English Grammar: Prepositions with Christmas

(Photo Credit: Toa Heftiba; London, UK)

Do you know which preposition to use when you talk about Christmas? 

In this lesson, you will learn the difference between at Christmas, on Christmas Day, for Christmas and over Christmas. 
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at Christmas 
We say at Christmas when something happens during the Christmas holiday period. (= just before and after December 25th)

Examples: 

• The whole family gets together at Christmas. 
• People usually visit their families at Christmas. 
• I much prefer to be with my family at Christmas rather than at work. 

on Christmas Day 
We say on Christmas Day when something happens on December 25th. 

Examples: 

• There are lots of things people can do on Christmas day apart from sitting under the tree and opening presents. 
• A large number of employees are expected to be at work on Christmas Day. 

for Christmas 

Examples: 

• Are you in the city for Christmas? 
• Are you going home for Christmas? 
• I'm not going home for Christmas this year. 
• My husband and I prefer to go overseas for Christmas and New Year. 
• I got a lot of presents for Christmas when I was a child. (= You get a present for Christmas.) 
• I'm sorry I didn't make it home for Christmas. 

VOCABULARY: 

• make it (phrase) - If you make it somewhere, you succeed in getting there, especially in time to do something. 

over Christmas 

Examples: 

• I'll be in Thailand over Christmas. I much prefer hot weather to low temperatures and snow. 
• Eggnog is a popular drink over Christmas. It's made from milk, cream, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and alcohol. In the past, it was a wintertime drink for British aristocracy because only the wealthy could afford the ingredients. 

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Other lessons: 
English for Describing Festivals: New Year 
English Lesson: 5 Types of Lifestyle 
Commonly Used Phrases in Spoken English 

English conversation lessons: 
English Conversation: Travel opinions 
English Conversation: Travel experience 
English Conversation: Travelling in Europe and Asia 


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