Happy New Year! Bonne Année et Meilleurs Voeux!

I hope you had a nice vacation and a merry Christmas! Welcome back!

It's good to be back in Martinique right now - the United States are very cold! In some states, the temperature is -30° Celcius! In Martinique it's around 28° C. That's a big difference!

There's lots to do when it's cold out, though. Especially if there's snow!

 You can make snowmen,

You can make snow angels,

You can build snow forts,

Or have snowball fights,

But my favorite thing to do in the snow is to go sledding! 

What would you want to do in the snow?

Christmas is coming!

That means we need to learn about Santa Claus (or Father Christmas).

He's the one who brings presents on Christmas Eve (but only if you've been good all year - if you were bad, he brings you coal! Not fun at all.).

Santa Claus drives through the sky in a big sleigh pulled by eight reindeer, and he visits the home of every girl and boy in the whole world in just one night.

For the rest of the year, he lives in the North Pole with his wife, Mrs. Claus, and all his elves, who help him make the toys that he delivers on Christmas Eve.

Lots of children in the United States write letters to Santa when Christmas is near. They like to tell him that they've been good, and they like to tell him what they would like for Christmas so Santa knows what to bring them.

On Christmas Eve, the children put out their stockings in front of the fireplace and the chimney, and put cookies and milk out next to Christmas tree. The stockings are there for Santa to fill with candy and treats, and the milk and cookies are there so Santa can have a snack while he's working (delivering presents all over the world is a hard job!).

On Christmas morning, the children wake up and look in their stockings for treats, and then wait for their families to get out of bed before they can open their presents.

Then everyone is thankful for their gifts, the beautiful day, and the time spent with their families.

I hope you have a fun holiday!

Merry Christmas!