Hey there! This is TOP episode 226. Christmas in Hawaii
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Hey there! Welcome to our Christmas episode. Today we’re analysing some parts of a song titled ‘’Christmas in Hawaii’’ by one of my recent favorite bands “We The Kingdom”. Find the song, listen to it and let’s learn some useful vocabulary from it.
Before we jump into today’s episode I’d like to invite to another live training I’m going to give you for free. It’s going to be all about tenses. I’ll be giving not just one but a 3-day free training on grammar. Past, present and future. Sign up now! Go to teacherola.com/webinar and sign up because after these 3 days of grammar training you’ll feel much much more confident choosing tenses. Ok? It’s on the 22, 23, 24 January 2024. The first day of training, please remember, 22nd January, in Poland it’s a Grandfather’s Day. Teacherola.com/webinar. See you there!
I’m going to read the lyrics of the song “Christmass in Hawaii” by We The Kingdom and make a pause from time to time to explain some elements of vocabulary and give you extra sentences to show the given word in another context. Stay with me till the end because I’ll give you some sentences for practice.
Let’s begin!
In the land of aloha, where the palm trees sway
There’s a special Christmas tale, that I’ll share today
On the islands of Hawaii, so warm and bright
Good ole Santa Claus embarked on a tropical flight
Where the palm trees sway – to sway is to move slowly from side to side; to move something in this way. Listen to these examples:
In Hawaii palm trees sway.
The tall trees began to sway in the gentle breeze.
Good ole Santa Claus embarked on a tropical flight. To embark on something – to start to do something new or difficult. For example:
We are set to embark on a research expedition.
We will embark on a new project next week.
Listen to the lyrics:
With his eight reindeer, he sailed through the sky
Bringin’ joy and cheer as the waves rolled by
But little did he know, as he flew with glee
A mischievous adventure awaited in a coconut tree
But little did he know – The phrase means that Santa was unaware of a certain fact or outcome. His knowledge was limited or he had no knowledge of what was about to happen. Example sentences:
Little did she know that her friends were planning a surprise birthday party for her.
He accepted the job offer, but little did he know that it would require travel.
A mischievous adventure – here it means: causing trouble, such as damaging somebody’s reputation. For instance:
She told a mischievous lie to avoid getting into trouble.
Another meaning of this word is ‘naughty’, enjoying playing tricks and enjoying annoying people, like in this sentence:
He gave her a mischievous look before playing a prank on his friends.
Time for the chorus:
Santa got stuck in a coconut tree
Guess he’s outta luck, except for me
When I pull him down the world will sing
Merry, merry Christmas
Guess he’s outta luck – The phrase means that someone is not fortunate or has encountered a situation where things are not going well for them. Santa got stuck in a coconut tree, that’s so unlucky! He’s outta luck, out of luck. Examples:
Bob forgot his umbrella, and it started raining. Guess he’s outta luck.
Sarah missed the last bus home. Guess she’s outta luck tonight.
Let’s go back to the lyrics:
In the land of the hula, and ukulele’s tune
Old Saint Nick found himself underneath Hawaiian moon
With red and rosy cheeks, and his snowy white beard
He got tangled up in coconuts, even worse than it first appeared
He got tangled – twisted together in an untidy way, for example:
Her hair got tangled while playing outside.
Even worse than it first appeared – At first it looked fine, but in the end it turned out he wouldn’t get down easily because he was tangled in coconuts.
The situation was even worse than it first appeared.
Getting back to the lyrics:
Oh, with a laugh and a wink, he tried to break free
But his crimson coat was caught up in the tree
I looked up and said, “Santa, don’t you fear
I’ll bring the gifts this time and spread that Christmas cheer”
He tried to break free – “Break free” means to escape or get away from something that is holding you or keeping you restrained.
She tried to break free from the rope.
The cat tried to break free from the box.
But his crimson coat was caught up in the tree – his coat was caught up – his coat got stuck too. His crimson coat (crimson means dark red) became entangled or snagged in the tree, making it difficult for him to move freely. The coat is trapped or stuck in the branches of the tree.
He got caught up in traffic, so he arrived later than expected.
My shirt got caught up in the car door as I was closing it.
The very last bit, have a listen:
When he comes around with his jingle bell sleigh
Don’t be turned around if he’s wearing a lei
Rockin’ red and white flyin’ way up in the sky
Christmas in Hawaii
Don’t be turned around if he’s wearing a lei: “turned around” suggests not being surprised or confused if he is wearing a lei. It means not getting confused or disoriented by the unexpected sight of Santa wearing a lei. Santa wearing a lei? That’s weird. But wait, what’s ‘lei’? A Hawaiian “lei” is a necklace made of flowers. People in Hawaii often give or wear leis as a friendly gesture, a way to celebrate, or to welcome someone.
Time to practice. Listen to these sentences, I’ll say them twice, you can also use shadowing technique plus repeat the sentences out loud.
The tall trees began to sway in the gentle breeze.
We will embark on a new project next week.
He accepted the job offer, but little did he know that it would require travel.
She told a mischievous lie to avoid getting into trouble.
He gave her a mischievous look before playing a prank on his friends.
Bob forgot his umbrella, and it started raining. Guess he’s outta luck.
Her hair got tangled while playing outside.
The situation was even worse than it first appeared.
The cat tried to break free from the box.
He got caught up in traffic, so he arrived later than expected.
I hope you liked the song if you don’t know it, YouTube it now, it’s Christmas in Hawaii by ‘We The Kingdom’. Don’t forget to complete the Worksheet for this episode. It’s available at teacherola.com/226. Don’t forget to sign up for a 3-day free training where you’ll learn how to choose tenses properly! Sign up at teacherola.com/webinar. Thank you so much for listening and learning with me! I’ll be back next week, until then, stay fearless, say it out loud and merry merry Christmass. All the best to you and your families. My name’s Ola Mierniczak, and you were listening to Teacher Ola Podcast. Bye for now!