Christmas is the holiday that appeals to the child in all of us, and it has always been the most exciting time of the year for me. when i was young, birthdays were nothing compared to it, for christmas has three marvellous aspects — both the giving and receiving of presents, making beautiful decorations and preparing the most wonderful food. i adore presents though, despite the best intentions, i have never been good at finding them in advance. although i have one friend who buys gifts in the week after christmas for the following year, most of us rush around at the last moment. handmade presents are treasured by friends and family, and there are many simple gifts you can make ahead of christmas, if you are organized! one of the delights of the holiday is making all of the food. the traditional christmas pudding with its breathtaking aromas of dried fruits and brandy, fruits in liqueur, the after dinner chocolate, truffles! now, too, you can put aside a few days or so for making and buying decorations for the tea and house. the central decoration for christmas must be the tree* children are thrilled by it and i suspect that it still holds great magic for all of us. prince albert introduced the custom to england by bringing cut conifers from germany in the nineteenth century. these were the trees that drop their needles within a few days of being cut. despite this, i am still very fond of them: their aromatic scents always transport me back to my childhood and to the wild hope that there might be snow outside on christmas day. christmas tree production is today a booming business, and there are varieties of trees that hold their needles for qui be a long period of time. but i personally still decorate the tree and put up the decorations just three or four days before christmas. when we were children, christmas eve was devoted to the purpose of wrapping presents. we were so excited, it seemed that we hardly slept at all that night. dressed in his red suit, father christmas duly appeared in the morning to wake us up. then there was the feverish opening of presents in the stockings at the end of our beds. alas, the presents under the tree, could only be opened after christmas cake had been cut at tea time. in my teens it was the real high point of christmas holiday! a truffle— трюфель a conifer ['kounifо] — хвойное дерево a booming business — бизнес, большой рекламной шумихой questions christmas holiday appeals to the child in all of us, doesn't it? what are the marvellous aspects of this particular holiday? who introduced the custom of cut conifers to england? when was this wonderful custom introduced to england? what are the delights of this holiday? has christmas been the most exciting time of the year for the narrator? when do people usually buy christmas gifts? what is unusual in this aspect about a certain friend of his? what kind of tree does the narrator prefer to have in his house on christmas? what was the real high point of christmas holiday in the narrator's childhood? 10. how was father christmas usually dressed and when did he appear?