Christmas Day is an important festival in western countries. It comes on December 25. People have several days off from their work. They go back home to get together for a big dinner. Most families buy a Christina tree and decorate it with small things and bright lights. At night children go to bed early, hanging stockings beside the beds and waiting for Father Christmas. They think he comes down from the chimney and puts the presents into their stockings. During Christmas Day, people often exchange presents and say Merry Christmas to each other. Children feel very happy because they can receive many beautiful presents.

相关词汇：

decorate (v) 装饰
Father Christmas 圣诞老人
chimney (n) 烟囱
stocking (n) 长统袜
exchange (v) 交换

Here is a brief introduction about Father Christmas. It helps you to know about Christmas better.

    It is said that in the year of 300 AD, there was a kind old man and his name was Saint Nicholas. He was always ready to help the poor and often gave presents to them.

    Today, Father Christmas is an imaginary figure, but nearly all young children believe in him. They think he is a happy old man with a long white beard and a long red robe.

    On the night of the twenty-fourth of December every year, Father Christmas from some cold northern land comes down the chimney of the fireplace to put presents beside the beds of children or to fill their stockings. So when children go to bed that night, they hang up their stockings, and on Christmas morning they wake to find them full of presents. Of course, it's really their parents who fill the stockings. Another name for Father Christmas is Santa Claus.

Vocabulary
Saint Nicholas 圣尼古拉斯
imaginary 虚构的
beard 胡子
robe 长袍
Santa Claus 圣诞老人