December CROSSROADS Language StudioÊs Newsletter 2005

So, this is Christmas…
….and, so, here are a few interesting,lesser known facts about Christmas:
Did you know that Christmas was
originally celebrated at many different
times of the year? It was not until the 4th
century that Pope Julius 1st decided to fix
the date at December 25th. He did this tocoincide with Pagan rituals celebrating “thereturn of the sun” on the winter solstice.
His intention was to replace the Pagan
version with a Christian one.
Then, in 1752, 11 days were dropped
from the year when we adopted theGregorian calendar we use today in place ofthe older Julian calendar. This effectively
moved the 25th of December back 11 days!
Even to this day, some Christian sects
prefer to celebrate Christmas onJanuary 7th.
And, did you think Santa was the
only one with a thing for chimneys?
In Italy, La Befana, a kindly witch,rides her broomstick down chimneys
every year to deliver toys.

The legend has it that when the 3 Wise
Men came to her house to ask her to comeand see the baby Jesus, she said “no” as she
was too busy sweeping her floor. Later, shechanged her mind and ran after the WiseMen, but she was too late! So, to this day
she goes out every January 5th in search ofthe “Holy Child” leaving gifts for him inevery house.
How about a Samurai Santa?! After thelong period of “National Isolation”, Japanbegan to accept Western culture and in1875 Christmas was celebrated in Harajo
School in the Ginza area of Tokyo. And, yes,
Santa turned up for the occasion dressed asa Samurai! But, Christmas in Japan goesback much earlier than this. FrancisXavier, a Portuguese, introduced
Christianity to Japan in 1549 and thefirst recorded Christmas Mass wascelebrated at Yamaguchi Church in1552.
The teachers and staff at Crossroads
send all our students our best wishes forthe season – Merry Xmas everyone!!

(These words are in color in the story)
coincide 一致する
intention 意図
legend 伝説

rituals 祭儀
solstice 至点〔太陽が赤道から最も離れた至点〕
effectively 事実上
sects 宗派
turned up 登場した
Mass ミサ（聖祭）Joshua Says: This month I have asked Marita to join us on thispage. Marita is our German (and sometimes English) teacher. We areall looking forward to reading her contribution each month. Also,Natacha has sent us some news from Canada. Check it out on page 3!
Junko Says: This month marks the anniversary of John Lennon’s death. He isconsidered by almost everyone to be one of the greatest artists of the last century.
His work, especially from the mid-1960’s with the Beatles, is still recognized andappreciated by today’s young people as, too, is the legacy of this thoughts andideas. The world truly lost one of our great lights when he died in December 1980.
Greg Says: WOW!!!! Can you believe it is Christmas time already? (The older you get, each and every
year seems to go by quicker and quicker). It is now the time to reflect on the things you have done
throughout 2005 and plan your goals and resolutions for the approaching New Year. I hope everyone at
Crossroads has a safe and happy Christmas and a wonderful 2006. I will be in sunny Australia for
Christmas and New Year so I will see you all again after the “silly season” has ended. God Bless !

Steven Says: With the winter season well and truly upon us, I have once again
started frequenting my favourite onsens around town. For those of you who wantto keep some of the hot energy after you bath or onsen, try massaging yourself
with some sesame oil afterwards and you will feel even more invigorated!
Magnolia Says: Can you believe it? Yes, December has arrived! For most,this is the busiest time of the year. Time to tie up the loose ends of the year
and prepare to welcome in a brand new year. How will you share the gift ofChristmas joy? What are your New Year resolutions?
Iain Says: Last week my computer died. One of my hobbies is building
computers, so I set about building a new one. Now, everything works
perfectly! This was quite a pleasant surprise. In fact I'm typing this on
the new computer now and everything is J#sT F%n3....uh...jUSt
4ine...just fine...er...Oh no...maybe I need to adjust something!
Marita Says: The coming year is going to be the second year of my stay inMatsuyama. As for my New Year’s wishes, my first hope is to develop my Japanese
language skills a lot in the New Year. I will spend more time learning and speaking
Japanese. In the same way, I wish all Crossroads students happiness and joy with
their language learning and a prosperous and happy New Year!

Yuka Says: Another cold winter has come and the busiest time of theyear has arrived. Everybody is bustling about, and so am I. But there
is one thing I keep telling myself: “Don’t rush. This is a time of year
when we can try to think more about others. Do not forget to havekind, generous, friendly feelings.” Happy holidays everyone!!

Sakura Says: Last week I went to Hong Kong for 4 days
with my mother to visit H/K Disneyland and shop forsouvenirs and accessories. It was about 25 C every day and it
was sunny the whole time. Here’s a photo of my Mum and I
with Mickey and Mini Mouse at Disneyland.

News fromCanada!

Dear Friends,This morning
I woke up toa snowy scenery! Aftervisiting my parents, I'm
now in Ottawa visiting my brother.
Christmas is coming fast and here all
the businesses are decorated for theoccasion. The shopping malls
are full of people and the kids
are getting
moreand moreexcited.
My students
Hanakoand Sachiko are coming to see me andwe are going to go dog
sledding and tobogganing!

It’s the X’mas and N ew Year Campaign timeagain! Don’t forget to tell all your friends
about this great chance. For all the info talk toJunko in the office.

Merry Christmas toyou all...!
Natacha

Courses you can take at CROSSROADS
NET LESSONS:
Are you too busy to come to CROSSROADS to study? Try ourlessons on the internet! --- It’s CROSSROADS in your homeor office! You get CROSSROADS’ great teachers, teachingprograms, even classmates, all on-line! Call for details.

NET SITE OF THE MONTH:For many facts about Xmas and its traditions go to:
http://www.christmasarchives.com/toc.htm

NET NOTEBOOK: Don’t forget to take a look at the Internet
Activity Notebook in our Open-house lounge. You’ll find great
games, news and English study sites.

GENERAL COURSES:
2 x’s 60mins / week
1 x’s 90mins / week
Private 1 x / week
Semi-Private 1 x /week

GERMAN with Marita
SPANISH with Leo
RUSSIAN with Natasha
FRENCH with Bam & Natacha
CHINESE with Noriko
KOREAN with Kim

MOTHER & CHILD, group or private
KIDS, group or private
COSMOPOLITAN COURSES:“Singing in English” with Steve
Yoga with Magnolia
Guitar with Steve“Cooking in English” with Steve & Magnolia“Magic in English” with Iain
Piano with Adrienne
Aromatherapy with Steve
NETLESSONS:
group or private

Phone: 0120-21-7594
Tel: (089) 921-7595
Fax: (089) 921-7319
E-mail:info@crossroadsco.com
Web Site: www.crossroadsco.com