—| B2-C1 (intermediate to advanced) |—

In North America, December 24th is officially called Christmas Eve, meaning the night before Christmas.

In Canada, this day is an unofficial national holiday; everyone who celebrates Christmas celebrates Christmas Eve, but many still have to go to work.

The way people celebrate Christmas Eve depends on the family. Many families will, however, use this time to spend with others, hosting or going to Christmas parties, going carolling, touring the city/town for fun Christmas light displays, watching Christmas movies, reading Christmas books, preparing for Christmas Day, etc. Some people observe the tradition of opening one gift from under the Christmas tree. This classic gift is that of new pyjamas, which many call Christmas pyjamas. Typically, the recipient of these pyjamas will wear them that night and/or the next day/night. For others, a random gift might be selected. For families with young children, a plate of Christmas cookies and a glass of cold milk or eggnog may be left out for “Santa” to come snack on when he comes to fill up the family’s stockings and place their presents under the Christmas tree. For practicing Catholics, a midnight mass is held and attended. For Christians, there is an evening candlelight service available, where attendees are given a candle to hold, which they light up from the flame of their neighbour–this serves as a symbol of Jesus’ light overcoming the darkness. There might also be a Christmas concert, where Christmas carols are performed by talented singers, musicians, and/or choirs. Sometimes, these carols and other hymns are sung by the congregation. It is also common to have a Christmas sermon or play at one of these services, which is often based on the story of Jesus Christ’s birth. However a person, or family, celebrates Christmas in North America, December 25th is customarily considered the main celebration of the season.

December 25th is Christmas Day, the day everyone has been waiting for since the beginning of the Christmas season (which in Canada starts on November 1st). On this day in Canada, families will wake up to open their stockings together–long, decorative socks that are filled with candy, chocolate, snacks, and other small gifts. Afterwards, some families may get right to opening all their Christmas presents, while others may have a special family meal (breakfast or brunch), with foods ranging from typical North American breakfast dishes, like bacon and eggs, to cultural dishes from one’s heritage (my Swedish family always cooks Swedish crepes, while my wife’s British/Ukrainian family always cooks smoked cod (UK) and Kutia (Ukraine)). Some families take turns opening their presents in order to observe and appreciate the gifts that they gave to their family members. This is done as a way to pay respect to others, giving them one’s selfless, undivided attention in celebration of the bounty that they received. It also allows each individual to thank their gifter. Other families may simply have a free-for-all, where everyone opens at the same time and thanks each other in a cacophony of gratitude. For those family members and friends who were not able to get together on this day, they are often called and thanked for their generosity and kindness in gift-giving.

The rest of the day focuses on playing with one’s new gadgets and toys, while also preparing for the evening meal. For this meal, there are often guests invited, and the table is covered in special Christmas foods: roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and/or scalloped potatoes, gravy, mashed turnip or rutabaga, a variety of other cooked and raw veggies, salads, and much more. Following this feast, there is inevitably much dessert to go around, as it is customary in Canada for many different cookies, bars, cakes, pies, tarts, loaves, and other sweet treats and snacks to be made in preparation for the holiday–offering a variety is polite, and delicious. A couple desserts that are unique to Canada, include butter tarts and Nanaimo bars.

To close the evening, people will party late, drinking sparkling punch, wine and spirits, warm cider, tea, and/or hot chocolate. Dessert will be laid out, available all night, for snacking. Christmas music will fill the space as people play games, do festive puzzles, visit, and/or watch Christmas movies.

As the classic Christmas singer Andy Williams puts it, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

Do you celebrate Christmas? How do you celebrate Christmas Eve? What about Christmas Day? Let us know in the comments below.

To learn about more Canadian holidays, including vocabulary related to these holidays, check out the Holidays link in the Tags section of our blog.