OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES

This ESL lesson plan on celebrating the holidays offers engaging activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for intermediate B1/B2 students. In this lesson, students will:

• Share opinions about when the holiday season should begin and compare holiday habits in a guided discussion.
• Build vocabulary connected to holiday trends, decoration habits, and common seasonal actions.
• Watch a short video about early Christmas celebrations and answer comprehension questions.
• Practice preference phrases such as “would rather,” “opt for,” and “lean towards,” in structured speaking tasks.
• Use these preference structures in extended discussions and holiday-themed debate questions.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

In the first part of this ESL lesson on holiday activities, students read short opinions from four people with different habits around decorating and celebrating the holiday season. Students then discuss who they relate to or find interesting, whether they celebrate December holidays or not. They also talk about when the holiday season should start, what they personally do, and how holiday preparations work in their culture. This leads into a brief conversation about their own spending habits and whether they prefer simple or more elaborate celebrations.

Next, students complete holiday trend sentences using the correct verbs from the list. They talk about why people follow these trends, which ones they follow themselves, and which ones are common or uncommon in their area. If students do not celebrate Christmas, they explain which trends they find interesting.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

The video shows how Christmas seems to arrive earlier every year. It highlights people in holiday pajamas decorating on November 1st, others who think it’s too early, and a debate about how soon is too soon for holiday cheer. Students answer short questions about what people in the video are doing, what radios are doing nationwide, and what people say about celebrating in November.

Students then complete a true/false task. They decide whether each statement is correct and concisely correct the false ones using information from the video.

After that, students listen again and write the missing words from the reporters’ ideas. They complete two short statements based on the end of the video.

VIEWING FOLLOW-UP

Students begin with a discussion about the holiday trends shown in the video and how important comfort and connection are during the season. They also share what they think influences people’s shopping habits and how social media and ads affect decisions.

Next, students read opinions from three people about their holiday preferences. They identify the type of word used after phrases such as “would rather,” “opt for,” “prefer,” “lean towards,” and “would prefer.” Students then complete a short chart where they fill in the structures that follow each preference phrase.

Students finish this section by asking and answering questions using these preference structures. They use the prompts to compare two options, choose their preferences, and explain why.

WOULD YOU RATHER…? HOLIDAY DEBATES & DISCUSSIONS

Students choose topics from the list and hold short debates using the preference language from the lesson. They ask questions to a partner or their teacher, specify whether the question refers to this year or in general, and respond using structures such as “would rather,” “lean towards,” “prefer,” and “opt for.”

Students also explore optional topics, such as unique traditions, activities that put them in the holiday spirit, decorations in their local area, and how people celebrate holidays in different cultures.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS ESL HOLIDAY SPEAKING ACTIVITIES LESSON

Teachers gain a complete set of ESL holiday speaking activities that help students express holiday preferences with accuracy. Students receive clear exposure to real-world vocabulary related to seasonal habits and trends. The video provides meaningful listening practice with natural English. The guided questions support strong speaking output at the B1/B2 level. The final activation task reinforces the target language as students compare options and justify their choices in engaging holiday discussions.