With the snow outside now, all I can think about is Christmas! Christmas is more than just a single day of the year, it’s an entire season! This time of year, when the weather gets cold and shops start their Christmas sales, we can say “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!” Look around you, Cheongju is getting ready for Christmas too! 
  Of course, everyone knows the expression “Merry Christmas”. But do you know what “Christmas” actually means? It comes from two words in old English: Christ (Jesus) and Mass (a church celebration). In the old days, the Mass of Christ was one of the most important days of the year, so that’s how it got its special name.  It was so important, that they even celebrated it the evening before, as well.  That’s how we got the word Christmas EVE(evening).
  If you visit a home around Christmas time, it’s common to find a piece of mistletoe hanging in the doorway.  Mistletoe is a small white berry that has green leaves. A long time ago, someone ate these poisonous berries and died, so his lover decided to turn the mistletoe into a symbol of love.  If you cross under the mistletoe at the same time as someone else, you must kiss them! Be careful who you stand under the mistletoe with around Christmas time!
  Like I said at the beginning of this article, in the west, Christmas is more than a one-day holiday, it’s an entire season.  Sometimes we call this season “Advent”. This word means “Something is coming”. Many people celebrate Advent by decorating their house and preparing seasonal foods like Christmas cookies and egg nog (a milky drink, sometimes with rum!).  These treats are one of the best parts of the Advent season! Although, it can be very stressful for many people, I hope that this Christmas season you enjoy time with your family and friends. If you’d like to learn more expressions related to Christmas, try visiting this website. http://iteslj.org/cw/1/je-xmas.html.  It has a fun crossword puzzle full of great Christmas vocabulary. Merry Christmas everyone!