Holiday Albums

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

• adaptation
• cheesy
• R&B
• a cappella

• department store
• redone
• sarcastic
• into it

• grinch
• cheer

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Every year, when the weather starts to get colder, something strange happens in America. All of a sudden, you can’t walk into a department store without hearing “Jingle Bells.” The supermarket puts “Deck the Halls” on repeat. And some singer you haven’t heard from in 10 years tries to make a comeback by releasing an album of badly redone holiday classics.

Holiday songs can either put you in the mood for Christmas…or in the mood to kill. Either way, holiday albums are a tradition just like Christmas trees, eggnog, and presents. But Marni can’t stand holiday music, even though she likes the holidays. Listen to her and Devan debate.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Devan

Marni

Devan:  It’s Christmas time at the record store. And it’s so much fun, because now, from here until Christmas, all we’re going to listen to is holiday albums. All day, all night long. I love it. It’s so much fun.

Marni:  You’re being sarcastic right?

Devan:  No, I love it. There’s so many good holiday albums…

Marni:  Good?

Devan:  Yeah! Brian McKnight’s got a really good holiday album, and then there’s all the classic ones. You know, like Johnny Cash...there’s all kinds.

Marni:  OK, I can get behind the classic holiday albums. I grew up with A Nat King Cole Christmas. My grandmother was really into it. But every year, there’s someone putting out another holiday album. And it’s just the same songs redone over and over again, and they get stuck in your head, and they’re playing while you’re shopping or working. It’s just so annoying.

Devan:  It doesn’t give you holiday cheer to hear Mariah Carey sing “Silver Bells”?

Marni:  No, it gets me holiday angry. I just…I don’t like it! I mean, I understand it’s traditional and all that, but it’s just…Adaptations sometimes are so cheesy. It makes me want to scream.

Devan:  Do you have a holiday song that you do like? Is there one above the rest that you still like?

Marni:  I guess maybe “White Christmas.”

Devan:  Bing Crosby singing it?

Marni:  Yeah. Just all these new R&B singers, all the a cappella...I’m just not into it.

Devan:  That’s too bad, I love Christmas.

Marni:  And I’m just a grinch.

Grammar Point

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Lesson MP3

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