..

E.B. 2,3 D. Afonso Henriques

…………..(+ your name and surname)
Rua Alberto Vieira Braga, 91
4835 – 011 Guimarães
PORTUGAL

………….……………………(+date)

Dear/ Hello/ Hi………………… (+first name of your penpal)!

How are you? / How have you been? / I hope you are doing fine. / I hope you are well.
I’m so glad/ thrilled/ delighted to have a ………………..(+nationality) penpal/ penfriend
because I can’t wait to learn about you as well as the traditions in your country.
Before I tell you all about Christmas in ………….. (+country) let me introduce myself.

I- INTRODUCING MYSELF

A- My family environment

My full name is……………………………………………………

My first name is………………..and my surname/ family name is………………………....
I am ….….(+age). I was born on the …………(+day) of……….(+month),……………. (+year), in
………………… (+birthplace).

I come from……………………… (+region) and I live in………………….. . It is a town/village/

hamlet in the north-west of Portugal.
I go to school/ study in……………………………………(+name of the school) in Creixomil. I am in
year 8 which is much like year 9 in the UK and eighth grade in the USA.
I live with………………………………………………………….(+members of your family).
I have/ I don’t have any ………………………………………..……….(+siblings).
I have…………………………………………………………………… (+pets).

B- Physical appearance and personality

I am (not)/ I (don’t) have/ I look...................................................... (+physical appearance*)

I am a bit/ not too/ quite/ very/ extremely ………………………………………………/
I’m not……………………………….at all. (+adjectives of personality*)
..

C- Like vs Dislike + noun/ verb-ING

I really like…………/ I love…..….very much/ I truly enjoy……………

I have a soft spot for…(+ noun)
I’m crazy about…/ I am mad about…/ I’m really into……../ I am a huge fan of……
I am keen on……../ I’m interested in…………/ I am fond of…………

I don’t like…..very much/ I dislike….../ I truly detest…/ I really hate…/ I abhor…/

I loathe…./ I despise…..
I can’t bear……./ I can’t stand…….
I don’t really care about……..

I don’t mind………..

D- Hobbies and routine

I always (+verb)..........
I often/ usually/ generally/ frequently/ normally (+verb).........
I sometimes/ occasionally (+verb)..........
I seldom/ hardly ever/ scarcely/ barely/ rarely (+verb)...../ I (+verb)..…. once in a while.
I never (+verb)..........……………/ I (+verb).........….……. once in a blue moon.

I (+verb).....once/ twice/ three times… a day/week/ month/ year.

E- Talents and abilities

I’m terrific at…… because I can……….(+verb) very well.

I am a geek at/ I’m an expert at….. because I am able to(+verb) very well.
I am the best at…/ I’m very good at…/ I’m gifted at…/I’m talented at….

I am pretty good at………. because I can……….(+verb) quite well.

I’m quite bad at… because I can……….(+verb) a little.

I’m terrible/ awful/ lousy at…. because I can’t ……….(+verb) at all.

I am very bad at…because I am not able to (+verb).
I’m hopeless at…because I am unable to (+verb).
I suck at…/ I am the worst at…/ I’m no good at…
..

II- CHRISTMAS WITH MY FAMILY

A-Traditions

Now, dear………. (+name of the penpal), I’m going to talk to you about the Christmas
traditions in my country and mostly, how we celebrate the holiday season with my
family.

A few days/ weeks before Christmas, we usually send cards to…/ we set up the
Christmas tree / we always buy lots of presents for…./ we bake Christmas biscuits…/ I
sometimes buy an Advent Calendar… / we offer chocolate boxes to…/ we drink Port
wine and eat Christmas desserts, like Aletria and Rabanadas…/ I usually prepare
“Christmas boxes” for the needy…/ I go to a Christmas show…/ I perform in a
Christmas play…/ I travel to…/ I go on holiday to…/ I help my parents to…/ I cook
with…

We always decorate the house with beautiful ornaments; for example, we put……. (a
Christmas tree, tinsels, Christmas lights, baubles, a Christmas wreath, stockings,
bells, candles, a nativity scene, which we call Presépio etc.)

On Christmas Eve, we often invite….. (+guests) over… / we gather with……./ we are

invited to…
We go to church…
We stuff ourselves with a lot of delicious food. For the appetisers/ first course/
starter, we often eat………… It is a ……………..(+nationality) dish made with………………………….
(+ingredients). For the main course/ main dish, we feast on ………...…….….. For dessert/ ,
we traditionally delight in…………………………. We normally drink/ sip…… (+ drinks).
I indulge myself with…. (+chocolate/candies/ biscuits).

We dance…/ we sing Christmas carols…/ we tell stories about…/ I play board games
with…./ we open the presents…/ we watch Christmas bloopers/ variety shows on TV
with…./ we make jokes and laugh…/ we listen to Christmas music … (+activities)

On Christmas Day, I generally….

On New Year’s Eve,...
On New Year’s Day,...
..

B-Plans for the upcoming Christmas

This year, I am going to/ we are planning to…. (+planned activities)

For Christmas, I would like to have…./ my brother wants…/ (+presents)

What about you, ………………(+name of the penpal)? What are the Christmas traditions in
your country? I am so looking forward to reading your letter and to knowing your
culture better.

In the meantime, I wish you a merry/ jolly Christmas and a happy New Year 2023 !

Best wishes,/ Take care,/ Lots of love from……(+country),/ Kind regards,/ kindly,

………………………………….….(+your first name and signature)