHRISTMAS VOCABULARY!!!
Learn some words associated with December 25th:

Mistletoe~ This is often hung from the doorway between 2 rooms. If someone stands under the doorway, it is customary for another person to kiss him or her!

Christmas ornaments~ These are the decorations put on a Christmas Tree

White Christmas~ A Christmas with snow!!!

Stockings~ Socks that you hang up on the fireplace or wall, ready to be filled with presents on Christmas morning

That's it for this year! Everyone at SPEED CALLAN wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year! We'll see you back in class in 2007!