Check out these Christmas phrasal verbs, and see if you can use them in your English conversations this festive season.
look forward to (the festive season)
When we look forward to a future event, it means we are anticipating it with excitement.
For example: “I am looking forward to watching lots of Christmas movies.”
“We are looking forward to the office Christmas party this Friday.”
Avoid this common mistake! Remember, since this phrase ends in a preposition, we need to follow it with the gerund form of the verb.
What are you looking forward to doing this Christmas season?
meet up (with someone)
The verb ‘meet’ means to encounter a person or animal for the first time. When we ‘meet up’ with people it means that we organize to see them at a social event.
For example: “I am meeting up with my cousin this weekend. I haven’t seen him in person since last Christmas! I am looking forward to it.”
“All the friends are meeting at the pub for drinks and to exchange presents.”
wrap up (presents)
To wrap up describes the action of encasing something. You might wrap up a present for someone you love, or in order to face the cold weather, you may wrap up warm in an oversized coat or jumper.
For example: “I wrapped up several presents last night. I added the tags and some ribbon, and put them under the tree.”
“If you’re going out in the snow, be sure to wrap up warm and bring a hat and gloves!”
sing along (to Christmas songs)
When listening to Christmas music or carols, you may want to get into the Christmas spirit by singing along with the lyrics.
For example: “For the last lesson of the year, we sang along to some well-known Christmas carols.”
“At the concert, the singer encouraged the crowd to sing along if they knew the lyrics.”
send out (cards)
If you have friends and family in different parts of the world, you may send out Christmas cards or a Christmas newsletter or email. Young children may also send out a letter to Santa at the North Pole.
For example: “I just need to send out the Christmas newsletter, and then I’ll be signing off for the week.”
“It was a frosty morning, and they walked to the post box to send off the Christmas cards they had written the night before.”
put up (the decorations)
We use the phrasal verb to describe putting something in its place, often on a wall or in a decorative capacity. We put up posters, pictures, mirrors, and photographs. At Christmas time, many people put up decorations such as tinsel a Christmas tree, or Christmas lights.
For example: “Yesterday we put up the Christmas decorations in the living room while listening to Christmas songs. I’m definitely feeling festive now.”
“Our neighbor is out in front of his house putting up some Christmas lights. I’m excited to see them on later.”
Note: The opposite of this phrasal verb is to ‘take down’. When the festive season is over we take down the decorations.
tuck in (to the food)
You might hear this phrasal verb used at Christmas dinner. To start eating the food is to ‘tuck in’.
For example: “Well, I think everyone has a plate. Merry Christmas everyone, let’s tuck in to this delicious food!”
“On Christmas evening, we watched a cheesy Christmas film on Netflix and tucked in to the Quality Street chocolates.”
hand out (the presents)
To hand out means to distribute something.
For example: “Tomorrow is the last day at the office, so we’ll be handing out the Secret Santa gifts at lunchtime.”
“My brother was in charge of reading the names on the presents under the tree and handing them out to everyone.”
