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Have yourself a "less-is-more" Christmas....




Every year, the same film plays on repeat. Black Friday hits, and people who swore they were “cutting back this year” are suddenly refreshing carts at midnight, chasing countdown timers and “only 3 left!” banners.


This was the starting point for my minimalism lesson: if students are already swimming in Black Friday ads and Christmas wish lists, why not turn that chaos into something reflective and language‑rich? 


The heart of the plan is a “Less Is More” advent calendar that runs parallel to the shopping season. While the outside world shouts “Buy! Hurry! More!”, students open a different kind of window each day: deleting unused apps, clearing one surface, designing an experience gift instead of buying another object. Each task comes with a guided question and a pair of chunky expressions to use in a short English reflection, so language development and behaviour change grow together.

In this handout Black Friday and Christmas haven’t disappeared, but the spell is weaker. In a month designed to make teenagers feel “not enough” unless they own more, the lesson quietly offers a different grammar for December: less but better, fewer parcels, more presence....

Have yourself a less-is-more merry:) Christamas!

Just a side note, hope you don’t mind......

If you like my content, maybe you would like to support me and buy me coffee?

Also, you might want to check other materials I create for the English Bilingual Secondary Classes (C1) - I am sure some of them will be useful for the English B HL classes, for example BritSpeak or OpenBookCouples. 

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Comments

  1. poojasingh@templesDecember 1, 2025 at 2:37 AM

    This is a great resource. It will promote self-awareness and aid in metacognition. Students will surely benefit.

    ReplyDelete

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