https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-278.htm

This is the story text I'll be using with the B1 words in bold:

White Christmas

Steve Matlock worked in a car factory in Bristol. Every day at lunch, he sat in the canteen with his colleagues. They had discussions about their families, their aims, and their dreams. It was Christmas Eve, and the canteen felt warm and cheerful.

“What are you doing for Christmas, Steve?” one colleague asked.

Steve smiled politely. “I intend to spend Christmas with my brothers and sisters in Bath,” he said. “It will be lively and fun. The kids play games all day long.”

His colleagues smiled, happy for him. But when the day ended and everyone went home, Steve walked slowly back to his small flat. Nobody was expecting him. He had no brothers, no sisters—no family at all. He would spend Christmas on his own, as usual.

When Steve got up on Christmas morning, he felt the silence in the flat. He looked out of the window and stopped. There was thick snow covering the whole city, shining white as the morning sun came out. For a moment, he forgot about being lonely.

He put on his thick coat and gloves and stepped outside. The snow sounded under his boots. Children were laughing - throwing snowballs and making snowmen, people were greeting neighbours, and the city was shiny and bright.

“As long as I can enjoy moments like this,” he thought to himself, “maybe things aren’t so bad after all.”

The greatest gift is friendship and the company of those we love, yet a close second is knowing how to be happy when we are alone.

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