Xmas time fever

The topic of today is “Christmas”.

Task 1

Read the information below to get the general idea:

Believe it or not, but it is Christmas time again. All over the world people of different religions are getting ready for the most festive and important  celebration in a calendar. Santa Claus “is coming to town”, Xmas trees are decorated,  season’s greetings are sent to friends and special gifts are bought for the loved ones. Customers are rushing into stores, drivers are speeding along the streets; everything is done in a hurry, but, definitely, in the name of faith, love and tradition. What a hectic time? A real nightmare, one might say.

Regardless of cultural differences, people still prepare a variety of food in large quantities, including soups, meats, fish and local desserts, not to  forget about sweets or cakes for children. They spend hours in kitchens: peeling, cutting, cooking,  stirring, baking and seasoning. Everything has to be fresh and home-made, prepared “by the book”, in exactly the same way as it used to be done by their ancestors or grandmothers. The preparations take time but eventually the feast is ready. When the first star appears in the sky families gather together and start celebrations. Dressed in best clothes, family members are seated around the table, they pray quietly and dine joyfully for a few hours. Later they sing carols and exchange gifts. Some of them attend the Midnight Mass to share the holy spirit with others. Finally, the Christmas time fever is over.