關於 year end party decorations ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

2020 might have been a turbulent year but we still wanted to end it on a happy, positive and somewhat magical note. Yup, the year end is when I will host birthday parties for each of the kids and we come up with different themes depending on what they like.

Since we were in Phase 2 this year which only allowed five guests to be in our house at any time, I knew it would be a challenge to conduct birthday parties yet I didn't want to use it as an excuse not to do anything. Back in October, I asked the big girl - whose birthday comes first in November - if she would like to invite five of her closest friends over for a craft party. Even though I knew it would have made her happy like it did every year, she was so sweet to say "Mama, it's okay. You don't have to work to hard this year (and you are pregnant), I can do without a birthday party."

That totally melted my heart. Yet somehow, instead of purely feeling relieved, I began to wonder how I could still do something for the kids since their birthdays are always special to me. It was then I suggested that we hold a combined celebration for all three of them since their birthdays fall close to each other and that we could come up with a theme that all of them liked, could relate to and was excited about.

It wasn't long before the idea of having a Magic Party came to our minds since the girls picked up some magic tricks this year during the circuit breaker period and even the little brother was thrilled when we said that the kids could join forces to perform a magic show. So we put our thoughts into action and started creating their magician costumes, did up a 'stage', came up with decorations and went through rehearsals to get ready for the big day. I also planned a surprise for the kids by having Ian of True Vine Kids Magic to show us what close-up magic means which amazed and inspired everyone present at the table. Read on to find out more about what happened at our one-of-a-kind magic party!

☆ネイティブの生の会話からリアルな英語を学ぶ☆
　
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1) Teeny（とても小さい）
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teeny はsmallやlittleを強調した表現で、「とても小さい」や「ちっちゃな」を意味します。日常会話では「すごくちっちゃい」をteeny-tinyと表現することがよくあります。その他、「ちょっぴり」をteeny bitと表現することもあります。
　
＜例文＞
　
Look at these teeny-tiny shoes. They’re so cute.
（このちっちゃな靴見て。すごく可愛いよ。）
　
I lived in a teeny-tiny apartment in Japan.
（日本ではすごく小さなアパートに住んでいました。）
　
That looks good. Can I get a teeny bit?
（それ美味しそうだね。ちょっとだけもらってもいい？）
　
　
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2) Christmas spirit（クリスマス気分）
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spiritは気分や精神を意味することから、Christmas spirit は「クリスマス気分」を表します。この表現は、クリスマスソングを聞いてテンションが上がったり、イルミネーションを見てハッピーな気分になったりと、気持ちがクリスマスモードに入るときに使われます。
同様の意味で、日常会話ではholiday spiritと表現することもあります。厳密にはholiday spiritは「休日気分」と言う意味になりますが、クリスマスシーズンに使われるのが一般的です。
　
＜例文＞
　
This song always puts me in the Christmas spirit.
（この曲を聴くといつもクリスマス気分になるよ。）
　
I don’t know why but I just can’t get in the holiday spirit this year.
（なぜか分からないけど、今年はクリスマス気分になれないんだよね。）
　
There’s a lot that happened this year but I’m in good spirits.
（今年は色々ありましたが、私は元気です。）
　
　
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3) Christmassy（クリスマスらしい）
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名詞の語尾に y を加えると、「〜ぽい」や「〜らしい」、「〜のような」といった意味になることから、Christmassyは「クリスマスらしい」を意味します。例えば、「水っぽい」はwatery、「冬らしい」はwintry、「海っぽい」は beachyのように表します。
　
＜例文＞
　
Wow, look at all the Christmas lights and decorations. It’s so Christmassy.
（うわー、クリスマスのイルミネーションとデコレーションを見て。すごくクリスマスっぽいよ。）
　
It’s really starting to feel wintry these days.
（最近はホントに冬らしくなってきましたね。）
　
This fried chicken is so garlicky. I love it!
（この唐揚げ、ガーリックの風味がすごく効いてて最高！）
　
　
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4) For the sake of（〜のために）
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for the sake of は「〜のために」や「〜の目的で」を意味する表現です。sakeは人や物事のために何かをすることを意味し、benefitと似た意味合いがあります。今日の会話でクリスは「I don’t think that’s going to happen this year for the sake of safety.」と言いましたが、これは「今年は安全のために実家へ戻ることはないだろう」と言う意味になります。
　
＜例文＞
　
You should stop smoking for the sake of your health.
（健康のためにタバコはやめたほうがいいよ。）
　
It’s important to wear a mask for the sake of your safety and the safety of others.
（自分と周囲の人たちの安全のためにマスクを着用することは重要です。）
　
I decided to move to the countryside for the sake of my kids.
（子供達のために田舎へ引っ越すことにしました。）
　
　
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5) Partake in（〜に参加する）
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partake in はイベントやセミナー、ミーティングなど、何かしらの行事に参加することを意味します。joinやparticipateの代わりに使える表現ですが、少しフォーマルな響きがあります。
　
＜例文＞
　
Would you like to partake in this game? It’s a lot of fun.
（このゲームに参加しない？すごく楽しいよ。）
　
Just to be safe, I decided not to partake in my company’s year-end party this year.
（念の為、今年は会社の忘年会に参加しないことにしました。）
　
Are you sure you don’t want to partake in New Year’s Eve festivities?
（本当に大晦日のイベントに参加したくないの？）
　
　
　
　
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本日ご紹介したフレーズは、iTunes Japanの「ベストポッドキャスト」に2017から4年連続選出されたHapa英会話の人気コンテンツPodcast第319回「クリスマスの祝い方」の内容の一部です。Podcastの全内容をご覧になりたい方は、Hapa英会話のブログをチェック！会話の全文、会話の要約、ピックアップしたフレーズ、ポッドキャストでは説明できなかった表現や言い回しが掲載されています。
　
https://hapaeikaiwa.com/podcast319
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Abracadabra, it's a Magic Party! 🎩🐰🪄

We might not be able to hold big birthday parties this year but that doesn't mean we can't have a cosy, intimate one in the comfort of our home.

The good thing about having three year end babies whose big days all fall during the school holidays and who said they prefer to celebrate together means we could choose to have just one themed party this year.

And that was what we did.

Being aspiring magicians who had picked up a few tricks recently, the kids were thrilled to have a Magic Party over the weekend. Apart from the decorations, we also DIY-ed their costumes including the wands, made to measure hats and personalised capes - which did make them look the part, right?

This stage backdrop was specially set up for them so that they could have their first ever magic show, woohoo! Even though the audience was not huge and comprised of cousins and grandparents, these three were still a tad nervous despite going through a few rehearsals. Nonetheless, they gave their very best and put up a good show for everyone, earning rounds of applause. It was definitely a good way to build up their confidence while celebrating their big day.

I will be sharing more on the party soon and you can also check out my highlights under 'Magic' for all the fun happenings. Let's party!

#ahappymum #birthday #magicparty #celebration #DIY #creativity521 #homepartiesarethebest #yearendbabies