– C1-C2 (advanced) –

Practice Your Listening Comprehension

Practice Your Reading Comprehension

Just hours ago, sugar-high goblins and ghouls roamed the streets of Canadian towns and cities. Pranksters “decorated” their neighbours’ yards in the dark, and parents sorted their children’s chocolate and candy. Jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, witches, and ghosts haunted the homes of most. And now Spirit Halloween has faded into the morning fog–a mystery as spooky as its arrival every season.

Parting the blinds, one is awoken by a flashy November 1st: with vibrant hues of red, green, blue, and gold strung along neighbourhood eavestroughs and windows, doors and hedges; smoking snowmen have replaced bloodthirsty vampires; glowing reindeer stand in lieu of cautionary demons; freshly cut trees now fill parking lots for purchase; and the crisp, cool air sings old carols of Mariah, Britney, and Nat.

But for some Canadian residents, this seasonal change is unwelcome. “Premature,” they state, “–a dishonour to the fallen; lest we forget.” For the first two weeks of November, poppies are cut and worn upon the breast. “Christmas can wait until we pay our proper respects.”

However, these holidays continue to be celebrated in coexistence, with solemn commemoration; corporate parties, community festivals, and gift exchanges are arranged alongside marching uniforms, brooding bagpipes, and lain wreaths; Hallmark and Lifetime may roll out their beloved cheese, but 11 o’clock mid-month serves nothing but silence.

November is a season of much transition, physically and culturally. From autumnal rainbows to wintry neutrals, the land begins its transformation into a crystalline wonderland, marked by hours of feel-good movie watching, hot chocolate and tea, and new decorations depicting the coming celebrations. It is a time split by remembrance and solidified with joy and freezing temperatures. From mournful tears of gratitude to gracious giving and receiving, November is a month of reflection and the beginning of Canada’s Christmas season.

Do you celebrate Christmas where you live? When does the Christmas season begin in your culture? What holidays do you have in November instead of Christmas if this is not a holiday that you observe? Practice your English by letting me know in the comments below.

RELATED ARTICLES

• Halloween In Canada

• Remembrance Day

• Christmas Eve

• Song: “Cuddle Up, Cozy Down”

• Movie: “Falling For Christmas”

ATTRIBUTION

• Reindeer Decoration photo courtesy of Jack B on Unsplash

• Snowman photo courtesy of Vladimir Haltakov on Unsplash

• Christmas Yard Display photo courtesy of James Wheeler on Unsplash

• Man Playing the Bagpipes photo courtesy of Gilley Aguilar on Unsplash

• Remembrance Day Wreaths photo courtesy of Cross-Keys Media on Unsplash

• Marching Soldiers photos courtesy of Filip Andrejevic on Unsplash