Oxford Street and Christmas lights.

Well, I have to say that they had to cover patches with tarmac here and there, as the works have not been completely finished yet. We thought this only happened in Spain, but here it is the same.

Today is the day the Christmas lights will be lit up in Oxford and Regent Street and this attracts crowds in the same way "el alumbrado" does in Seville for the opening of the April Fair, so it had to be ready by all means.


It is a great improvement, though, and it is fully functional in spite of the patches I mentioned.

And I thank the Mayor of London as I always come out of the underground station on the wrong side (I am that silly) and it is crazy trying to cross the street at this point, fighting masses of people in all directions.








Here you are some information about Xmas lights in London, with the calendar for the different areas, as they are not lit up at the same time.


This year and thanks to Disney, Regent Street and Oxford Street will be lit up at the same time (the crossing of these streets is Oxford Circus, above).

Oxford Circus has been decorated with references to Disney's adaptation of Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol, showing today the world's premiere.

Boxing Day

Wikipedia: "Boxing Day is a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as many other members of the Commonwealth of Nations and Greece. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society (...) It is usually celebrated on 26 December, the day after Christmas Day; however, its associated public holiday can be moved to the next weekday if 26 December is a Saturday or Sunday.

(...)

A Christmas box is, in English tradition, a clay box used in artisan shops. Apprentices, masters, visitors, customers, and others would put donations of money into the box, like a piggy bank, and then, after Christmas, the box would be shattered and all the contents shared among the workers of the shop. Thus, masters and customers could donate bonuses to the workers anonymously, and the employees could average their wages. The habit of breaking the Christmas box lent its name to Boxing Day. The term "Christmas box" now refers generally to a gift or pay bonus given to workers."

Christmas Messages

The first message comes from Her Royal Majesty:



If you are really interested in the British Royal Family, the following link might suit your needs better than the previous one:


But if what interests you is "real" messages, here is one, a cover of Ben E. King's classic "Stand By Me" sung and/or played by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it travelled the globe:



Playing For Change: Song Around the World | Stand By Me from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

You can add further messages using "comments" below.

Christmas diet and New Year's Resolutions

To learn more about Britain and British traditions, it is worthwhile visiting the following link:


At Christmas, food and drink play an important role to make you feel at home. These are some elements to take into account in the UK:

Xmas Dinner Xmas Crackers Xmas Pudding

After all this food, it is not surprising that one of the most popular among New Year's Resolutions is "to lose weight".

Most Popular Goals

• Lose Weight
• Pay Off Debt/s
• Save Money
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Eat Right
• Get a Better Education
• Drink less Alcohol
• Quit Smoking
• Reduce Stress Overall
• Reduce Stress at Work
• Take a Trip
• Volunteer to Help Others
• reduce diabetes & improve quality of life

But, how can we really achieve our goals?

Adapted from The Guardian, Friday 29 December 2006:

Five tips to help keep resolutions:

1) The first is to make only one resolution: if you are an obese, misanthropic, SUV-driving smoker, Prof Wiseman recommends picking just one aspect of life to improve, to increase your chances of success.

2) Planning your resolution in advance, instead of waiting until New Year's Eve. The extra time will allow you to reflect on what you really want to achieve.

3) Another tip is to avoid repeating a previous resolution, or at least try a different technique to keep it. So if trying to lose half a stone did not work last year, plan to exercise more instead. "If people think they can do it they probably can, but if they've already tried and failed, their self-belief will be low," Prof Wiseman said.

The remaining tips include keeping resolutions specific (4) and rewarding yourself (5) by buying a new book or CD if you manage to lose a few pounds or cut down on smoking.


More interesting links to help you achieve your goals:




You can also use New Year's Resolutions with your students. Click here to find how:

20 HEALTHY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR KIDS

Having said that, I have already chosen my goal for 2009: "I will reduce stress"
(I must confess I also want to get fitter, learn Portuguese and five other things, but stress reduction is the main objective for 2009)

Which are your resolutions for 2009?

Express yourself (send your resolutions) and have a Happy Resolutive New Year.

To finish, a bit of grammar in use: remember the difference between a promise (I will....) and a plan (I'm going to...). Resolutions are like promises that we make to ourselves.