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Its a Passive Christmas
In this festive activity, students learn about Christmas and how Christmas is celebrated
around the world. Students play a true or false game, and then they test their memory by
completing sentences in the passive voice.

Before class, make one copy of the team worksheet for every four students and one copy of
the other worksheet for each student.

Procedure

Divide the class into groups of four. Each group of four will contain two teams (A and B).

Cut the first worksheet in half and give one copy to each team. Ask the teams to discuss and
guess how many sentences are true or false.

Tell them that they are all true.

The teams should then make their sentences false by changing one piece of information in
each sentence.

Example:

True: Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas) lived in Turkey and is buried in Bari in the south of Italy.

False: Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas) lived in the North Pole and is buried in Bari in the south
of Italy.

When the students have finished, each team takes it in turns to read their new false
sentences. The other team has to guess which part of the sentence is wrong.

Every time a team guesses correctly, they win a point.

When the activity is over, collect all the sheets or ask the students to put them away.

Give out one copy of the second handout to each student.

Students now have to use their memory and grammar knowledge to fill in each gap using the
passive voice.

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 Team A

1. Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas) lived in Turkey and is buried in Bari in the south of Italy.

2. In Italy, Christmas presents are brought by an old lady called Befana instead of Santa.

3. The first time Santa was drawn in a red and white suit was in a Coca Cola advertisement.

4. Decorated fir trees were first used as Christmas trees in Germany in the 16th century.
They were covered with apples, roses, candy and coloured paper.

5. In Holland, children leave wooden shoes out for Santa to put the presents in.

6. In Britain, a small piece of greenery with white berries (mistletoe) is hung from the top of a
doorway around the house at Christmas. Kissing under this plant brings you good luck for
the coming year. In fact, if you are standing under it, you cannot refuse a kiss!

7. The first printed Christmas card was created by the first director of Londons Victoria and
Albert Museum, Sir Henry Cole, in 1843.

8. The Story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was written in 1939 as a free gift for
customers of an American department store.

9. In Spain, Christmas presents are brought by the Three Kings rather than by Father
Christmas.

10. The first electrically lighted Christmas tree was created by Edison in the 1880s. Before
that, candles and gas lights were used as lights on Christmas trees.
_____________________________________
Team B

1. Although Jesus was possibly born on the 25th, it was probably in the spring. December
was chosen as the date to celebrate by the Catholic Church so that the church could
compete with a big Roman festival at the same time of year.

2. Male reindeer drop their antlers around the beginning of December. Therefore, all of
Santas reindeer (including Rudolph) must be female.

3. A British Christmas cake is a heavy fruit cake, almost black inside, covered with marzipan
and white sugar icing.

4. The British eat their Christmas turkey with cranberry jam.

5. Christmas lasts for 12 days. If you dont take down your Christmas decorations by the
12th day, it is back luck.

6. The first recorded Christmas mass in Japan was celebrated at Yamaguchi Church in
1552.

7. Traditionally, British families sit down at 3 oclock after Christmas dinner to watch the
Queen give a speech on TV.

8. There are no trains, buses or underground trains on Christmas day in the UK.

9. The first advent calendar was published in Germany in 1903.

10. At Christmas dinner, British families pull open Christmas crackers. Crackers are small
cardboard tubes with coloured paper rolled around them. Inside the crackers are paper party
hats, jokes, plastic toys and a very small explosive charge.

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 TEACH-THIS.Com
Its a Passive Christmas
Use your memory and grammar knowledge to fill in each gap below using the passive
voice.

1. Santa Claus lived in Turkey and _________________ (bury) in Bari in the south of Italy.

2. In Italy, Christmas presents _________________ (bring) by an old lady called Befana

instead of Santa.

3. The first time Santa _________________ (draw) in a red and white suit was in a Coca
Cola advertisement.

4. Decorated fir trees were first used as Christmas trees in Germany in the 16th century,
when they _________________ (cover) with apples, roses, candy and coloured paper.

5. In Holland, wooden shoes _________________ (leave) out by children for Santa to put
the presents in rather than socks.

6. In Britain, mistletoe _________________ (hang) from the top of a doorway around the
house at Christmas. Kissing under this plant brings you good luck for the New Year. In fact,
if you are standing under it, you cannot refuse a kiss!

7. The first printed Christmas card _________________ (create) by the first director of
Londons Victoria and Albert Museum, Sir Henry Cole, in 1843.

8. The Story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer _________________ (write) in 1939 as a
free gift for customers of an American department store.

9. In Spain, Christmas presents _________________ (bring) by the Three Kings rather than
by Father Christmas.

10. The first electrically lighted Christmas tree _________________ (create) by Edison in
the 1880s. Before that, candles and gas lights were put on Christmas trees.

11. Although Jesus was thought to have been born on the 25th, it was probably in the
spring. December _________________ (chose) as the date to celebrate by the church in
order to compete with a big Roman festival at the same time of year.

12. In Britain, British Christmas turkey _________________ (eat) with cranberry jam.

13. Christmas lasts for 12 days. If your Christmas decorations _________________ (take)
down by the 12th day, you will receive back luck.

14. The first recorded Christmas mass in Japan _________________ (celebrate) at

Yamaguchi Church in 1552.

15. In Britain, a speech _________________ (give) by the Queen on TV at 3 oclock.

16. The first advent calendar _________________ (publish) in Germany in 1903.

17. At Christmas dinner, Christmas crackers _________________ (pull) by British families.

Christmas crackers are small cardboard tubes with coloured paper rolled around them.
Inside the crackers are paper party hats, jokes, plastic toys and a very small explosive
charge.

Teach-This.com 20I2 Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.