KARAOKE "WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

It's Christmas Eve, ClickOnEnglish wishes you all a very Merry (not "morry") Christmas & a Happy New Year! And for some practice, here's a karaoke for you to sing along with the melody.

Audio-karaoke "WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS..."

MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today, we're all starting our Christmas holiday. It's good to have a break. Hope you enjoy it together with your loved ones and come back full of  enthusiasm for the new term. 

Click on the picture to read this Christmas story by Jackie Lawson.

DICKENS' "CHRISTMAS CAROL"

Ending 2012, the year that commemorates the 200th birthday of British novelist Charles Dickens, IES "Rafael Dieste" is going to close the school term showing a film based on his classic novel "A Christmas Carol". Here we're including some reference about the novel and the film we'll be watching on Friday at 12:30 for 1st & 2nd ESO students.

A Christmas Carol is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, first published on 19 December 1843. The story tells Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation resulting after the supernatural visits from Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The novel was instant success and critical acclaim.

The book was written and published in early Victorian era Britain, a period when there was both strong nostalgia for old Christmas traditions and an initiation of new practices such as Christmas trees and greeting cards. Dickens's sources for the tale appear to be many and varied but are principally the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and various Christmas stories and fairy tales.

The story is about Ebenezer Scrooge. At the beginning of the book he is a mean old man who runs a business lending people money. These people are poor and often cannot pay him back. He pays his clerk Bob Cratchit badly.

On Christmas Eve, Scrooge refuses an invitation to his nephew's house for Christmas dinner, telling him he hates it (he calls it a "Humbug"). He then refuses to give money to two men who are collecting for charity.

Later that evening, he is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner Jacob Marley, who went to Hell because of his bad life. He tells Scrooge that the same future will happen to him unless he changes and that during the night he will be visited by three more ghosts. These will show him where he went wrong in his life, and how to be a better person in the future.

The first ghost is the Ghost of Christmas Past. This ghost shows him where he went wrong in the past, showing him his unhappy childhood and how he did not get married.

The second ghost is the Ghost of Christmas Present. This ghost shows him things which are happening now, such as how his clerk, Bob Cratchit, is having a nice Christmas despite not having much money. He also shows him Bob's youngest son, Tiny Tim, who is crippled. Later, the ghost shows him how his nephew is having a good Christmas, and how Scrooge is missing out.

The third ghost is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. This ghost shows Scrooge what Christmas will be like in the future if he does not change. Firstly, people are shown celebrating a man's death and robbing from his house. The ghost also shows him that Tiny Tim has died. Scrooge is then shown his own grave, and realizes that the celebrations were for his death.

On Christmas morning, Scrooge wakes up and realizes that he has to change. He decides to celebrate Christmas, and help Tiny Tim get better. Through the ghosts' help he becomes a better man.

The tale has been viewed by critics as an indictment of 19th-century industrial capitalism. It has been credited with restoring the holiday to one of merriment and festivity in Britain and America after a period of sobriety and sombreness. A Christmas Carol remains popular and has been adapted to film, stage, opera, and other media many times. It is still a relevant story nowadays.

A Christmas Carol (named on-screen and in promotional material as Disney's A Christmas Carol) is a 2009 3D computer animated motion-capture holiday fantasy comedy-drama film written and directed by Robert Zemeckis. It is an adaptation of the Charles Dickens story of the same name and stars Jim Carrey in a multitude of roles, including Ebenezer Scrooge as a young, middle-aged, and old man, and the three ghosts who haunt Scrooge.

Video trailer of "A CHRISTMAS CAROL" (2009):

More on Dickens at these links:
- Previous post about Dickens at ClickOnEnglish.
- Dickens 2012: Website celebrating his 200th birthday.
- A Galician version of this post @ ArquivosDoTrasno.

ALL THINGS CHRISTMAS: EVERYTHING ABOUT CHRISTMAS TIME

If you want to get completely into the spirit of Christmas, here are some links to webpages where you'll find everything about Christmas and even more... traditions, printables, games, songs, decorations, recipies, stories, cards... and all in English for you to practice. Browse around...

ALL THINGS CHRISTMAS.
CHRISTMAS SONGS IN ENGLISH.
CHRISTMAS VOCABULARY GAME
DIFFERENT NAMES FOR FATHER CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD.
A CHRISTMAS ADVENT CALENDAR.
THE BRITISH CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS ADVENT CALENDAR.

CHARO & TIM ARE BACK

Once again, Charo Pita and Tim Bowley are back at IES Rafael Dieste with their stories in Galician & English versions. The same story in two languages. They'll be with us today. Students of 1st & 2nd ESO will meet them at our assembly hall ready to listen to their stories from different parts of the world. Welcome back, Charo & Tim.

"ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU" A CAPELLA

More Christmas songs. This one is quite original, it's a classic Christmas song "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU", which has been sung by many famous artists. This is an original version with no instruments, the band NOTA performs it a capella.

Video "ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU", Nota:

Lyrics:
I don't want a lot for Christmas
There's just one thing I need
I don't care about presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you.

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I don't need to hang my stocking
There upon the fireplace
Santa Claus won't make me happy
With a toy on Christmas day
I just want you for for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you
You baby

I won't ask for much this Christmas
I won't even wish for snow
I'm just gonna keep on waiting
Underneath the mistletoe
I won't make a list and send it
To the North Pole for Saint Nick
I won't even stay awake to
Hear those magic reindeer click
'Cause I just want you here tonight
Holding on to me so tight
What more can I do
Baby all I want for Christmas is you
You

All the lights are shining
So brightly everywhere
And the sound of children's
Laughter fills the air
And everyone is singing
I hear those sleigh bells ringing
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need
Won't you please bring my baby to me

Oh, I don't want a lot for Christmas
This is all I'm asking for
I just want to see my baby
Standing right outside my door
Oh I just want him for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
Baby all I want for Christmas is
You

All I want for Christmas is you baby
All I want for Christmas is you baby

TRAIN: "SHAKE UP CHRISTMAS"

Here's a Christmas song by the band Train, "SHAKE UP CHRISTMAS".

Video "SHAKE UP CHRISTMAS", Train:


Lyrics:

Ho, ho, ho
Shake up the happiness
Wake up the happiness
Shake up the happiness
It's Christmas time

There's a story that I was told
And I wanna tell the world
Before I get too old
And don't remember it
So let's December it
And reassemble it oh yeah

Once upon a time in a town like this
A little girl made a great big wish
To fill the world full of happiness
And be on Santa's magic list

Chorus
Shake it up
Shake up the happiness
Wake it up
Wake up the happiness
Come on y'all
It's Christmas time

Ho, Ho, Ho
Ho, Ho, Ho
It's Christmas time

At the same time miles away
A little boy made a wish that day
That the world would be okay
If Santa Claus would hear him say
I got dreams and I got love
I got my feet on the ground
And family above
Can you send some happiness
With my best to the rest
Of the people of the East and the West and
Maybe every once in a while you
Give my grandma a reason to smile
Tis the season to smile
It's cold but we'll be freezing in style
And let me meet a girl one day that
Wants to spread some love this way
We can let our souls run free and
She can open some happiness with me

Chorus

I know you're out there
I hear your reindeer
I see the snow where
Your boots have been
I'm gonna show them
So they will know then
Their love will grow when
They believe again

Chorus

It's Christmas time
Chorus

"JOY", TRACEY THORN'S CHRISTMAS SONG FOR 2012

 

Every Christmas, a British or American popstar comes around with their own Christmas album or Christmas song. This Christmas isn't going to be different. They usually cover traditional Christmas songs. This time it's Tracey Thorn's turn. Tracey Thorn was the voice of the 80s duo Everything But The Girl, which she formed together with Ben Watt, after meeting in 1981 at Hull University. The have worked as a duo until 2003. In 2007, Tracey started a solo career. Now, she has made up her own Christmas album "TINSEL & LIGHTS", collecting not so much traditional Christmas songs, but songs that have a Christmas or wintery atmosphere to them, where snow, cold or Christmas concepts are mentioned. And here's the video-single from it "JOY". The video was shot in Lille's traditional Christmas Market in France. En-joy!

 

Video "JOY", Tracey Thorn:

Lyrics "JOY", Tracey Thorn:
WHEN SOMEONE VERY DEAR
CALLS YOU WITH THE WORDS "EVERYTHING'S ALL CLEAR"
THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR
BUT YOU KNOW IT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT IN THE NEW YEAR
THAT'S WHY, THAT'S WHY
WE HANG THE LIGHTS SO HIGH
JOY
JOY

YOU LOVED IT AS A KID
BUT NOW YOU NEED IT MORE THAN YOU EVER DID
IT'S BECAUSE OF THE DARK
YOU SEE THE BEAUTY IN THE SPARK
THAT'S WHY, THAT'S WHY
THE CAROLS MAKE YOU CRY
JOY...

THE TINSEL ON THE TREE, YES I SEE
THE HOLLY ON THE DOOR, LIKE BEFORE
THE CANDLES IN THE GLOOM, LIGHT THE ROOM
THE SALLY ARMY BAND, YES I UNDERSTAND

SO LIGHT THE WINTER FIRE
AND WATCH AS THE FLAMES GROW HIGHER
WE'LL GATHER UP OUR FEARS
AND FACE DOWN ALL THE COMING YEARS
AND ALL THAT THEY DESTROY
AND IN THEIR FACE WE THROW OUR JOY
JOY...

IT'S WHY WE HANG THE LIGHTS SO HIGH
AND GAZE AT THE GLOW OF SILVER BIRCHES IN THE SNOW
BECAUSE OF THE DARK WE SEE THE BEAUTY IN THE SPARK
WE MUST BE ALRIGHT IF WE COULD MAKE UP CHRISTMAS NIGHT"