Christmas

Christmas is a very great religious holiday. It is celebrated on December 25 as the birth of Christ. It is preceded and followed by festive parties and marked by special church services. Christmas is a family holiday. The people stay at home and spend the time with their families. They send cards or Christmas greetings to their friends. They wish them «A Merry Christmas». Gifts are also given to people who do a lot of work for other people, for example, the postman, milkman. Many firms give their workers gifts or extra money for good work. Every house tries to have a Christmas-tree, which is decorated with strings of coloured lights and bulbs. The presents for relatives and close friends are placed under the tree. Little children hang up their stockings on Christmas Eve. They believe that when they are asleep, Santa Claus comes to visit them. Usually the whole family has a big Christmas dinner, which is distinguished by a plum-pudding dessert. The air is filled with the sounds of Christmas carols, the stores are decorated in red and green, and dozens of Santa Clauses welcome the customers. Christmas is also a time when Americans do a lot of charity work. They help the poor, organize Christmas dinners for the homeless. During Christmas you can meet a lot of people in the streets who collect money for those who are in need.