'Tis the Season!
2023-12-24
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Today we talk about the word "season."
3We use this word in many different ways.
4"Season" can refer to one of the four parts of the year.
5For example, Washington, D.C. is in a part of the United States that has four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and autumn.
6Some parts of the U.S. do not have four seasons.
7"Season" can also describe the periods marked by warmth and growth or cold weather and falling leaves.
8For example, when the weather becomes warmer and days are lighter longer, the growing season begins for some plants.
9When the weather gets colder and the days darker, the hibernation season begins for some animals.
10We also use "season" to describe periods that are only related to the weather.
11For example, some areas of the world have rainy seasons and dry seasons.
12Some parts of the U.S. have tornado season. And in other parts of the world there are monsoon seasons.
13"Season" can also refer to the time before and during a major holiday.
14December is a busy holiday season in many parts of the world.
15Holidays include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Winter Solstice.
16December is often a time to take a break from work and spend time with loved ones.
17Speaking of Christmas, when we say 'tis the season we are talking about something dealing with this holiday - its good side and its not-so-good side.
18For example, let's say I give a co-worker a big box of homemade cookies.
19They might say to me, "Thanks! But why are you giving me so many cookies?" I can answer, "'Tis the season!"
20Here is another example.
21If I go out to a store and it is packed with holiday shoppers, I could complain to a friend. And they could respond, "Well, 'tis the season!"
22What they really mean is this: At this time of the year, stores are usually very busy with Christmas shoppers.
23In fact, Christmas is like open season on shopping deals.
24"Open season on" something means that it is being hunted, targeted, or in this case ... bought.
25"Open season" also describes a period of time when a particular activity or opportunity is unrestricted.
26It is widely available.
27This term probably comes from hunting.
28Hunting traditionally has many restrictions.
29People can hunt only at certain times of the year and even then, there are restrictions on which animals and how many you can hunt.
30Fishing too has similar restrictions. But if it is open season, there are few restrictions.
31As in our earlier shopping example, we can use this term for just about anything that is targeted with few restrictions.
32When talking about the best times to travel, for example, it is a good idea to travel off-season.
33If few people are traveling, it is a good time to find cheap air travel, hotels, and rental cars.
34It is open season on travel deals.
35And like hunting season, we can have other "seasons" too.
36For example, beach areas are popular during tourist season.
37And people with allergies probably do not like hay fever season or allergy season.
38So, "season" can simply mean a time of the year marked by a special activity.
39Sports seasons, for example, are popular with fans of sports.
40We also have different seasons in our lives: Our time as children, going off to college, becoming parents, helping our aging parents, starting new careers or starting retirement.
41These are all different seasons of life.
42And they all have different aspects to enjoy and to be thankful for.
43And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ...
44I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Today we talk about the word "season." We use this word in many different ways. 3"Season" can refer to one of the four parts of the year. For example, Washington, D.C. is in a part of the United States that has four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Some parts of the U.S. do not have four seasons. 4"Season" can also describe the periods marked by warmth and growth or cold weather and falling leaves. For example, when the weather becomes warmer and days are lighter longer, the growing season begins for some plants. When the weather gets colder and the days darker, the hibernation season begins for some animals. 5We also use "season" to describe periods that are only related to the weather. For example, some areas of the world have rainy seasons and dry seasons. Some parts of the U.S. have tornado season. And in other parts of the world there are monsoon seasons. 6"Season" can also refer to the time before and during a major holiday. December is a busy holiday season in many parts of the world. Holidays include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Winter Solstice. December is often a time to take a break from work and spend time with loved ones. 7Speaking of Christmas, when we say 'tis the season we are talking about something dealing with this holiday - its good side and its not-so-good side. For example, let's say I give a co-worker a big box of homemade cookies. They might say to me, "Thanks! But why are you giving me so many cookies?" I can answer, "'Tis the season!" 8Here is another example. If I go out to a store and it is packed with holiday shoppers, I could complain to a friend. And they could respond, "Well, 'tis the season!" What they really mean is this: At this time of the year, stores are usually very busy with Christmas shoppers. 9In fact, Christmas is like open season on shopping deals. "Open season on" something means that it is being hunted, targeted, or in this case ... bought. 10"Open season" also describes a period of time when a particular activity or opportunity is unrestricted. It is widely available. This term probably comes from hunting. Hunting traditionally has many restrictions. People can hunt only at certain times of the year and even then, there are restrictions on which animals and how many you can hunt. Fishing too has similar restrictions. But if it is open season, there are few restrictions. 11As in our earlier shopping example, we can use this term for just about anything that is targeted with few restrictions. When talking about the best times to travel, for example, it is a good idea to travel off-season. If few people are traveling, it is a good time to find cheap air travel, hotels, and rental cars. It is open season on travel deals. 12And like hunting season, we can have other "seasons" too. For example, beach areas are popular during tourist season. And people with allergies probably do not like hay fever season or allergy season. 13So, "season" can simply mean a time of the year marked by a special activity. Sports seasons, for example, are popular with fans of sports. 14We also have different seasons in our lives: Our time as children, going off to college, becoming parents, helping our aging parents, starting new careers or starting retirement. These are all different seasons of life. And they all have different aspects to enjoy and to be thankful for. 15And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... 16I'm Anna Matteo. 17Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 18___________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20refer to -v. (phrasal) to talks about or describe 21hibernate -v. to pass winter in a resting state : hibernation -n. 22complain -v. to say that you are unhappy with something 23cheap -adj. not costly; low cost 24rental -adj. something you have paid for the temporary use of 25allergy -n. a condition of being especially sensitive to things like pollen, mold or foods which can make a person suffering from it feel sick 26career -n. the period of working and doing a job in one's life, especially within one field or profession 27aspect -n. a part of something 28We want to hear from you. Do you have similar expressions in your language? Our comment policy is here.