Chapter 5 (Second part) A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS

After dinner, we all went to Midnight Mass in the village church, just like people do in Spain.

I sat next to Nicola's mother, Judy.

"There are a lot of people here tonight," she whispered to me.

"Normally, on Sundays, there are only thirty or forty people in church but it's tradition to come to Midnight Mass.

Many people come who don't normally go to church."

"This is wonderful," I whispered to her.

"Thank you for inviting me to spend Christmas with you."

"It's our pleasure," she said.

"We're very happy that you're here.

It's lovely to see you enjoying yourself so much."

I was enjoying myself because it was different and because everything was new for me, but also because Nicola, her parents and Claire made me feel like part of their family.

I felt very lucky and when we stood up to sing Oh Come, All Ye Faithful, a traditional British Christmas carol, I sang with everyone else.

I had a big smile on my face.

That night, Father Christmas came to the house and left presents for everyone.

Obviously, it wasn't really Father Christmas, but Nicola, Claire and their parents continued the tradition they had had when the girls were children.

"Most families leave stockings for Father Christmas, but we always have pillow cases.

We're lucky - our Father Christmas is very generous!" Nicola told me.

"When we were young, we used to leave mince pies - the traditional Christmas pastries - for Father Christmas next to the fireplace.

He could come down the chimney and have something to eat before he left our presents for us," explained Claire.

"One year, Claire left a carrot in the garden for the reindeer," laughed Nicola, "and in the morning there was only half a carrot!"

"Hmmm.

I don't normally eat carrots at one o'clock in the morning," said their father, "but Christmas is a special occasion!"

On Christmas morning, when I got up and opened the curtains, the whole world outside was white.

It was snowing!

"After we've opened our presents, we'll go for a walk," Nicola told me at breakfast.

"But it's still snowing, we'll get wet," I protested.

"I know, but it will be fun!"

We all sat around the Christmas tree and opened the little presents from Father Christmas.

He had left some traditional English mustard for me, made with beer!

Then, the family exchanged their presents with each other.

And they hadn't forgotten me - Nicola's parents gave me a bottle of Scotch whisky and Nicola gave me a book about Shakespeare.

And then, as Nicola had promised, we all went for a walk in the snow.

"We have to get some exercise before we have the turkey!" Judy told me.

We walked across the fields and through a wood to the next village and then home again.

We got cold and wet, but we all had great fun in the snow.

After dinner time, when we sat down, there were things called Christmas crackers on every plate.

These crackers are cylindrical in shape and made of different-coloured paper.

Two people have to hold each end of a cracker and pull.

The cracker opens with a "Bang!" and inside there is a coloured paper hat, a joke written on a piece of paper and a small present.

We all ate dinner wearing red, blue and green hats.

At first, I felt silly, but then I realised that it was part of the tradition of Christmas.

And our traditional Christmas dinner was exactly what I had hoped it would be.

We had turkey and lots of potatoes and vegetables, good red wine (from Rioja!) and then for dessert we had Christmas Pudding, the traditional Christmas dessert made with raisins and almonds.

Delicious!

That night, I told the Caswell family that for me, this had been a very memorable Christmas.

"We like Christmas to be special," said Hugh.

"For Judy and myself. The religious side is important, but the opportunity to celebrate as a family is more important." 

"I like coming home and having a day when we all enjoy being together.

And I like the fact Christmas is the same every year," added Claire.

"I like the tradition," said Nicola.

Exactly, the tradition.

It was a Christmas that I will never forget.

Summary: In this part of the chapter, Antonio tells us that after dinner, they all went to Midnight Mass. That night, Father Christmas came to the house and left presents for everyone. After they opened their presents, they walked across the fields and through a wood to the next village and then home again. After dinner time, when they sat down, there were things called Christmas crackers on every plate. The cracker opens with a "Bang!" and inside there is a coloured paper hat, a joke written on a piece of paper and a small present. They all ate dinner wearing red, blue and green hats.Iit was part of the tradition of Christmas.

Questions 5

1.Give three reasons why Antonio was happy that Nicola had invited him her parents' house for Christmas.

2. Why did Antonio enjoy himself on Christmas Eve?

3. When do the British have Christmas dinner and what is the traditional menu?

4. When did Antonio receive his Christmas presents and what were they?

5. How do you open a Christmas cracker, and what is inside it?

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Después de cenar fuimos a la Misa de la Medianoche en la iglesia del pueblo, como la gente hace en España. Me senté al lado de la madre de Nicola, Judy. "Hay muchas personas esta noche aquí," me susurró. "Los domingos, hay normalmente, sólo treinta o cuarenta personas en la iglesia pero es tradición venir a la Misa de la Medianoche. Muchas gente viene (hoy) que normalmente no va a la iglesia." "Esto es maravilloso," le susurré. "Gracias por invitarme a pasar la Navidad con ustedes." "Es un placer (nuestro)," me dijo. "Estamos muy contentos que estés aquí. Es encantador verte disfrutar tanto." Yo estaba disfrutando porque era diferente y porque todo era nuevo para mí, pero también porque Nicola, sus padres y Claire me hicieron sentirme como parte de su familia. Me sentía muy afortunado y cuando nosotros nos pusimos de pie para cantar “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful”, un tradicional villancico británico, yo canté con todos los demás. Tenía una gran sonrisa en mi cara. Esa noche, Papá Noel vino a la casa y dejó regalos para todos. Obviamente, no era Papá Noel, pero Nicola, Claire y sus padres continuaban la tradición que ellos habían tenido cuando las muchachas eran niñas. "La mayoría de las familias dejan las medias (calcetines) para Papá Noel, pero nosotros siempre tenemos fundas de almohada. ¡Tenemos suerte - nuestro Papá Noel es muy generoso!" me dijo Nicola. "Cuando éramos jóvenes, nosotros dejábamos pasteles de carne picada y frutas - los panes dulces de Navidad tradicionales - para Papá Noel al lado de la chimenea. Él podía bajar por la chimenea y tener algo que comer antes de dejarnos nuestros regalos," explicó Claire. "¡Un año, Claire dejó una zanahoria en el jardín para el reno," se rio Nicola, "y por la mañana había sólo media zanahoria!" "Hmmm. ¡Yo normalmente no como zanahorias a la una de la madrugada," dijo su padre, "pero la Navidad es una ocasión especial!" El día de Navidad por la mañana, cuando yo me levanté y abrí las cortinas, todo fuera era blanco. (todo el mundo) Estaba nevando! "Después de abrir nuestros regalos, daremos un paseo," Nicola me dijo desayunando. "Pero todavía está nevando, nosotros nos mojaremos," protesté. "¡Lo sé, pero será divertido!" Todos nos sentamos alrededor del árbol de Navidad y abrimos los pequeños regalos de Papá Noel. ¡Él había dejado un poco de mostaza inglesa tradicional para mí, hecha con cerveza! Entonces, la familia intercambió sus regalos entre sí. Y ellos no se habían olvidado de mí - los padres de Nicola me dieron una botella de whisky de Scoth y Nicola me dio un libro sobre Shakespeare. Y entonces, como Nicola había prometido, todos dimos un paseo en la nieve. "¡Nosotros tenemos que hacer algo de ejercicio antes de tomar el pavo!" me dijo Judy. Caminamos por los campos y a través de un bosque próximo al pueblo y entonces a casa de nuevo. Estábamos helados y húmedos, pero todos nos divertimos en grande en la nieve. Después a la hora de la cena, cuando nosotros nos sentábamos, había unas cosas llamadas galletas de Navidad en cada plato. Estas galletas son de forma cilíndrica y hechas de papel de diferentes colores. Dos personas tienen que sostener cada extremo de una galleta y tirar. La galleta se abre con un "Bang"! y dentro hay un sombrero de papel coloreado, una broma escrita en un pedazo de papel y un pequeño regalo. Todos cenamos llevando puestos sombreros rojos, azules y verdes. Al principio, yo me sentí tonto, pero entonces yo comprendí que era parte de la tradición de Navidad. Y nuestra tradicional cena de Navidad era exactamente lo que yo había esperado que sería. Nosotros teníamos pavo y muchas patatas y verduras, buen vino tinto (de la Rioja!) y luego de postre teníamos pudín de Navidad, el tradicional postre de Navidad hecho con pasas y almendras. Delicioso! Esa noche, yo le dije a la familia Caswell que para mí, ésta había sido una Navidad muy memorable. "Nos gusta que la Navidad sea especial," dijo Hugh. "Para Judy y para mi., el lado religioso es importante, pero la oportunidad de celebrar como una familia es más importante." "Me gusta volver a casa y tener un día en que todos disfrutemos estando juntos. Y me gusta el hecho que la Navidad sea lo mismo todos los años," agregó Claire. "Me gusta la tradición," dijo Nicola. Exactamente, la tradición. Era una Navidad que yo nunca olvidaré.
Preguntas capítulo 5
1.Da tres razones de por qué Antonio estaba contento de que Nicola le había invitado a la casa de sus padres en Navidad.
2.¿Por qué se disfrutó Antonio en Nochebuena?
3.¿Cuándo toman la cena de Navidad los británico y cuál el menú tradicional?
4.¿Cuándo recibió Antonio sus regalos de Navidad que eran?
5.¿Cómo abres una galleta de Navidad, que hay dentro?
1.He hadn't made any plans for Christmas, he've never spent Christmas in England, and Going for a drive in the Bentley was the best Christmas present.
2.He was enjoying himself because it was different and because everything was new for him, and Nicola, her parents and Claire made him feel like part of their family.
3.On Christmas day. Turkey.
4.On Christmas morning. A bottle of Scotch whisky and a book about Shakespeare.
5.Two people have to hold each end of a cracker and pull. The cracker opens with a "Bang!" and inside there is a coloured paper hat, a joke written on a piece of paper and a small present.
1.No había hecho planes para Navidad, no había pasado nunca la Navidad en Inglaterra e Ir a dar una vuelta en el Bentley era el mejor regalo de Navidad.
2.Estaba disfrutando porque era diferente y porque todo era nuevo para él y Nicola, sus padres y Claire le hicieron sentirse como parte de su familia.
3.En el día de Navidad. Pavo.
4.El día de Navidad por la mañana. Una botella de whisky y un libro de Shakespeare.
5. Dos personas tienen que sostener cada extremo de una galleta y tirar. La galleta se abre con un "Bang"! y dentro hay un sombrero de papel coloreado, una broma escrita en un pedazo de papel y un pequeño regalo.