S1 B1-B2 CONFESSIONS OF A GRINCH

depicted as a time of universal joy

portrayed as a period when everyone is happy

immense pressure to meet societal expectations

big pressure to do what society wants you to do

lavish decorations

very expensive and impressive decorations

to create anxiety

to cause a feeling of worry or nervousness

financial burden of sth

heavy financial weight of sth

to participate in festive activities/ to engage in holiday festivities

to take part in holiday celebrations

debt

money that you owe to sb else

overwhelming

feeling so strong that it is difficult to handle or control

to be constantly cheerful

to have to act happy all the time

a stark reminder of sth

a clear and often unpleasant thing that makes you remember sth

to cast a shadow over the festive season

to spoil the holidays

to intensify feelings of isolation

to make feelings of loneliness stronger

to clash with the reality

to be in strong disagreement with reality

strained relationship

troubled relationship with unfixed issues

a means of self-preservation

a method for protecting yourself

off-putting

causing a feeling of dislike

to overshadow the season's original meaning

to make the true purpose of the holidays seem less important

disillusionment

a feeling of disappointment after discovering sth is not as good as you believed

to disrupt the routine

to interrupt the usual way or order of doing things

to cope with holiday-related stress

to deal with holiday anxiety

to strive for perfection

to try very hard to make everything perfect

to reduce stress

to lower the amount of pressure or worry you feel

to put pressure on sb/sth

to force sb to deal with a difficult situation or to have very high expectations for sth

to remind oneself that you are privileged and fortunate

to make yourself remember that you have advantages and good luck in life

ungrateful

not feeling or showing thanks for sth given or done for you

to force oneself to do sth

to make yourself do sth even though you do not want to

to anticipate sth

to expect that sth will happen and wait for it (either enthusiastically or anxiously)

social obligations

things you are expected to do because of social rules or politeness

to opt out of sth

to choose not to be part of an activity or system

to dread sth

to feel extreme fear or worry about sth that will or might happen

festive season

the time of year when holidays and celebrations happen

to suffer from Christmas stress

to experience bad feelings of pressure and worry related to Christmas

period of reflection

a time for thinking seriously and carefully about sth

fairy lights

small electric lights on a wire used for decoration

to exacerbate sth

to make sth worse

December blues

feelings of sadness in December

family feud

long and angry fights or disagreements between family members

conventional image of Christmas

the typical and widely accepted idea of what Christmas is like

to do sth on one’s own terms

to do sth how you want to do it

romantic milestone

an important event in a romantic relationship

to fully live the holidays

to wholly experience the holiday season

to indulge in the holidays

to allow yourself to enjoy the pleasures of the holiday season

a shift in thought pattern

a change in the way you usually think

to receive a gift

to be given a present from sb

to sulk at sth/sb

to be silently angry or unhappy about sth or because of sb

to mull sth over

to think carefully about sth for a period of time

big gatherings

large groups of people meeting together

office party

a party for the people who work together in a company

to throw a party

to organize and host a party for people

packed social calendar

a schedule filled with many social events

joyful

feeling or causing great happiness

to brag about sth

to talk with too much pride about sth you have or can do

to stew in jealousy

to feel unhappy and angry because of envy for a long time

to feel left out

to feel that you are not included in a group or activity

to approach the holiday season from a positive place

to start thinking about the holidays with a good and optimistic attitude

to ask unwanted questions

to ask about things that sb does not want to discuss

prone to sth

likely to suffer from sth or do sth

more positive take on sth

a more optimistic view of a situation

to tailor the holiday to what you like

to adjust the holiday season to suit your personal preferences

to survive sth

to continue to live through a difficult event or experience

authentic

real and genuine not false or copied

to put up the Christmas tree

to decorate the tree for Christmas

to skip a season

to choose not to participate in seasonal activities and instead move on to the next season

to push out Christmas content

to quickly produce holiday-themed posts

to soak up the season

to fully enjoy and absorb the season’s atmosphere

slush

partially melted snow or ice on the ground

to raid the stores

to go shopping in large numbers and buy a lot of things

to creep into October

to slowly start appearing earlier than usual in October

to get into spending mode

to become ready and willing to spend money

carefree

having no worries or problems

to tap into emotions

to connect with or make use of people's feelings

to flood the stores

to enter or appear in shops all at once

made to last

built to remain in good condition for a long time

to capitalize on a trend

to make money off sth popular

stores are overflowing with Christmas junk

shops are filled with too many cheap and low-quality Christmas items

to play into overconsumption

to encourage the act of buying too much

Christmas hauls

large quantities of Christmas gifts and purchases that people show online, or videos creates for this purpose

performative festivity

holiday celebrations that are done more for show than from genuine feeling

to crave comfort

to strongly desire things that make you feel happy

to cling to sth

to hold onto sth tightly either physically or emotionally

to mesh together

to fit or combine together in a harmonious way

to dull the magic

to make a special feeling or experience less exciting

to trigger (an emotion)

to cause strong feelings in sb