As December comes around in an ELL/ESL classroom, we often take some time to talk about winter, the holidays, and the vocabulary of Christmas. If you have spent time learning English in the past, chances are words like Santa, gift, or reindeer are already familiar to you. But we also hope that our list has something new to learn as well.
To make your lives a little easier, we have tried to come up with some useful free goodies for you to download. This includes a set of flashcards and a poster featuring Christmas Vocabulary.
If you just want to see our list of Christmas vocabulary and images, you can skip the next section and move on to our list.
The Vocabulary of Christmas: Flashcards and Poster
If you want to learn about Christmas vocabulary, we have created this list of the especially for you. This list includes names and pictures to help you and your child learn.
If you want to take some of these images with you, we have created a flashcard set that you can download for free. Just click on the link below.
If you are interested in a single poster that covers all of this Christmas vocabulary, then you can also download that at the link below.
Our Complete Christmas List
In our Christmas list, we have kept to non-religious Christmas vocabulary and general winter vocabulary. Each picture will also come with an explanation of how to use it in the singular and the plural, as well as a sample sentence.
Santa Claus
Santa Claus can also just be referred to as Santa.
I like Santa Claus because he brings me toys.
Mitten(s)
One mitten, two mittens (or a pair of mittens).
My mittens are red with blue stripes.
Reindeer
One reindeer, two reindeer.
Santa’s reindeer can fly.
Gingerbread House
One gingerbread house, two gingerbread houses.
We made Gingerbread houses this year.
Wreath
One wreath, two wreaths.
My mom put a wreath on our door.
Snowman
One snowman, two snowmen.
My friends and I made a snowman.
Candy Cane
One candy cane, two candy canes.
She brought candy canes to school.
Scarf
One scarf, two scarves.
Should I wear my red scarf or blue scarf?
Ornament
One ornament, two ornaments.
Every year, we put ornaments on the tree.
Ice Skate(s)
One ice skate, two ice skates (or a pair of ice skates). To ice skate or to skate is also a verb to describe using ice skates.
I have a pair of white ice skates.
Christmas Tree
One Christmas tree, two Christmas trees.
We take down our Christmas tree on January 1st.
Holly
Holly is a plant. Some holly can be described as a bough of holly.
We decorated the door with boughs of holly.
Snowflake(s)
One snowflake, two snowflakes.
The air was full of snowflakes.
Gift(s)
One gift, two gifts. they can also be called presents.
I gave my dad his gift yesterday.
Christmas Lights
One Christmas light, two Christmas lights. They can also just be called lights.
We put up our Christmas lights today.
Hot Chocolate
One cup of hot chocolate, two cups of hot chocolate.
I like to drink hot chocolate when it is cold outside.
Other Christmas Resources from The Learner’s Nook
We have been putting out lots of other great Christmas content like this. Here is a full list of all things Christmas here at the Learner’s Nook this year.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Best Christmas Songs for English Learners
A Christmas Carol (Story)
The Elves and the Shoemaker (Story)
Final Thoughts
Christmas is a special time of year for many people around the world. It can help a lot of English learners to have this basic vocabulary down so that you can understand the festivities around you.
If you are looking for more Christmas-themed learning, you can check out our Christmas stories. We will be publishing a new one every Friday in December. Our first is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.