Speaker A. Holiday or no holiday, if I have a business deal going on, I work. At Christmas, for example, I am often quite alone because I’ve got no family or kids but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying myself. Sometimes, I go to a party with some of my single friends but even then, we usually reserve that for the New Year celebration. So you see, this holiday that seems to be so important for so many people, is really just another day for me.

Speaker B.The night before Christmas I take a train to the suburbs to visit my parents. It takes an hour to get there by car but the traffic on Christmas Eve is so bad that it takes hours to drive there. That’s why I take the train. On the morning of the 25th we usually have a leisurely breakfast and open the presents Santa has left for us. Of course, I am all grown up now but believing in Santa is still kind of fun in our family. We like finding small packages in our stockings.

Speaker C. There is really no more fun for me than to spend my Christmas holidays with my big family. My six brothers and sisters all sleep in one room the night before Christmas and before bed my dad reads us Christmas poems. Then he leaves, and we make up a strategy to wake up our parents the next morning. We try to be creative because we want them to get up early to open our presents, and they like us to surprise them with a special wake up call.

Speaker D. You know, Christmas is such a lovely family holiday. My children are all gone from home now with families of their own, but on Christmas morning they come to my house for breakfast. I’ve got 26 grandchildren opening presents around my tree. To say the least, my heart is always full on this day because not only do they open the presents I’ve prepared, but they also bring their presents for me. I love their handmade things  — they are filled with love.

Speaker E. I am a student and rather far away from home. Unfortunately, Christmas break is not long enough for me to travel to see my family, so I stay at the dormitory. Our college is very nice because it organizes a Christmas party for everyone who finds themselves alone on this day. The college makes a traditional Christmas meal and puts a big tree in the middle of the dining hall. We all bring a present and put it under the tree for someone else to open.

Speaker F. Our family always takes a holiday during Christmas break. We usually go abroad and celebrate this day in a hotel. One time we were in Africa, so on Christmas Eve we went to the beach and had a barbeque. My parents put our presents under the palm tree outside our hotel room, and that’s where we found them the next morning. I remember laughing that Santa went swimming after delivering our presents that year. I won’t forget that holiday.