Today I would like to share with you five fun facts about Santa Claus.
And with a fun mini-story, I will help you improve your English fluency.
You just have to answer some simple questions, as if we had an informal English conversation.
There are so many things I love about Christmas.
I love baking Christmas cookies, watching Christmas movies, buying presents and decorating the tree.
And let's not forget about Father Christmas, Santa Claus.
I hope you're having a great Christmas this year.
Let's start with number one fun fact about Santa Claus.
Is Santa Claus real?
Yes, of course.
Santa Claus is real.
The real name of Santa Claus was Saint Nicholas.
But he was also known as Kris Kringle.
Saint Nicholas was born in modern-day Turkey.
After donating all his inherited wealth, he became famous for helping the poor and the sick.
Over the years, he became popular for his deeds and became known as the protector of children.
In many countries, on December 6, people still celebrate St.
Nicholas Day, and this day was considered a lucky day to make large purchases or for marriage purposes.
Question number two.
Why is Father Christmas known as Santa Claus?
Saint Nicholas became known as Santa Claus after his Dutch nickname, Sinterklaas.
In the 18th century, a New York Historical Society member distributed woodcuts of St.
Nicholas at the Society's annual meeting.
On the other hand, Washington Irving, the author of the book The History of New York, further popularized the tales of Sinterklaas by referring to St
Nicholas as the patron saint of New York in his book.
Question number three.
How old is Santa?
Santa Claus's origins go back to a monk named Saint Nicholas.
He was born between 260 and 280 AD in a village called Patara, part of modern-day Turkey.
So, in 2021, Santa Claus is about 1750 years old.
That's amazing!
Question number four.
Who created the image of Santa Claus?
One of the first artists to define the modern image of Santa Claus was Thomas Nast.
This 19th century American cartoonist immortalized Santa Claus with an illustration for the January 3 1863 issue of Harper's Weekly.
Santa was dressed in an American flag and riding in sleigh pulled by reindeer in this drawing.
Question number five.
Is it true that Santa traditionally wears red because of Coca-Cola?
Many believe that Santa Claus wears red because of Coca-Cola.
Although there is no doubt that the soft drink company has influenced the representation of Santa Claus, The fact is that Saint Nicholas appeared in many illustrations and written descriptions wearing a scarlet coat.
Well, I hope you enjoyed learning these fun facts about Santa Claus.
Now, let's continue with a mini-story.
What's a mini-story?
A mini-story is very simple.
I give you information using phrases, and then I ask you questions.
After each question, there will be some seconds of silence.
It's your turn to answer the question.
Just try to give an easy and short answer, not a complex one.
After you answer, I'll give you the correct answer.
And just like that, I will tell you a story with questions and answers.
Are you ready?
Like every year on Christmas, Santa Claus was getting ready to hand out presents.
When did Santa Claus hand out presents?
Every week?
No, no.
Every year.
Santa hand out presents every year at Christmas.
He delivered presents every year.
What did Santa deliver?
Presents or charcoal?
Presents.
Santa Claus delivered presents for Christmas.
Who was ready to hand out presents?
Robin Hood?
No, no, Santa.
Santa Claus was ready to hand out presents, not Robin Hood.
The reindeer wanted to take a break on Christmas.
So they suggested using drones instead.
Did the reindeer want to go on holiday to Hawaii?
We don't really know that.
Perhaps.
What we know is that the reindeer wanted to take a break on Christmas.
Did the reindeer want to break something?
No, no.
The reindeer wanted to take a break.
They didn't want to work on Christmas.
What did the reindeer suggest?
That Santa Claus didn't hand out presents?
No, no.
Reindeer suggested using drones instead.
Clones?
No, no.
Not clones.
Drones.
Santa had to use drones that year.
Santa agreed to the idea and attached several drones to his magic sleigh.
Did Santa disagree with the idea of using drones?
No, no.
Santa agreed to the idea.
Did he think it was a good or bad idea?
A good idea.
Santa thought it was a good idea.
What did Santa Claus attach to the sleigh?
Horses?
No, no, not horses.
Santa attached to the magic sleigh several drones.
The drones were doing great until they ran out of battery power.
Do drones have unlimited power?
No, no, drones have limited power.
Were the drones doing great?
Yes, they were doing great.
Santa Claus had to recharge the drones at charging stations to continue delivering presents.
Did Santa have to recharge the drones?
Yes, Santa had to recharge the drones because they ran out of battery power.
Where did Santa recharge the drones?
At petrol stations?
No, no, not at petrol stations.
He recharged the drones at charging stations.
Why did he recharge the drones?
He had to recharge the drones because he needed to continue delivering presents.
Finally, Santa delivered all the presents but decided to use reindeer again the following Christmas.
Perfect!
It's the end of this mini-story.
As you can see through questions and answers, you can practice and improve your speech, just like in a real conversation.
It is one of the techniques that I use in my premium courses.
I recommend you to take a look at speakenglishpodcast.com slash courses.
Okay, we have reached the end of this episode.
Remember to listen to it several times.
It will help you with your English.
I will see you soon.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Get the transcript now at SpeakEnglishPodcast.com.
