IV. Speaking Out
MODEL 1 Eat, drink and be merry on Christmas.
Nora: My mother bought an enormous twenty-five pound turkey for Christmas dinner. I'm so excited!
Susan: We have geese and ham for Christmas dinner on both Christmas Eve and Christmas night.
Nora: Our traditional Christmas dinner is a turkey, so gigantic that we eat leftovers for days.
Susan: Chris swears he'll refuse a huge dinner and stick to a healthy meal of tofu and salad.
Nora: No way. He's kidding! Wait till he sees what his mother cooks: roast turkey with stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, peas and plum pudding for dessert!
Susan: We heap up our presents under the tree and open them on Christmas morning.
Nora: We open one Christmas Eve, more Christmas morning, and the rest the next day.
Susan: Wow! Your family prolongs the celebration for three days!
Nora: We start by decorating the tree on Christmas Eve, putting ornaments, lights and artificial snow flakes on it.
Susan: Do you hang stockings by the fireplace and have a star on top of the tree?
Nora: Yes. And we have another activity. We also "give not expecting to get".
Susan: That's a peculiar expression. What do you mean by that?
Nora: It's secret giving. We sneak up to the door of somebody we want to give a gift to, ring the doorbell, and run.
Susan: So, you're not expecting anything; you're just being generous. That's a kind-hearted gesture.
Nora: Isn't that what the true spirit of Christmas is supposed to be? |