Was Christmas the icing on the cake or was it better in the past?

 

 

Very often people tend to consider anything related to the old times better than anything you have nowadays. 

 

Why is that? First, I reckon humans usually remember only the good part of  past experience and forget about the bad moments. Secondly, Christmas used to represent a unique time to have delicious meals that we hardly ever had during the year, such as a roasted chicken, cakes or candy. And that is not the case nowadays, since we have everything at any time of the year.

 

 

 

 

Real Easy English:   Talking about dinner  (BBC Learning English)

Japan introduces rules to put outlandish baby names to bed (The Guardian)

Why do some countries regulate baby names? (BBC News)

Sayonara, Pikachu! Japan Is Banning ‘Glittery’ Baby Names (Today)

 

 

Work in the future:   Does office design impact our work?  (BBC Learning English)

 

 

 

 Here's my musical hint for today:  Cry to me by Solomon Burke. And here's a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

 

The Reading Room:   What happens when your job is just too boring?  (BBC Learning English)

 

 

 

  

 

Learning English Grammar (TALKING ABOUT QUANTITY: 'loads and loads', 'some' & 'just a few'...):   Things we collect  (BBC Learning English) 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• Listening exercise for you to do:   Was Christmas better in the past?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English) 
  

• 
  

  Learning English from the News: Japan bans baby names like Pikachu and Kitty  (BBC Learning English)  

  
  

• The Listening Room: AI could fill gaps in our knowledge of Ancient Rome  (BBC Learning English) 

• English in a Minute: Phrases with CAKE  (BBC Learning English) 

    

 

 

English with Lucy: C1 + C2 English vocabulary in 1 hour    

   

 

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Learn English with    STRANGER THINGS    

 

 

Football legend Johan Cruyff  | FIFA Classic player  

 

 

 

 

 

At 66, John McEnroe Reveals the 5 Tennis Players He Admires Most   

 

 

Time to think about this year and time for a fresh start

 

Every time you come to an end of a year, a course, a school year, a competition... you should think about what you did well, what you did not do so well (badly) or what could be improved.

 

 

Real Easy English:   Talking about your year  (BBC Learning English)

Well, so far this school year, I must admit that it is one of my best years in my long teaching career. Although teachers always want more and are really demanding, and many students can and will do better along the year, I am fairly happy how this first term developed. In fact, we can make history!!!

 

 

Anyway, what are your highlights of 2025? What did you do well? What are you proud of? Do you regret of having done something or having not done anything? Are we ready for a fresh start?

 

 

 

 Here's my musical hint for today:  Days like this by Van Morrison. And here's a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

 

 

The English We Speak:   A fresh start  (BBC Learning English)

 

 

 

 

Learning English from the News:   Australia teen social media ban  (BBC Learning English)

 

 

Here are some newspaper articles to read about the issue: 

• Australian PM says social media ban a 'proud day' - but some teens say they still have access (BBC News) 

• Millions of children and teens lose access to accounts as Australia’s world-first social media ban begins (The Guardian)

• Australia's social media ban for users under 16 takes effect (DW)

Learning English Grammar ('tend to', WILL & MIGHT for typical behaviour):   Holiday habits  (BBC Learning English) 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• Listening exercise for you to do:   Finding and eating wild food  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English) 
  

• 
  

  The London Letter Challenge: Episode 10: Boat race finale  (BBC Learning English) 

  
  

• The Listening Room: Record warm seas help to bring extraordinary new species to UK waters  (BBC Learning English) 

• English in a Minute: Phrases with STOP  (BBC Learning English) 

 

 

English with Lucy: 15 words for your C1 (Vocabulary)    

 

  

 

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Learn English with PODCASTS  -   How Emma Watson Became Hermione    

 

 

Football legend Roger Milla  | FIFA Classic player

 

 

 

And our students already working during these holidays to have a fresh start...

 

Project on A Christmas Carol by Carla Vigo (4º ESO A)

 

Red and Gold Classy Border Christmas Campaign Presentation de carla vigo alabarces

 

You'd better watch out and be nice!!

 

 

 

And you'd better believe your English teacher when he was once with Santa Claus at his house on the North Pole in the way from Rovanemi to Kemijärvi in the Finnish Lapland. He actually cycled from Rovaniemi to Kemijärvi crossing the Arctic Circle and watching loads of reindeer in the forests nearby!

 

Learn to talk about Christmas!!! (BBC Learning English) 

 

Do you know why on the Finnish cars you've got an SF plate?? (See solution at the bottom of this post)

 

Finland: The Arctic Wonderland (Lapland Road Trip)

Christmas: Santa Claus Village 🦌🎅🎄 Rovaniemi Lapland Finland Arctic Circle home of Father Christmas

Santa Claus presents: Welcome to Rovaniemi, my official hometown in Lapland, Finland

 

Christmas Trivia Quiz for you to do!!! 

 

 

 

 Here's my musical hint for the coming Christmas:  Santa Claus is coming to town by Ella Fitzgerald. And it is a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

 

 

 

 

The English We Speak:   Duck out  (BBC Learning English)

 

 

 

Learning English from the News:   Deadly fires in Hong Kong investigated  (BBC Learning English)

 

 

Hong Kong holds election as city reels from deadly fire  (DW)

Learning English Grammar (Past Perfect tense with adverbs):   Learning to cook  (BBC Learning English) 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• Listening exercise for you to do:   How are influencers affecting politics?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English) 
  

• 
  

  The London Letter Challenge: Episode 9: Another challenge  (BBC Learning English) 

  
  

• Work in the future: How can we stay cyber safe?  (BBC Learning English) 

• English in a Minute: Phrases with BONE  (BBC Learning English) 

 

 

English with Lucy: 5 highly common mistakes in English    

 

  

Real Easy English - Talking about watching sports (BBC Learning English)

 

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Learn English with   Now You See Me    

 

 

Football legend Garrincha  | FIFA Classic player

 

 

 

Solution the question above: in the Finnish cars you've got an SF because S stands for Suomi and F for Finland. Suomi is the land of the people in the Lapland. 

 

Renewables United 1 - Coal Athletic 0

It is the first time ever that renewables energies have beaten coal in the planet's power supply as the main source of energy!!      

 

Learning English from the News:   Solar and wind beat coal for first time  (BBC Learning English)

 

Global renewable energy generation surpasses coal for first time (The Guardian)

Renewables overtake coal as world's biggest source of electricity (BBC News)

FEATURES: Wind, Solar Energy Has Finally Beat Out Coal (The Weather Channel)

 

 

  

 

Real Easy English:   Learning to talk about the environment  (BBC Learning English)

 

 

Nature Is Speaking: Shailene Woodley is Forest    

 

Learning English Grammar (notice, see, hear + he/she/they + V-ing):   Secrets and surprises  (BBC Learning English) 

 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• Listening exercise for you to do:   What causes hearing loss?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

   
  

• 
  

  The London Letter Challenge: Episode 8: At the theatre  (BBC Learning English) 

  
  

• Work in the future: Should we work fewer hours?  (BBC Learning English) 

• English in a Minute: Phrases with LOSE  (BBC Learning English) 

You have no time to lose if you want to pass English and hand in all your projects, comments, writing exercises before the term ends. So don't lose your head,  keep calm and start writing your 10 first-term comments, but  if  you lose track of time, you may not have enough time to study and you may lose your touch.  Anyway, make a last effort, you have nothing to lose, and you may get your reward.  Here you've presented with 5 expressions connected with lose. You can check the meaning of each of them just above in the English in a Minute section. 

 

 

 

English with Lucy: Pronounce British Towns & Cities CORRECTLY - Modern RP Accent    

 

  

The English We Speak - No two ways about it (BBC Learning English)

 

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Learn English with   Black Pink    

 

 

Football legend Ferenc Puskas  | FIFA Classic player

 

 

 

 

"Ant" expenses

 

 

"Ant expenses" is a term that is beginning to be associated with all these daily little expenses we carry out everyday. 

 

Example: You wake up, get up, go to the bathroom and just leave for work or school without having anything to eat. As soon as you get to the office you desperately need a cup of coffee to have some energy to start work. That is just a couple of euros because you also get some biscuits, but that expense on a daily basis means a lot at the end of the month. 

 

“they are things that we consume on a daily basis and that have a relatively low cost, i.e. all those essential expenses that we need before we start doing anything else”.

 

Micro-expenses: where do your savings go? (11 Onze)

  

Ant Expenses Explained – The Silent Killers of Your Budget   

 

 

It is obvious that all these "ant" expenses are unnecessary as you can have your cup of coffee and something to eat for no more than half the price you pay. Besides, it is much healthier since you can brush your teeth and have them clean the whole morning.

 

What other ant expenses can you think of?

 

 

Real Easy English:   Talking about bad habits  (BBC Learning English)

 

 

 

 

Learning English Grammar (TRY):   Life advice  (BBC Learning English) 

 

Here are some more activities for my students:

• Listening exercise for you to do:   Do you have good dining etiquette?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

   
  

• 
  

  The London Letter Challenge: Episode 7: Help! I feel sick.  (BBC Learning English)  

  
  

• Work in the future: What is wellbeing at work?  (BBC Learning English) 

• English in a Minute: Phrases with HOME  (BBC Learning English) 

 

 

 Here's my musical hint for today:  Silent Wings by Tina Turner. And here's a version with the lyrics for you to sing along.

  

 

Learning English from the News:   Death penalty for former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina   (BBC Learning English)

 

 

 

Bassam's interview - PALESTINIAN STATE - #HUMAN

 

 

English with Lucy: British people say these 16 phrases EVERY DAY    

 

  

The English We Speak - Take someone under your wing (BBC Learning English)

 

"All work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl"

Learn English with   Brad Pitt  -  Formula 1  

 

 

 

Football legend Johan Cruyff  | FIFA Classic player