Where Did It Come From? The History of Christmas Traditions

About This Resource

A free Grade 7 ESL reading worksheet on the history of six Christmas traditions: Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus, decorated trees from Germany, the first Christmas card in 1843, the Christmas cracker, electric tree lights in 1882 and Advent calendars. Students read an informational text, scan for dates, order events on a timeline, use context clues and write about a tradition. Includes a timed lesson plan, a six-activity worksheet, an editable Word version and answer key.

Overview

Students read a short informational text that explains where well-known Christmas traditions came from. They learn that Santa Claus grew from stories of Saint Nicholas, a bishop in the 300s; that decorated trees were popular in Germany by the 1500s and spread to Britain after 1848; that the first Christmas card sold in shops appeared in 1843 and the cracker soon after; and that electric tree lights and printed Advent calendars are only about a century old. Students practice scanning for dates, ordering events on a timeline, working out word meanings from context and writing about a tradition they know.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: The History of Christmas Traditions
Category: Reading
File Type: PDF
File Size: 227.8 KB
Published: 11 Nov 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 7 ESL (ages 12–13), A2–B1 45 minutes Reading for detail scanning chronology context clues writing

Student Task

Ask: "Which Christmas tradition do you think is the oldest?" Take a quick vote.
Read the text together, then do activities 1 and 2.
Students complete activities 3 to 6 on their own. Answers are in the answer key.

Classroom Use

Human timeline: give six students a date card; the class arranges them in order and explains each event.
Guess the year: before reading, students guess when each tradition began, then check their guesses.
Tradition interview: students ask a family member about an old family tradition and report back.

Differentiation

Support: highlight the dates in the text before students start. Challenge: students research the history of one more tradition, such as Christmas carols or the Christmas pudding, and add it to the timeline.

Answer Key & Assessment

Activities 1 to 5 check reading for detail, chronology and context clues (answer key included). Activity 6 shows whether students can explain a tradition in their own words.

Learning Objectives

Scan an informational text for dates and key facts.
Put historical events in chronological order on a timeline.
Use context clues to work out the meaning of new words.

Teacher Tips

Encourage students to scan for numbers when looking for dates. Explain that traditions change over time and differ around the world, so there is no single correct way to celebrate.

What's Included

7-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (6 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (6 activities)
Editable Word version of the worksheet
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

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