EnglishisEasy/Elinglésesfácil

"Ok, then. eleven more days to go!" Apparently, there are eleven more.  This may be a bit difficult to understand since we are said there is only one Christmas Day and that is December 25th, but really this is a longer celebration. This all happens because of the different meanings of the  words we use in both languages: in Spanish we call December 25th , Navidad which is the same as Natividad or Birth in English. Christmas comes from the expression Christ's Mass indicating that there is more to this holiday than only Christ's Birth. His birth is, of course, important but is only the first day of a long period that begins with December 25th and finishes on January 5th. These Twelve Days are called Christmastide and in a way, each one is also a Christmas Day. This is referred to in the famous Christmas carol called "The Twelve Days of Christmas".

This article is not about the meaning of Christmas per se. About that a lot has already been said and done .  It is the real meaning of the word and not the tradition what we will see here, and of course that means consulting the Etymology of that term.  Unlike the Spanish word which is NAVIDAD or NATIVIDAD (Birth in English), in English they call this holiday  Christ's Mass . Mass in this case means Celebration. In other words, CHRISTMAS really means THE CELEBRATION OF CHRIST (The Messiah).  It makes sense since the coming of a saviour must always be cause of celebration and of course that celebration begins with his birth.

Massacre of the Innocents by Reubens The best term would be THE INNOCENTS' DAY (also HOLY INNOCENTS' DAY) and it is remembered by the Roman Catholic Church on December 28th. Other religious denominations also commemorate the same event but on different dates though mostly also in December. THE INNOCENTS' DAY commemorates the killing of all boys who were two and under in the town of Bethlehem. This cruel order was given by king Herod the Great who was attempting to kill the boy who was destined to be the new king of Israel according to the prophecies that the Magi had told him about.  This specific day is celebrated in Latin America with "Inocentadas",  jokes that are quite similar to the ones of April Fool's Day. Whoever is the victim of an Inocentada will be called a "Pobre Inocente" after being played.

The North Pole, home to Santa Claus A somewhat difficult question to answer considering the fact that the North Pole as such does not exist in terra firma but on a large portion of mostly frozen water. That means there is no land where to build a permanent base for poor Santa Claus to live and create toys for those kids who have been good since the North Pole is in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. The South Pole is another story entirely because there is a continent called Antarctica where several countries keep scientific bases all year round. If Santa Claus actually existed it would be more convenient for him  to live there just because the South Pole is not in the middle of a frozen ocean but in land.  Of course the question still stands, doesn´t it? I would say that indeed it is more convenient that Santa lives in the North Pole because it is closer to those who created Santa. This character was born in Europe and as time passed Santa evolved by incorporating diverse elemen

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the second installment of the story telling the events that occurred sixty years before the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  A hobbit called Bilbo (Martin Freeman) has been convinced by Gandalf the Grey (Ian Mac Kellen) to aid him and a group of thirteen dwarves to go to Lonely Mountain, the place where there used to be the greatest, and richest, of all dwarve kingdoms  before it was taken over by the power of the mighty dragon called Smaug. Bilbo's qualities, his determination and small size will be necessary to recover the Arkenstone from Smaug since a frontal attack is impossible. The Arkenstone is the symbol that can convince all the Dwarves to unite against Smaug's present threat and the one that Gandalf feels is approaching. There are other events transpiring in nearby regions: the rise of the evil Orcs is a bad sign and Gandalf learns that the dark lord, Sauron, is somehow back from the Dead and gathering his forces for a new attac

The Gringh is a literary creation by the famous Dr. Seuss (the same American writer and cartoonist who created The Lorax ) and first appeared back in 1957 in a book entitled How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Depicted as a thin and tall green humanoid being with a rather large mouth and a cynical smile, the Grinch is what in literature is called an antihero. In fact he tries to sabotage his neighbors' Christmas by taking away their Christmas present but eventually he will experience a change of heart and return the presents to his neighbors. His name has become popular in some countries and is used to refer tom people with little or no Christmas spirit at all. So when in Guayaquil during Christmas time someone calls you "Grinch!" probably you need to show a kinder and more joyous Christmas spirit or stop showing the opposite.

"H appy Birthday to you, Happy ...wait, no that's not..." The term is CAROLER (spelt CAROLLER in  British English) which derives from the word CAROL.  CAROLS are, simply put, songs of joy which are sung during Christmas time. A  group  performing   in   a   public   place   or   going   from   house   to   house are common are common and such activity receives the name CAROLING or CAROLLING in British English, though really, and this is my personal opinion, no one sang Christmas Carols like Frank Sinatra (especially  Walking in  a Winter Wonderland)  or Dean Martin ( Let it Snow).