In the U.S., you start to hear Christmas music played on the radio after the late November holiday of Thanksgiving, and you continue to hear it all the way through the month of December. By New Year’s Day, the radio stations stop playing Christmas music. For most people, Christmas is “over,” finished. Time to get back to work!

But traditionally (and still in other countries around the world), the celebration of Christmas begins on December 25th, and doesn’t end until January 6th. January 6th is celebrated under different names depending on the culture and particular Christian group you’re in, but most people who know about it in the U.S. associate it with the “Three Kings” or “Three Wise Men” or “Epiphany” (for the story, see here).

There’s a popular song called the “The 12 Days of Christmas,” which some Americans think refers to the 12 days before Christmas, when in fact it refers to the 12 days after Christmas – that is, from Christmas to the celebration of the Epiphany. The song is about gifts that your “true love” (your boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse (husband or wife)) gives to you. Each day you get a different gift, starting with one of something, then two of something, then three of something, and so forth.

Most people (including me) can remember the first five verses (sections) of the song, corresponding to (relating to) the first five days of Christmas, but can’t remember the rest of the verses. So below are the “gifts” for all 12 days and an explanation of them.

If you are not familiar with the song, you’ll want to watch a video of it also (see below).

Here then are the 12 gifts (look at the image above also to help you):

• A partridge in a pear tree – a partridge is a kind of bird, and a pear is a type of fruit
• Two turtle doves – turtle doves are another kind of bird
• Three French hens – also called Faverolles, they’re a type of chicken
• Four calling birds – also called a songbird for the noise they make
• Five golden rings – a ring is what you wear on your finger as jewelry
• Six geese a-laying – geese are (of course) birds, and “a-laying” is another way of saying that they are producing eggs (the “a” in front of the gerund “laying” is an Old English way of indicating the present progressive, so “a-laying” would be “is/are laying”)
• Seven swans a-swimming – swans are beautiful birds related to ducks and geese
• Eight maids a-milking – a milkmaid is a girl or woman who works getting milk (white liquid) from a cow (maid is an old word for a young, usually unmarried woman)
• Nine ladies dancing – a lady can refer to a woman, but an older use of the word refers especially to a woman of authority, power, and wealth (lots of money) (I’m pretty sure my wife would never give this gift to me.)
  
• Ten lords a-leaping – a lord is an older term for a man of power and wealth, often the owner of a large house and a lot of land; to leap means to jump
• Eleven pipers piping – a piper is someone who plays a musical instrument such as a bagpipe; to pipe is the verb used to refer to playing a bagpipe or other similar instrument
• Twelve drummers drumming – a drummer plays a drum, a musical instrument that requires that you hit it to make a sound; to drum refers to playing that instrument.

To really appreciate the song, you have to listen to it. Here is a video with the music and images of the different gifts.

Do you have this song in your language (or a similar version)? Has anyone ever given you seven swans a-swimming or ten lords a-leaping?

~Jeff

Image Credit: “XRF 12days” by Xavier Romero-Frias

It’s nearly here. The year 2014 is coming to a close (end) and we’re getting ready to welcome 2015. At parties and get-togethers (informal social events) this week, we’ll be hearing a lot of people ringing in (welcoming) the new year with a toast.

We’re all familiar with toasts. When we’re at a celebration, such as a wedding reception (party after the marriage ceremony), people offer a few words of good wishes, asking the guests to raise (lift up) their glasses in celebration. Most toasts begin with the word “May,” as in “May the newly married couple live a happy and long life together.”  “May,” in this case, expresses our wish or hope that something will happen.

It is also common to begin a toast with Here’s to, as in “Here’s to all of the people who helped us make this event a success” or “Here’s to ten more years of our company’s success.”  In this case, “Here’s to” means “I’m offering these words or wishes to [something or someone].”

And on New Year’s Eve, the day before the first day of 2015, many people will be offering toasts to each other, wishing good things for their friends and family. Since you are all part of the ESL Podcast family, I thought I’d present a few toasts to you.

May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.
~Joey Adams

Joey Adams was an American comedian (person whose job is make you laugh) and writer. He was born in 1911 in New York. He wrote for newspapers, published 23 books, and had a long career in comedy.

Your troubles are your problems, the things that bother you or that cause you problems. Resolutions are the promises we make to ourselves to do things differently or better in the future. We all make New Year resolutions, and as Joey Adams points out, we don’t always keep them for very long.

Here’s to being single, drinking doubles, and seeing triple.
~Irish toast

This is a traditional toast from Ireland.

Being single means to not be married and to not have a girlfriend or boyfriend. If an alcoholic drink is a double, it contains more alcohol than a regular drink, which we do not call a “single.” (It’s just called a regular drink.) Sometimes a “double” has twice (two times) the alcohol than in a normal drink, and sometimes it’s just a little more alcohol than usual. It depends on the bar, the place serving the drink.

When we’re under the influence of (have drunk or have taken) alcohol or drugs, our vision or sight is often not very clear. We call this seeing double. This toast mentions “seeing triple,” with triple meaning three times, so this is just a joke meaning that the person offering the toast hopes you’re having so much fun that you see a lot of strange things.

May your troubles be less and your blessings be more and nothing but happiness come through your door.
~Irish toast

Finally, this is another traditional toast from Ireland. I won’t say anything about the Irish and drinking, but I think we all know where our favorite Irish American podcaster gets his gift of gab (ability to speak easily and well).

We’ve already talked about “troubles.” Blessings are the exact opposite. “Blessings” are the good things in our lives that we feel grateful for or happy about. Some people may consider their children or good friends a blessing. In some religions, a “blessing” also refers to God’s protection and help, so someone might say, “I hope that our new project has God’s blessing.”

And now my own toast to you:

May you all improve your English faster than you thought possible, speak like native English speakers, and not care if you don’t.

On behalf of (representing) all of us here at ESL Podcast, have a happy New Year and a wonderful 2015!

– Lucy

Photo Credit:  From Wikipedia

In 1933, there were not many gifts under Christmas trees in Canton, Ohio. The Great Depression had taken most of the joy and much of the hope out of Christmas. Jobs were hard to find. And the jobs that people found didn’t pay much. Many people in Canton, and other American cities, struggled (tried extremely hard) to survive (continue to live normally).

Eight days before Christmas, an advertisement written like a letter appeared on the front page of the Canton newspaper. Here’s what it said (in my words):

What if I couldn’t find food for my family to eat tomorrow. Would I accept help from a welfare organization (one that helps needy people)? I don’t think so. I would be too embarrassed (worried about what people think). And I know that many of you feel the same way.

If you’re in a situation like that, I would like to help so that your family will be able to spend a merry and joyful Christmas. I don’t want anyone to know my name, and I will never tell yours.

Please send a letter to B. Virdot, General Delivery, Canton, Ohio. Tell me about your situation, and I will send you financial aid (money to help) without delay (as soon as possible).

During the next few days, 150 needy Canton families received checks for $5 – almost $100 in today’s dollars.

No one knew the full story of the mysterious B. Virdot and his anonymous (without a name) gifts until 2008. That’s when Ted Gup’s mother gave him an old suitcase. When he opened it, he found a stack (pile) of letters written just before Christmas in 1933.

In his letter, Harry Stanley, who hadn’t worked for two years, said he hoped to give his five children a good Christmas dinner. Ruby Blythe didn’t want anything for herself. She wanted to help her neighbor whose children didn’t have clothes for school and would have only bread for Christmas dinner. One after another, the letters Gup read described the needs of good people who wanted to care for family, friends, and neighbors but couldn’t because of the Depression.

Gup also found a stack of canceled (used) checks – all for $5 and signed by B. Virdot. And he discovered something else: B. Virdot was his grandfather, Samuel Stone. He had made up the name B. Virdot so no one would know who he was.

Stone was not a wealthy man. His Jewish family had escaped persecution (bad treatment of a group of people) in Romania 30 years earlier and come to America. His secret gifts were his way of saying thank you to the people of Canton and America for accepting their family when they were needy.

Gup, a writer and professor of journalism, spent the next year looking for and sharing the stories of the letters with the families of people who had received his grandfather’s checks. He also wrote a book – A Secret Gift – that tells the stories.

Gup learned that one person who had received a check was still alive. When he asked Helen Palm if she remembered, she replied, “Oh my God! You better believe it!” Palm bought herself a pair of shoes: her old ones had holes in the soles (the bottom of a shoe). And she bought gifts for her brothers and sisters and took her parents out for dinner.

Gup says his grandfather knew that his gifts couldn’t change much. But, he writes, “[my grandfather] had learned from his own hard life that even the most modest (small) of offerings (gifts) can provide the gift of hope and the knowledge that someone cares.”

You can learn more about the story of B. Virdot by viewing the CBS video story Secret Great Depression Benefactor Revealed.

—————-

Jeff, Lucy, and all of us who help with the podcast, blog, and website wish all of you a wonderful holiday season!

—————-

~ Warren Ediger – ESL coach/tutor and creator of the Successful English web site.

This story is adapted from Meet B. Virdot, the Mysterious Christmas Benefactor by Ted Gup.
Photo used under Creative Commons license.

Sylvia had always dreamed about being a mother. She was 49 years old and thought her dream would never come true when she received a phone call. Would she be willing (say yes), the caller asked, to take care of four children? The children had been neglected (not taken care of) by their mother. As a result, they had been missing school and sleeping on the streets or with other homeless people.

The children had been moving from home to home for more than a year because no one wanted to take care of all four of them together. Sylvia agreed to become a foster parent (someone who takes someone else’s child into their family without becoming their legal parent) for the three girls and one boy. “I went from zero to four overnight,” she said. “It was a big change. But what else could I do? Those children needed me.”

Foster children are minor (younger than 18) children who are taken care of by foster parents. Some are placed in foster care voluntarily (without someone saying they have to) because their parents can’t take care of them. Others are taken from their parents and placed in foster homes because they are in danger of physical or psychological abuse (cruel or violent treatment).

Often grandparents or other relatives (family members) become foster parents for needy children. But frequently people who are not part of the child’s family become the foster parents and take care of these children. Usually children are placed in foster homes by the government or a social-service agency (an organization that helps people with special needs).

Many children are placed in foster care for a while and then adopted (to take someone else’s child into your home and become the child’s legal parent). This process usually takes about four years. More than 100,000 foster children in the U.S. are waiting for a family to adopt them, and about 50,000 are adopted every year.

The idea for foster care in the U.S. began about 150 years ago with Charles Brace in New York City. Brace was concerned about homeless and neglected children who were living in the streets and slums (areas in very bad condition) of New York. From 1853 to about 1890, he found families to take care of more than 120,000 of these children.

For Sylvia, becoming a foster mother wasn’t the end of her story. Last summer, the children’s mother was killed. And a few months later, Sylvia officially adopted Rebecca, Giovanni, Olivia, and Mary as her own children. “This love is different from anything I’ve experienced,” Sylvia said. “I really feel now that my life is complete (as great as it can possibly be).” Her dream of becoming a mother had come true.

~ Warren Ediger – ESL coach/tutor and creator of the Successful English web site.

Credit: Sylvia’s story is adapted from a story by Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times.
Photo by publik15 used under Creative Commons license.