How to Make a Handmade Christmas Card. Step 1 - Theory & Lettering

       As many of you have probably noticed, Christmas celebration in the USA starts with the end of the Halloween. There are Christmas decorations in malls, Christmas advertisements in Tv and radio. However, these are all about BUYING STUFF. So if you like Christmas, but you don't want to spend huge amount of money on gifts etc., you can easly make a gift by yourself, for example a simple Christmas Card.

 

       Anyone can make one, even if you cannot draw well.So together, let's try to make a perfect Christmas Card. Let's start with something simple: lettering. I will present you the basics of typography which is easier than traditional caligraphy. However, the effect looks more or less similar to caligraphy lettering.

YOU WILL NEED:

- a sheet of paper (preferably in some kind of Christmas colour)

- a pencil

- a rubber

- a marker (any kind, try to match the colour to your paper)

1. ORGANISATION

It's important to keep our text organised, it can be in two lines, or in one, depends on how long your text is. However, our letters should also stick to some kind of straight or curved lines. The easiest method is to draw a graph, as shown below. The line in the middle divides space for "merry" and "christmas". Draw your grid with pencil, because we wil erase it later. Remember to use your pencil gently!

2. SKETCH

Pencil sketches are really useful if you wan't to practice. Sketch te letters, use the most basic shapes you know from primary school.

3. TRACE

Now take a marker of your choice and trace your sketch. Add loops, some curves, and I recommend you to try to connect the letters. It's super simple and thanks to that your lettering looks more like caligraphy.

4. HIGHLIGHT

I don't want to get into much detail about the anatomy of letters. But it is useful to know that letters have spines. Spines are the vertical lines or curves and are often the most important parts of them. So let's emphasise it by making every vertical line or curve more thick.

<REMEMBER TO ADD PHOTO OF MY CARD LATER>

The biggest sales of the year

BLACK FRIDAY

~celebrated since 1952

The day after Thanksgiving is undoubtedly the biggest festival in a year for those who love shopping and want to grab some great bargains. It is also an unofficiall start of holiday shopping season. Almost all stores provide incredible sales for which people stand in line hours before opening.  Every store has something that interests every one. 

 
Is Black Friday considered to be a National Holiday?  

No, Black Friday is not a National Holiday in the USA. Most places are open, although some financial institutions might be closed in due to allow their employees for a long weekend off.  

• Decide what is the most important and absolutely needed in advance, because you may not be able to cover all the stores.  
  

• If it is possible have a group of people, but everyone going to a different store - this way, each person may buy something for everyone else.  

•  Simple, but useful - do not park the car in the parking car of the store with sales. Leave it nearby and this way you will save time and avoid big queue of people coming in and out. 

• Shop online. It is probably the most comfortable way of shopping during Black Friday, because most stores have cheaper items avaliable online as well. But remember - servers may be overloaded.  

  

 Everything seems great, but we must remember that a fight for items is extremely bitter! 

 Black Friday is considered to be not only the most cost-efficient, but also the most dangerous time for shopping.

 

TASK: Find out what kinds of accidents happen the most often during Black Friday and try to figure out how to avoid them. 

THANKSGIVING DAY

TRADITIONS IN THE UNITED STATES 

 

Thanksgiving is definitely one of the most important holidays celebrated in the United States. It is at the end of the harvest season in due to express thanks for material and spiritual possessions.

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Celebrated  on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, it involves family members from all over the world getting together. 

The main traditions  

TALKING WITH EACH OTHER 

 It does not seem special, but unfortunately it is hard for entire family to get together often. That is why Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to find enough time to discuss everything that has happened over the past few months.
 

 

        

       SHARING PHOTOS

• 

  Except of talking it is also nice to share some photos of the past year. Looking at photos of friends, visited places or even pets causes pleasant atmosphere.  

  
  

  
  PLAYING BOARD GAMES

  It is a great and well known way to spend some time enjoying each other’s company. Some of the most popular games include Monopoly, Checkers, Trivial Pursuit, Janga, Sequence, and Cranium.

  
   

   

   

  WATCHING MOVIES OR TV

  It also seems obvious, but there  are annual televised events such as the parades in New York City or the football games all over the country.

   

    PLAYING SPORTS

• Another activity of Thanksgiving involves some movement. The most popular sports that are played are basketball and football. Some families even have annual football matches.

TASK: write a story about a perfect Thanksgiving Day :)

Turkey Day

     

Since, the American Thanksgiving Day is around the corner (24th of November) it would be nice to know something about its traditions. This day is sometimes called "The Turkey Day", mainly because Americans celebrate this holiday by eating a big feast with families and the main course is always a turkey (I don't know what kind of eco-turkeys do vegetarians eat). Traditional foods include turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. 

THE HISTORY

   
  The history of the Thanksgiving turkey is a bit of a mystery. Nobody knows exactly why it became a traditional dish, but historians have a few different theories.

       Thanks to letters and records kept by early American settlers, we know that when the colonists sat down to dine with the Wampanoag Indians, beef and fowl were on the menu. This historical meal would later become known as the first Thanksgiving. A letter written by pilgrim Edward Winslow mentions a turkey hunting trip before the meal.

        Another theory attributes the Thanksgiving turkey to the Queen of England. During the 16th century, a fleet of Spanish ships sunk on their way to attack England. According to legend, Queen Elizabeth received this news while eating dinner. She was so thrilled that she ordered another goose be served. Some historians say the early settlers were inspired by the queen's actions and roasted a turkey instead of a goose.

      The wild turkey is a native bird of North America. As a result, Benjamin Franklin claimed this made the turkey a more suitable national bird for the United States than the bald eagle. Not everyone agreed with Franklin, however, and the bald eagle became the national emblem for the United States in 1782. The bald eagle may be America's bird 364 days a year, but the turkey has one day all to itself — Thanksgiving.

America Explained to non-Americans by The Oatmeal

TURKEY FOR THE ULTIMATE-DUMMIES

Not everybody can cook these traditional dishes, but let's do something else. Let's draw a fabulous turkey. 

2. Draw a curvy line at the bottom. You should be
 left with a simple outline of your hand.

1.First, place your palm on a piece of paper, spread your fingers,
and trace it.

3. Draw the most elemental parts of the turkey.
A thumb will be your turkey head, draw an eye,
 beak and wattle here. Legs should be at the bottom.

4. Add a wing in the middle. Colour it. Traditionally,
all of the feathers have different colours. But honestly,
you can colour it however you want.

If you don't have a thumb or a spare hand you can use different templates:






Sources:

• National Geographic Kids
• Wonderopolis
• Instructrables