A common Christmas present in China is apples wrapped in beautiful gift wrapping—Christmas with a Chinese flavor. Giving apples on Christmas Eve is an interesting custom that can be seen in China. So why apples? Chinese people care a lot about harmony. The "苹 (píng)" in "苹果 (píngguǒ) apple" and the "平 (píng)" in "平安 (píng’ān) safe" have the same sound, and so to Chinese people giving an apple has the metaphorical meaning of wishing someone "平安 (píng’ān)."

New Words:

1. 平安夜 (Pínɡ’ān yè): Christmas Eve
(Take Examples to Know More About "平安夜 (Píng’ān yè) Christmas Eve")

2. 平安 (Píng’ān): Safe and sound; without mishap; well

Examples:
     Wǒ yào zài pínɡ’ān yè sòng yígè píngguǒ gěi nǐ.
1. 我要在平安夜送一个苹果给你。
     I want to give you an apple on Christmas Eve.

A. Safe night
B. Christmas Eve
C. Christmas day
D. Night of apples

Part Ⅱ: 24 Magical Chinese Coins

Find 24 dimes from 24 different people, if you buy an apple with those 24 dimes and give it to the person you like, you will get true love! And if you buy yourself an apple with those 24 dimes, make a wish at midnight on Christmas eve and then eat the apple, the wish will come true.

Note:

you can only buy one apple with those 24 dimes, even though it only costs you 12 dimes, you have to give 24 dimes to the seller.

New Word:
硬币 (Yìngbì): coin

Example:
Nǐ nénɡ ɡěi wǒ yíɡè yì máo (jiǎo) qián de yìnɡbì mɑ?
你能给我一个一毛（角）钱的硬币吗？
Can you give me one dime?

Click "Read more" to know how Chinese people collect these 24 dimes!

Chinese popular song for Children: "吉祥三宝 (jíxiáng sān bǎo) Sambo Auspicious"

"吉祥三宝 (Jíxiáng sān bǎo) sambo auspicious" is a song Buren Bayar wrote to his three-year-old daughter who liked to ask many questions and Buren would answer all of them. Buren said that in his view, a direct and crude refusal to answer questions was a disservice to the child's young mind. Every utterance of "no" out of a parent's mouth is like a nuisance that prevents a child from moving forward.

Therefore, Buren communicates with his daughter with a serious and equal attitude, patiently giving an answer. The song "吉祥三宝 (jíxiáng sān bǎo) sambo auspicious" describes exactly that unforgettable experience.

The original song was created in Mongolian, and later the composer Wang Bao changed it into a Chinese song. With a cheerful tune, It is full of childlike playfulness. It is also a lovely, stunning, and popular song with the kind of charm which spans beyond language, culture, and age.

Lyrics:

Xiǎo nǚhái: "Bàba."
小女孩："爸爸。"
The little girl: "Dad."

Bàba: "Āi."
爸爸："哎。"
Dad: "Aye."

Xiǎo nǚhái: "Tàiyáng chūlái yuèliàng huíjiā le ma?"
小女孩："太阳出来月亮回家了吗？"
The little girl: "Is the sun coming up and the moon going home?"

Bàba: "Duì la."
爸爸："对啦。"
Dad: "Right."

Xiǎo nǚhái: "Xīngxing chūlái tàiyáng qù nǎlǐ la?"
小女孩："星星出来太阳去哪里啦?"
The little girl: "The stars are coming out and where did the sun go?"

Bàba: "Zài tiānshàng."
爸爸："在天上。"
Dad: "In the sky."

Xiǎo nǚhái: "Wǒ zěnme zhǎo yě zhǎo bú dào tā."
小女孩："我怎么找也找不到它。"
The little girl: "I can’t find it with all my effort."

Bàba: "Tā huíjiā la."
爸爸："它回家啦。"
Dad: "It has gone home."

Héchàng: "Tàiyáng yuèliàng xīngxing jiù shì jíxiáng de yì jiā."
合唱："太阳月亮星星就是吉祥的一家。"
Together: "The sun, the moon, and the star are a lucky family."

Xiǎo nǚhái: "Māma."
小女孩："妈妈。"
The little girl: "Mom."

Māma: "Āi ."
妈妈："哎。"
Mom: "Aye."

Xiǎo nǚhái: "Yèzi lǜ le shénme shíhòu kāihuā?"
小女孩："叶子绿了什么时候开花？"
The little girl: "The leaves turn green and when will they bloom?"

Māma: "Děng xiàtiān lái le."
妈妈："等夏天来了。"
Mom: "Wait till the arrival of the summer."

Xiǎo nǚhái: "Huār hóng le guǒshí néng qù zhāi ma?"
小女孩："花儿红了果实能去摘吗？"
The little girl: "Can we pick the fruits when the flowers turn red?"

Māma: "Děng qiūtiān dào lā."
妈妈："等秋天到啦。"
Mom: "Wait till the arrival of the autumn."

Xiǎo nǚhái: "Guǒshí zhòng zài tǔ lǐ néng fāyá ma?"
小女孩："果实种在土里能发芽吗?"
The little girl: "Can the fruit sprout when it is planted in the soil?"

Māma: "Tā huì zhǎngdà de!"
妈妈："它会长大的!"
Mom: "It will grow up!"

Héchàng: "Huār yèzi guǒshí jiù shì jíxiáng de yì jiā."
合唱："花儿叶子果实就是吉祥的一家。"
Together: "The flowers, the leaves, and the fruits are a lucky family."

Bàba māma: "Bǎobèi."
爸爸妈妈："宝贝。"
Dad and mom: "Baby."

Nǚr: "A."
女儿："啊。"
Daughter: "Ah."

Bàba māma: "Bàba xiàng tàiyáng zhào zhe māma."
爸爸妈妈："爸爸像太阳照着妈妈。"
Dad and mom: "Dad shines on mom like a sun."

Nǚr: "Nà māma?"
女儿："那妈妈呢？"
Daughter: "What about mom?"

Bàba māma: "Māma xiàng lǜ yè tuō zhe hóng huā."
爸爸妈妈："妈妈像绿叶托着红花。"
Dad and mom: "Mom is like a green leaf holding the red flowers up."

Nǚr: "Wǒ ne?"
女儿："我呢？"
Daughter: "And me?"

Bàba Māma: "Nǐ xiàng zhǒngzi yíyàng zhèngzài fāyá."
爸爸妈妈："你像种子一样正在发芽。"
Dad and mom: "You’re germinating like a seed.

Héchàng: "Wǒmen sān gè jiù shì jíxiáng rúyì de yì jiā."
合唱："我们三个就是吉祥如意的一家。" 
Together: "We are a lucky family."

Click "Read more" to learn more related key words and examples.