In this session, you need to describe the festive atmosphere and say what is happening right now in a video or a photo.
For habits and traditions, we use the present simple: Every year, people buy presents. To describe a live scene, we use be + V-ing: Look! The customers are drinking mulled wine.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland 2019, official video (1 minute). Winter Wonderland is a big Christmas event in Hyde Park, London, with Christmas stalls, an ice rink, fairground rides and lights.
John Lewis Christmas advert 2013, The Bear and the Hare (2 minutes). John Lewis is a famous British department store. Every November, many British people wait for its new Christmas advert.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| gingerbread | a sweet brown biscuit or cake with ginger | They are selling gingerbread men. |
| fairy lights | small electric lights for decoration | There are fairy lights on every stall. |
| a Christmas stall | a small wooden shop at a market | The stalls are selling gifts. |
| an ice rink | a place where you skate on ice | Children are skating on the ice rink. |
| an ornament | a decoration for the Christmas tree | She is buying a glass ornament. |
| a wreath | a circle of leaves for the door | There is a wreath on Grandma's door. |
| cosy | warm and comfortable | The market feels cosy. |
| heartwarming | that makes you feel happy and tender | The John Lewis advert is heartwarming. |
| crowded | full of people | The market is very crowded on Saturdays. |
| mulled wine | hot red wine with spices | Adults are drinking mulled wine. |
Quick check. Correct the mistake: Look! The children skate on the ice rink.
Match the word and the picture description.
a. a small wooden shop · b. you skate on it · c. a circle of leaves on a door · d. small lights · e. a sweet biscuit with ginger
1c, 2d, 3b, 4e, 5a
Choose the right form.
Watch the Winter Wonderland video again. Write four sentences with be + V-ing. Use: people, children, a man, a woman, the lights.
For example: People are walking between the stalls. Children are skating on the ice rink. A man is buying gingerbread. The lights are shining.
Put the verb in the present simple.
Christmas Jumper Day is a charity day organised by Save the Children UK since 2012. People wear a Christmas jumper at school or at work and give money for children. In 2026, it is on Thursday 10 December.
Look at the photos of the staff on Christmas Jumper Day (your teacher shows them). Write an internal memo for the company blog:
Model memo. Every December, our team takes part in Christmas Jumper Day. We wear our silliest jumpers and we give money to Save the Children. Look at our manager in the photo! He is wearing a red jumper with a reindeer, and the reindeer's nose is flashing.
You are a reporter at Winter Wonderland. Record a 45-second live report on your phone: say where you are, what people usually do there (present simple) and what is happening around you now (be + V-ing). Use three adjectives: cosy, crowded, heartwarming.
Hello from Hyde Park in London! Every year, thousands of people come to Winter Wonderland. They buy gifts and eat gingerbread. Right now, it is very crowded: families are skating on the ice rink and a band is playing carols. The lights are shining everywhere. It is cold, but it feels really cosy.