[A] Christmas is always observed on December 25th.

[B] Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Decorating houses and yards with lights, putting up Christmas trees, giving gifts, and sending greeting cards have become traditions even for many non-Christian Americans.

[C] In the third century, efforts were made to find out the date of the Nativity, but only in the year 336 was the date of the December 25 festival set in commemoration of Jesus' birth. Pope Julius formally selected December 25 as the day of Christmas in 349 A.D.

[D] Roman Catholics, Lutherans, members of the Dutch Reformed and Anglican churches, and those of the German sects were most responsible for establishing Christmas traditions in America. Christmas customs spread with the westward expansion of the United States and by the late 1800s had become firmly entrenched in American society.

[E] The Christmas Tree is a German tradition, started as early as 700 A.D. In the 1800s the tradition of a Christmas tree was widespread in Germany, then moved to England and then to America through Pennsylvanian German immigrants. In Victorian times, people had already started decorating trees with candies and cakes hung with ribbon. In 1880, Woolworths first sold manufactured Christmas tree ornaments, and they caught on very quickly. Martin Luther, in the 16th century, is credited as being the first person to put candles on a tree, and the first electrically lighted Christmas tree appeared in 1882. In 1923, Calvin Coolidge ceremoniously lit the first outdoor tree at the White House.

[F] Santa Claus started with a real person, Saint Nicholas, a minor saint from the fourth century. Nicholas' reputation for generosity and kindness gave rise to legends of miracles he performed for the poor and unhappy. In the Middle Ages, devotion to Nicholas extended to all parts of Europe, but eventually faded in all the Protestant countries of Europe except Holland, where his legend persisted as Sinterklaas (a Dutch variant of the name Saint Nicholas). Dutch colonists took this tradition with them to New Amsterdam (now New York City)in the 17th century. Sinterklaas was adopted by the country's English-speaking majority under the name Santa Claus, and his legend of a kindly old man was united with old Nordic folktales of a magician who punished naughty children and rewarded good children with presents.

Notes to the Text

Legend: [C] old story handed down from the past, esp. one of doubtful truth传奇

Miracle: remarkable and surprising event奇迹

Entrench: establish firmly确立

Manufacture: make, produce (goods, etc.)on a large scale by machinery 大量生产；机器制造（货物等）E.g. manufacture shoes

Decorating houses and yards with lights 用彩灯装饰房屋和院落

non: Christian Americans 非基督教信仰者的美国人

efforts were made （人们）努力……

find out 查出，查明 E.g. find out the truth/reason

the Nativity  the birth of Jesus Christ

Roman Catholics 罗马天主教徒

Lutherans 路德（1483-1546）会教友

the Dutch Reformed荷兰归正教会

Anglican churches 圣公会（英国国教）

the German sects 日尔曼教派

中国称为基督教或耶稣教的是指16世纪欧洲宗教改革运动中脱离天主教（Catholicism）而形成的各个新宗派，以及从这些宗教中不断分化出来的众多宗派的统称，中国学术界称之为新教，以别于广义的、包括天主教、东正教(Eastern Orthodoxy)在内的基督教。新教与天主教、东正教并列为基督教三大派别之一。
16世纪20年代，马丁·路德(Martin Luther 1483-1546)在德国发起的宗教改革运动，迅即在整个德国形成燎原之势.在瑞士，茨温利和加尔文(Jean Calvin 1509～1564)等的改革活动，进一步扩大和加深了新教的影响。英王亨利八世出于政治的原因，由上而下推行宗教改革，组成具有独特形式的新教会，以摆脱教皇的管辖。到16世纪中叶，新教的三大主要宗派，即马丁·路德创立的路德宗(Lutheran Church)、加尔文创立的归正宗(Reformed)和作为英国国教的安立甘宗(Anglican Church)，都已在欧洲出现，井同罗马天主教(Roman Catholicism)相抗衡。

the westward expansion of the United States 美国西进运动（nearly through the 19th century）

In US history, the period of settlement 1800–50 when Americans pushed the frontier westwards in search of land and resources, economic opportunities, a better life, and, for some, religious freedom. 

In 1803 the USA comprised (由……组成)17 eastern and central states, however the Louisiana Purchase (land bought from France in 1803)expanded its territory by 2,144,000 sq km/828,000 sq mi (the present-day states of Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Oklahoma). People of US-birth and immigrants（移民） from Europe began moving westwards, especially after hearing wonderful reports from the Lewis and Clark expedition (1804–06), a US government survey of the new region. In addition, Americans believed in their ‘manifest destiny’（命定书）, a God-given right and duty to spread out across the land; this philosophy preceded the phrase (first used 1845), and became one of the main justifications for settlement activity in the American West. The Mexican War (1846–48)and subsequent（随后的） conquest of the southwest, along with the California gold rush (1848), further opened up the country. 

firmly entrenched 牢固确立

Pennsylvanian German immigrants 宾西法尼亚州的日尔曼移民

Victorian times 英国维多利亚时代，指女王维多利亚一世在位期间，主要是指19世纪

hung with ribbon 用丝带悬挂

manufactured Christmas tree ornaments 工厂大批量生产的圣诞树装饰品

is credited as being the first person 被相信是第一个人

electrically lighted Christmas tree 用电灯照明的圣诞树

give rise to 引起，使发生(to be the cause or origin of)E.g. The new law gave rise to many complaints.

he performed for the poor and unhappy 他为穷人和不幸的人所做的（事）

extended to 扩展；延伸

eventually faded 最后渐渐消失

the Middle Ages 欧洲中世纪，约395－1500年

The Middle Ages refers to the period of time in Western Europe from the downfall of Western Roman Empire to the end of Renaissance. The term began to be used by the humanists in the 15th century, and the period was considered “Dark Ages” due to its delayed civilization. 中世纪（约公元395年—公元1500年），是欧洲历史上的一个时代（主要是西欧），由西罗马帝国灭亡开始计算，直到文艺复兴之后，极权主义抬头的时期为止。“中世纪”一词是从15世纪后期的人文主义者开始使用的。这个时期的欧洲没有一个强有力的政权来统治。封建割据带来频繁的战争，造成科技和生产力发展停滞，人民生活在毫无希望的痛苦中，所以中世纪或者中世纪的早期在欧美普遍称作“黑暗时代”，传统上认为这是欧洲文明史上发展比较缓慢的时期。

Protestant countries 清教国家

where his legend persisted as Sinterklaas 在那里（指荷兰）他的传说以Sinterklaas的名字继续流传

Vocabulary

Nouns

Effort—use of strength and energy；struggle 努力；奋斗

Ornament—thing designed to add beauty to sth, but usually without practical use装饰物；点缀品；摆设

Ribbon—(length of )silk, nylon, etc. woven in a narrow strip and used for tying sth or for ornament（丝、尼龙等的）捆扎带；装饰带 

Reputation—what is generally said or believed about the abilities, qualities, etc. of sb/sth 名声；名誉；名气 E.g. a good reputation as a doctor

Generosity--[U] the quality of being generous; nobility of mind; greatness of heart 慷慨；大度；宽大

Verbs

Observe--celebrate

Establish—set up, put on a firm foundation 建立；设立 E.g. establish a new state/ government/ business

Fade—disappear gradually渐渐消失

Persist—continue to exist持续，存留

Adopt—take over and have or use sth as one’s own采纳，采取，采用

Adjective

Responsible 有责任的，负责的 be responsible for… 对…… 负有责任

Adverbs

Ceremoniously—the adv of ceremonious正式地，用于典礼或仪式地

Eventually in the end 最后，终于

Phrases

In commemoration of 纪念，庆祝

Catch on—become popular流行，受欢迎

Cultural Note

Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian. In some non-Christian areas, periods of former colonial rule introduced the celebration (e.g. Hong Kong); in others, Christian minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to observe the holiday. Countries such as Japan, where Christmas is popular despite there being only a small number of Christians, have adopted many of the secular aspects of Christmas, such as gift-giving, decorations, and Christmas trees.

Countries in which Christmas is not a formal public holiday include Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (excepting Hong Kong and Macau), the Comoros, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, the Maldives, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, the Sahrawi Republic, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Yemen. Christmas celebrations around the world can vary markedly in form, reflecting differing cultural and national traditions.

Among countries with a strong Christian tradition, a variety of Christmas celebrations have developed that incorporate regional and local cultures. For Christians, participating in a religious service plays an important part in the recognition of the season. Christmas, along with Easter, is the period of highest annual church attendance. A 2010 survey by LifeWay Christian Resources found that 47% of American households attend church services during this time. In the United Kingdom, the Church of England reported an estimated attendance of 2.5 million people at Christmas services in 2015.

In Catholic countries, people hold religious processions or parades in the days preceding Christmas. In other countries, secular processions or parades featuring Santa Claus and other seasonal figures are often held. Family reunions and the exchange of gifts are a widespread feature of the season. Gift-giving takes place on Christmas Day in most countries. Others practice gift giving on Saint Nicholas Day, and January 6, Epiphany.