{"id":4391,"date":"2024-12-22T16:41:24","date_gmt":"2024-12-22T16:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westcoastenglish.ch\/?p=4391"},"modified":"2026-09-17T11:38:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T11:38:20","slug":"words-for-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westcoastenglish.ch\/de\/2024\/12\/22\/words-for-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"The 24 Most Important Words for Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Christmas is really, really, really big in English speaking countries. It’s one of the biggest religious holidays, but, more than that, it’s cultural and economic importance cannot be ignored. All December long, in shops and work places, restaurants and schools, you’ll hear Mariah Carey and Wham sing about love at Christmas time, and colleagues and even strangers want to know how your Christmas is going. You need to be prepared with the right vocabulary! So, let’s jump on in and learn…\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The most important vocabulary for Christmas:<\/span><\/font><\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1. Christmas<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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December 25th was first named as Jesus\u2019 birthday in 221, but surprisingly there\u2019s no record of the church actually celebrating it until over a hundred years later, in 336.<\/span><\/p>\n

But why do we call it <\/span>Christmas<\/span>??\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The “Christ” part of Christmas refers to Jesus – it comes from the Greek word “Christos”, and in English we call him Jesus Christ. The \u201cmas\u201d in Christmas comes from Mass, the Catholic church service. In other words, people went to church on December 25th for the Mass of Christ, or Christmas.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Advent Calendar<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The word advent comes from the Latin word adventus<\/i>, meaning \u201carrival\u201d or \u201ccoming,\u201d because this is the time of year when we celebrate the coming of the baby Jesus on December 25.<\/p>\n

German families in the 1800s started counting the days until Christmas by tallying chalk marks on a door or wall, and in the early 20th century, Gerhard Lang, a German printer, created the first printed advent calendars. His design featured colorful pictures and small doors that could be opened daily to reveal festive images or Bible verses, and in the 1950s, chocolate advent calendars hit the market. Of course, now you can get advent calendars filled with beauty products, beer, tea, Lego\u2026<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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3. Mulled Wine<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Mulled wine is a warm and sweetly spiced drink invented by the ancient Greeks to use up bad wine. In English, the verb “to mull” first appeared in the 16th century and refers to the process of heating, sweetening and\/or adding spices to wine or ale.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In German,\u00a0 it\u2019s called Gl\u00fchwein. In Sweden, it\u2019s known as gl\u00f6gg.<\/p>\n

If you are feeling really festive, you can add a little kick of\u00a0 cognac, armagnac or rum to warm you up from the inside, or skip the wine and make yourself a hot cup of mulled cider (hard or non-alcoholic).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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4. Gingerbread<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Gingerbread is the classic Christmas baked treat. Gingerbread men, Gingerbread houses, Gingerbread stars, trees, hearts\u2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0is a sweet biscuit containing ginger and often other spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and anise. In Switzerland there is a similar baked treat called Lebkuchen, but they aren\u2019t really the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lebkuchen generally has a softer, chewier texture, whereas Gingerbread normally has more ginger and is crispier. That\u2019s why I used the British word \u201cbiscuit\u201d above, and not the American word \u201ccookie\u201d. When I think of cookies, I think of something soft and chewy. The Brits like their biscuits thinner and crunchier – I guess so they can dip them in their tea.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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5. Noel<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The word Noel comes from the Old French word for Christmas, no\u00ebl, which comes from the Latin natalis, meaning “birth” (as in the birth of Christ).\u00a0<\/p>\n

But why do we English speakers sing \u201cThe First Noel,\u201d and not say \u201cThe First Weihnachten,\u201d the German word? First of all, “Noel” is a lot easier to sing than “Weihnachten\u201d.<\/p>\n

But also, after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, many French words entered the English lexicon, especially those related to religion and culture. By the time the carol \u201cThe First Noel\u201d was written in the 1700s, Noel was already a long-established term in English for Christmas.<\/p>\n

Weihnachten didn\u2019t stand a chance.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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6. <\/span><\/span>Santa Claus, old Saint Nick, Chris Kringle<\/span><\/font><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The name Santa Claus comes from the Dutch name Sinterklaas, which entered English usage through Dutch settlers in New York. Kris Kringle comes from the German Christkindl (Christ Child), who was traditionally the gift-bringer on Christmas, because Sammi Klaus brings treats on December 6th instead. The name evolved as German immigrants brought their traditions to America, and it was conflated with the Santa Claus figure.
Father Christmas, dating back to at least the 15th century, is a traditional English name predominantly used in the UK and Commonwealth countries like Australia and New Zealand. Saint Nick comes from Saint Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century Greek bishop celebrated for his charitable deeds and miracles. St Nick is the OG Santa Claus.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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7. <\/span><\/span>The Naughty List<\/span><\/font><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A person is naughty if they are mean or rude, break the rules, or generally behave badly. Santa Claus has a list of all the naughty kids and all the nice ones. In Switzerland, the naughty children are taken into the woods and beaten by Samichlaus\u2019 helper, Schmutzli. I\u2019m happy to inform you that the English Santa Claus is non-violent, and just gives the naughty children coal instead of presents or candy. Last year I put one piece of coal in with the candy for my younger son, and he didn\u2019t react well.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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8. <\/span><\/span>Reindeer<\/span><\/font><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The English Santa doesn\u2019t have just a donkey to walk around with, he has nine magical reindeer that can fly! And if it’s a really foggy night, Rudolph joins the team. This way, he can land on the roofs of the houses and go down the chimneys to deliver the presents.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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9. Mince Pies<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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These little pies are traditional only enjoyed during Christmas, and for many it\u2019s a daily treat! The filling, called mincemeat, used to contain real meat (!!) but thankfully now is just a sweet mixture of dried fruits, spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and sometimes a splash of brandy or other spirits. (See how British people feel about mince pies here.<\/a>)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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10. Merry (Christmas)<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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This one is important to me because my name is Mary and in Switzerland my name gets misspelled a lot. So, the most important thing to know is: when it means \u201chappy\u201d it\u2019s with an E and TWO Rs. When it\u2019s my name: an A plus one R\u00a0 (Watch the video for this here.<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The word Merry comes from Old English and it was a totally common adjective to describe anything that brought happiness or enjoyment. It would’ve been normal to hear, \u201cI feel so merry! What a merry party we had!\u201d<\/p>\n

Nowadays, we say Merry Christmas, but we never say Merry Holidays. And people just won\u2019t understand you if you wish them a Merry Birthday.<\/p>\n

So why is the word “Merry” only used with Christmas?<\/p>\n

Well, the phrase “Merry Christmas” became forever connected to Christmas through songs and literature. “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “May your days be merry and bright,” “Have yourself a merry little Christmas.” And then in 1843, Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol popularized “Merry Christmas” as the joyful greeting to give at this time of year.<\/p>\n

Over time, words like “happy,” “joyful,” and “cheerful” replaced the good ol’ “merry,” but the phrase “Merry Christmas” persisted due to its traditional and cultural association with the holiday, which has helped it survive in this specific context even though it is almost never heard in everyday usage.\u00a0<\/div>\n
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11. Mistletoe<\/span><\/font><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows with small, shiny leaves and white berries which grows on large trees, especially oak and apple trees, and steals their water and nutrients. It\u2019s name comes from Old English, and literally means dung (poo) stick.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite its less-than-romantic name, it is a symbol of love, thanks to Norse mythology. The goddess Frigg used it to bring her son Balder back to life. Over time, this connection to love evolved into the custom we know today – if you find yourself under the mistletoe with someone, you are culturally required to kiss.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A couple under the mistletoe<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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12. Bells and Their Sounds<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Unfortunately for your English, but fortunately for our musical life, there are a lot of bells and they make a lot of different sounds:<\/span><\/h3>\n

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