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Holiday Season

Date: Dec 10 2002

Intro

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

Hi Friends!
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, the Christmas season is in full-effect! One of the things I like best about Christmas is shopping for gifts for all of my friends and family. Our family is so big that we came up with some alternative options to traditional gift giving.
This week I talk with Miguel about this tradition in our family, and learn about his approach to the holiday madness. I think he makes it too easy!

Dialog

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

Miguel

Tanis

Miguel: So Tanis are you recovered from the big Thanksgiving super-shopping overload or what?

Tanis: I’m so bad I haven’t even started yet. I mean, I can’t believe it, but I haven’t.

Miguel: You have a lot of gifts to buy. Don’t you have a huge family?

Tanis: Yeah, but the nice thing about a huge family is you draw names.

Miguel: So you only have to buy one gift or…?

Tanis: Exactly, well for my extended family. And then for my immediate family, uh, we, we do a little gift for everybody, or my gift is little.

Miguel: So for your extended family is it like a white elephant or anything. You know is it something tricky or is it just a straight, is it you know, Secret Santa or what?

Tanis: Well, we used to do a straight, like, gift exchange and there was a dollar limit I guess on what you’d spend but, um, it was definitely like, you hoped certain cousins got your name and not others. But in recent years we’ve done a white elephant, uh, and we have an annual Christmas party every year and this year my husband and I are hosting that at our house for all of the aunts and uncles and cousins and, it’s really fun!

Miguel: That sounds like fun! I have a really small family so my gift stuff has always been really simple and then I make it more simple by just not getting anybody anything.

Tanis: Remind me not to put myself on your list.

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Discussion

I am excited to host my family’s Christmas party this year. It is always fun to see my family, but even more special during a holiday!
Shopping for so many gifts at once can be stressful, there are several ways I have learned to make the whole experience easier. Sometimes I buy a gift certificate to a favorite store, or to a restaurant. I have started to buy more things on-line to avoid waiting in line. It is always a good idea to start with a list, but sometimes after I make the list I forget it at home!
Hope you’re having a great holiday season!
Tanis