50 Holidays Conversation Questions for the ESL Classroom

Holidays are a time for family, friends, and fun. They give us the opportunity to take a break from work or school and enjoy some much-needed relaxation.

There may be questions that we all ask ourselves from time to time such as

What are some fun facts about holidays?
What kind of traditions do you have on your family’s holiday?
What is your favorite Christmas movie?
What is your favorite holiday song?

In this blog post, you will find the most common questions people ask about holidays!


List of Holidays in the USA

The United States is a nation that has been profoundly shaped by the diversity of its people. The following are some of the most celebrated holidays in the United States.

October 31Halloween
December 25thChristmas
February 14 Valentine’s Day
March 17Saint Patrick’s Day
November 22–28 Thanksgiving
December 31 
(Floating Thursday)
New Year’s Day (New Year’s Eve)
May 8–14 
(Floating Sunday)
Thanksgiving
July 4thIndependence Day (Fourth of July)

Holidays Conversation Questions 

These are some holidays questions to ask your students so you can assess their speaking skills

These are some of the general questions that you can ask about holidays

  • What’s your favorite holiday?
  • When is that holiday celebrated?
  • Do you celebrate that holiday with your family or with your friends?
  • Is gift-giving a part of that holiday?
  • What do you like the most about that holiday?
  • Is that holiday a religious activity?
  • What holidays do you celebrate?
  • What holidays do you really look forward to?
  • What are some of the public holidays in your country?
  • Do you go to parties during the new year celebrations?
  • What are your favorite religious holidays?
  • What do you know about foreign holidays?
  • Are there any holidays that you really don’t like?
  • Do your countries have parades during certain holidays?
  • What Holidays do you consider stressful?
  • Do you prefer summer or winter holidays?
  • What are the most popular destinations in your country during some holidays?
  • Is it better to stay at home on holidays or go somewhere?
  • What holiday food do you like?
  • How far in advance do you plan your holidays?
  • What’s the most important holiday in your country?
  • Describe your dream holiday!

Holidays Conversation Questions: Christmas

These are some of the most common questions that people have about Christmas

  1. Do you decorate your house for Christmas?
  2. What do you do at Christmas?
  3. What’s the best gift you have received on Christmas?
  4. Do you usually give gifts for Christmas?
  5. Have you celebrated Christmas in another country?
  6. Do you remember how your family celebrated Christmas when you were a little kid?
  7. Did you enjoy last Christmas? What did you like about it?
  8. Do you have any special movies that you like to watch at Christmas?
  9. Do you attend any special religious ceremonies during the Christmas season?

Holidays Conversation Questions: Thanksgiving

These are some of the most common questions that people have about thanksgiving

  1. What do you know about Thanksgiving?
  2. Do you celebrate thanksgiving?
  3. Do you buy items online during Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
  4. What did you do for Thanksgiving when you were a kid?
  5. What are some Thanksgiving traditions in your family?

For more information about Thanksgiving Conversation questions and Vocabulary. Check my Thanksgiving Conversation Questions Post

Holidays Conversation Questions: Halloween

These are some of the most common questions that people have about Halloween

  1. Is Halloween an important day in your country?
  2. Is Halloween celebrated in your country? 
  3. Do religious people have negative opinions about Halloween?
  4. Did you go trick-or-treating as a child?
  5. Why do you like to celebrate Halloween?
  6. Do you think Halloween is dangerous?
  7. What do you think that some people don’t like Halloween?

Holidays Conversation Questions: Independence Day

These are some of the most common questions people have about independence day

  1. When is Independence day celebrated in your country?
  2. How is Independence day celebrated in your country?
  3. What do you like the most about celebrating independence day?
  4. Do cities organize parades during this holiday?

Conclusion

We hope you have a great conversation with the help of these questions about holidays.

What other questions should we include in our list?

You can send a message on Facebook with additional questions to make this list better

More ESL Conversation Questions

These are some posts with more ESL conversation that you might want to check out

  1. Questions about Hobbies
  2. Questions about the Environment
  3. 50 Conversation Questions about Entertainment
  4. 50 Questions about Animals
  5. ESL Conversations: 50 How Often Questions
  6. Future Plans Questions and Examples
  7. Frequency Adverbs Questions for the ESL Classroom
Manuel Campos, English Professor

Manuel Campos

I am Jose Manuel, English professor and creator of EnglishPost.org, a blog whose mission is to share lessons for those who want to learn and improve their English