Blue Christmas

• By: Elvis Presley, Martina McBride

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
blue /bluː/ A1	adjective - of a color intermediate between green and violet; of or relating to the sky on a cloudless day. noun - the color blue.
Christmas /ˈkrɪs.məs/ A1	noun - the annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth, held on December 25.
tree /triː/ A1	noun - a woody perennial plant, typically having a single stem or trunk growing to a considerable height and bearing lateral branches at some distance from the ground.
green /ɡriːn/ A1	adjective - of the color between blue and yellow in the spectrum; colored like grass or leaves. noun - the color green.
red /red/ A1	adjective - of a color like that of blood or a ruby. noun - the color red.
think /θɪŋk/ A1	verb - have a particular belief or idea.
snowflake /ˈsnoʊ.fleɪk/ B1	noun - a flake of snow, typically a flat crystal with six points.
memories /ˈmem.ər.iz/ B1	noun - something remembered from the past; a recollection.
decorations /ˌdek.əˈreɪ.ʃənz/ B1	noun - things used to make something look more attractive.
white /waɪt/ A1	adjective - of the color of milk or fresh snow, due to the reflection of all visible rays of light; the opposite of black. noun - the color white.
fall /fɔːl/ A2	verb - to drop or come down from a higher place.
call /kɔːl/ A1	verb - to give someone or something a name.
dear /dɪər/ A2	adjective - regarded with deep affection; cherished.

Grammar:

• It being the time of year that it is...

  ➔ Absolute Phrase

  ➔ An absolute phrase modifies the entire sentence, not a specific word. In this case, "It being the time of year that it is" sets the context for the statement. This is a more formal or literary structure. A more common version would be "Because it's that time of year..."

• I'd like to do my favorite Christmas song of all the ones I've recorded.

  ➔ Relative Clause with Omitted Relative Pronoun

  ➔ The phrase "all the ones I've recorded" contains a relative clause where the relative pronoun "that" or "which" is omitted. The full clause would be "all the ones that/which I've recorded". Omitting the relative pronoun is common when it's the object of the relative clause.

• I'll have a blue Christmas without you.

  ➔ Future Simple with Conditional Clause (implied)

  ➔ The sentence uses the future simple "I'll have" (I will have) to express a future state. The "without you" implies a conditional clause: If you are not here, I will have a blue Christmas. The full sentence could be "If you are not here, I will have a blue Christmas."

• Just thinkin' about you.

  ➔ Gerund as Noun

  ➔ "Thinkin'" (thinking) is a gerund, a verb form ending in -ing that functions as a noun. Here, it's used as a shortened form of "Just thinking about you makes me blue." It acts as a noun phrase.

• Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree won't be the same, dear, if you're not here with me.

  ➔ Zero Conditional with Future Negative

  ➔ This sentence contains a conditional structure expressing a general truth. The 'if' clause uses the present simple tense ('if you're not here'), and the main clause uses 'won't be' (will not be) – a future negative form. Zero conditionals are typically used for facts or habits that are always true.

• And when those blue snowflakes start fallin', that's when those blue memories start callin'.

  ➔ Time Clause with Correlative Conjunctions

  ➔ This sentence uses a time clause introduced by "when" and employs a correlative structure. "When" introduces the condition (when snowflakes fall), and "that's when" points to the result (memories start calling). This creates a clear cause-and-effect relationship related to time.