Script:

Hello everyone, welcome to my podcast. Today I am going to talk about Christmas traditions and customs in Canada.

Christmas in Canada is celebrated in much the same as it is in other Western countries. December 25 is the official holiday in Canada, but many Canadians also take time off on the afternoon of Christmas Eve as well as Boxing Day. This year, Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, and some people feel they are being 'ripped off'. That means they feel tricked.

Canada is a multicultural country, so many other holiday traditions are observed. Hanukkah celebrations are widespread in Toronto and Montreal as there is a large Jewish population.

Pretty much all the shops will be closed on Christmas Day except pharmacies. The shopping malls are always packed on December 24 with people doing their last minute Christmas shopping.

Canadian traditions include decorating a Christmas tree and exchanging gifts. On Christmas Day, a special meal is served, consisting of a roast turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, and vegetables. Traditional Christmas desserts like Christmas cake and plum pudding are served. Christmas cakes are made with dried fruits like figs, currants, dried cranberries and prunes. The texture is dense and chewy. Most people are not fans of Christmas cake.  I have tried it a few times and it was, well, not that great.

For people with children, Christmas is a big celebration. Parents buy lots of presents and put them under the Christmas tree or inside the Christmas stockings. Young children leave cookies and milk for Santa Claus to come. Young children ask their parents how Santa Claus can come into their house if they do not have a chimney. Does Santa come in through the window? What if Santa cannot find a way into the house?

There is a website where you can track down where Santa is. There are also games for young children on this site. The link is posted in the script.

https://santatracker.google.com/

Many online students asked me what my holiday plan is. My family is going to have a Christmas Eve buffet in a hotel nearby. That’s our family tradition. However, due to pandemic, we haven’t gone for the last two years, so I am pretty excited about it. We are all looking forward to it. Thank you for listening.

Happy Holidays!

Vocabulary

Rip off – cheat, deceive, trick

Gravy - a sauce made from cooked meat juices and other ingredients.