What I am thinking about here is the various nuances that can be achieved in English for this expression. Basically, I think of 「してもらう」 as ‘getting someone to do something for you’, as in :

• The teacher got us to do a brief self-introduction (for her = the teacher).
• The President got her to reschedule the meeting (for him = the president).

As you may infer from the examples, ‘getting someone to do something for you’ suggests relationship where one person has power over another; the expression lacks any suggestion of tact or elaborate means - basically we can assume that someone effectively ‘ordered’ someone to do something. You can also use ‘have someone do something for you’ as it has the same nuance :

• The teacher had us do a brief self-introduction.
• The President had her reschedule the meeting.

I suppose it could also be used in informal situations without that ‘power’ nuance being so strong, but you should be a little careful about saying :

• I got Jo to get me some cigarettes from the convenience store.

Jo might be a little offended if he heard you talking about him like that - obviously it would be better to explain that :

• I asked Jo to get me some…
• Jo’s getting me some…

The key thing here is HOW you ‘get someone to do something for you’. If you’re just using your power or status then ‘get someone to do something for you’ is OK.

An alternative is : ‘persuade someone to do something’ as in :

• I persuaded him to come on to the second party with us.
• We persuaded the bouncer to let us back in.

In this case, it implies that ‘he’ in the first example, and ‘the bouncer’ in the second, were unwilling to do what I/we wanted, but relented after I/we reasoned or negotiated with them. Clearly, in this case the power relationship is reversed. There are a variety of variations for this kind of sentence :

• We persuaded them to increase their order.
  • (ie., we negotiated successfully and overcame their initial opposition)
• We appealed to them to increase their order.
  • (includes no info about the success or not of our negotiations, only that we formally ‘asked them’ to consider our request, usually from a position of weakness)
• We convinced them to increase their order.
  • (Our request was reasonable and backed up by logical argument - once we had explained it to them, they ‘understood’ and therefore agreed. Our position was intellectually stronger than theirs).

If you need to express that someone in a position of power over you, or of superior status to you, did something for you, then we might use expressions like :

• The boss agreed to speak to him for me.
  • (In response to a specific request from me)
• The boss was good/kind enough to pay for the whole meal.
  • (Probably without being asked to do so. Quite a formal expression, but usable in normal speech)

If you’re explaining that someone else ‘had you do something’, there are again a variety of expressions you can use :

• I was persuaded to drink another beer, though I’d really had enough by then.
  • (obviously a certain degree of ’sophistry’ may be involved here, or a kind of double irony - you don’t want to let on that you did want to drink more anyway…)
• I agreed to have another, even though I was already fairly baked.
  • (does not suggest that you were ‘forced’, or rather that kind of nuance is not as strong as with ‘persuade’)
• They twisted my arm into going on to the second party with them.
  • (a figurative expression : children often twist each other’s arms as a form of play fighting to get someone to agree to something. From there, we have the sense of forcing someone ‘in fun’ to do something they are originally against doing; again, is often used ironically)
• I was inveigled into joining them for the second party.
  • (verb is a little rare in daily speech, but not unusual in intelligent company; its rarity adds a certain comic flavour; ironic like ‘persuade’ or ‘twisted my arm’)

A fairly unsystematic, rambling selection perhaps, but hopefully not without interest for the advanced or intermediate reader.

This is a topic that really gets me - I find it so bizaare that so many young Japanese couples choose to hold a christian wedding ceremony. A ceremony that takes as its prerequisite a belief in an alien religion, about which most people who dress up in tuxedos and white dresses (here in Japan anyway) know next to nothing.

Of course, a lot of British people marry in a christian ceremony without really believing in anything particular, but at least the priest who conducts the proceedings does believe in what he is doing. And maybe that is the key point. I bumped into an Australian friend the other day in a hotel by the sea near Gamagori city. I was there for a wedding party (more alternative than christian in this case), and he was there because he had just conducted a marriage service for a Japanese couple there. As we were talking a man, probably in his late 50s, came up to us and asked, “What church are you from?”. My friend paused awkwardly for a moment, and then said ‘Roman Catholic’. This answer met with approval, though the old man continued, “In Nagoya?” This rather stumped us, as neither I nor my friend attend church at all. At this point, we had no choice but to play dumb and feign ignorance of Japanese… The man walked off slowly.

The friend in question here works for one of the many wedding companies that provide ‘priests’ for marriages in Japan. It’s a part-time job for him on the weekends, and he makes a respectable amount of money for doing it. He’s fairly experienced now, but he used to stumble his way through the Japanese script, mangling the pronunciation almost out of recognition. But none of that seems to bother the happy couples. It’s all very light and breezy, with none of the solemn weight of centuries of tradition that we usually associate with a religious ceremony.

I’m not really writing this to criticize, though I must admit I find it a little amusing; and I can respect people choosing a ceremony for aesthetic reasons - I chose to get married at a shrine and dressed up like Japanese men have done for hundreds of years on formal occasions. Of course, that was an aesthetic choice for me, and also it was because I am living in Japan and my wife is Japanese. It just felt right. I wish I could understand why a christian wedding just ‘feels right’ for young people in Japan. Is it some kind of fashion statement? A sign of modernity? The outward expression of a lifestyle choice?

I think it’s a bit of a shame that young people here don’t see christian weddings for the sham that they are. That’s not a priest, it’s an English teacher boosting his income with a bit of part-time romaji ceremonizing… it could even be me! I don’t want to be one of those types who gets up in arms about Japanese abandoning their traditional culture - such people can be very boring. It’s actually a remarkable example of Japanese flexibility and ability to integrate ‘foreign’ ideas; though a true believer in christianity would probably be a little shocked at the light-hearted adoption of a christian ceremony, and I personally can’t help feeling that it does show a lack of pride in Japanese home-grown traditions. I suppose it’s typical of a less flexibly-minded Englishman to think it strange that Japanese people want to marry in a mock-up of a christian ceremony…

そういうのを考えると、「おばあさん」とは、自分の祖母というより、「年寄りの女の人」という意味になります。年寄りといっても、まだ曖昧な語ですね。具体的にいうと、「おばあさん」とは、「繁殖期年齢を超えている女の人」だ、という結論ができる。英語の「grandmother」には、そういうニュアンスはまったくありません。それは、自分の祖母をさす語に過ぎない。

日本社会では、「繁殖期年齢を超えている女の人」といったはっきりしたカテゴリーがあるわけですね。そのカテゴリーは、「おばあさん」属だ！

もう一つの面白い語は、「おばさん」ですね。三十歳を過ぎている女性達の中には、「おばさん」と呼ばれてもかまわない女の人がいるでしょうかね！英語で、自分の親戚の「おばさん」や「おじさん」を「aunt」「uncle」と言いますが、これはまた親戚をさす語に過ぎない。もっと広い意味の「おばさん」とは全然違う。

イギリスでも、「aunt」と呼ばれて嫌がる女の人もいるけれども、それは「女性に対する年齢差別」というより「堅苦しい呼び方」だからです。 この語を考えるとなぜか、日本で、イギリスより、女の人は年齢差別の被害者であるように思える。そんな事ないでしょうね。言葉だけじゃなくて、言い方や音色によって気持ちも込められるからでしょうね。

今回は、勝手に考えている事を書いてすみません！

I hope that is enough to start you thinking about explaining Japanese political issues to foreigners you meet, here and abroad.

• He is good at sport. [See post to listen to audio]
• I am bad at singing. [See post to listen to audio]

英語でしゃべっている時は、上記のように単純に「good」か「bad」だけで表現するのはめずらしいです。こういう場合は、形容詞の前にその程度を示す言葉を使います。例えば、「very」とか「quite」など。次の例文は、一番上手から一番下手と言った順番に書いてありますので、ご参照ください。

• be brilliant at ~
• - He is brilliant at tennis. [See post to listen to audio]
• be very good at ~
• - She is very good at English. [See post to listen to audio]
• be quite good at ~
• - They are quite good at cooking. [See post to listen to audio]
• be OK at ~ / be alright at ~
• - I’m OK at tennis. / I’m alright at tennis. [See post to listen to audio]
• be not very good at ~
• - I’m not very good at singing. [See post to listen to audio]
• be quite bad at ~
• - He’s quite bad at public speaking. [See post to listen to audio]
• be really bad at ~
• - I’m really bad at French. [See post to listen to audio]
• be terrible at ~ / be rubbish at ~
• - I’m terrible at karaoke. / I’m rubbish at karaoke. [See post to listen to audio]

質問する時は、大体こういう風に聞きます：「Are you any good at ~?」、「Is she any good at ~?」、など。答える時は、短い答えで十分です：

• Are you any good at cooking. [See post to listen to audio]
• No, I’m rubbish. [See post to listen to audio]

• Are you any good at dancing? [See post to listen to audio]
• Yeah, I’m alright. [See post to listen to audio]

• Is she any good at English? [See post to listen to audio]
• Yes, she’s very good. [See post to listen to audio]

因に、「rubbish」は「ゴミ」という意味で、ちょっと面白い言葉遣いです。「I’m rubbish at tennis.」とは「私のテニスはゴミだ」要するに「私のテニスはゴミと同じ価値がある」。汚い英語で言う場合は、「shit」という単語を使います。「Shit」は「くそ」という意味ですから、汚いので、丁寧な社会では使わない方がいいです。丁寧に言うなら「I’m terrible」や「I’m rubbish」と言えばいいです。

• Are you any good at dancing?
• No, I’m shit. [See post to listen to audio]

アメリカ人だったら、多分「No, I suck」とか「No, my dancing sucks」とかと言うかもしれないが、イギリス人は、意味が掴めると言っても、「suck」という動詞をそういう風に使わないということを覚えておいた方が良いかも知れません。

In the case of Japanese students of English, I had a conversation last night which got me thinking about what you could say. Last night I was talking to my father on the phone and we got to talking about the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima (we didn’t talk about Nagasaki), and from there about how Japanese people feel about America. To my surprise, my dad had no idea that Okinawa was only returned to the Japanese in 1973. And I am sure that most English people are not aware of this fact.

Anyone who has a little bit of historical knowledge about Japan will know that the war, the atomic bombs, the surrender and the American occupation deeply traumatized the Japanese psyche. But the fact is that most westerners who have not spent time in Japan do not know about this aspect of Japanese history. So, I would like to suggest that Japanese students of English try talking about their country’s history since the war when they go abroad. You should appeal to the people you meet about Japan’s true identity and the injustices it has experienced, the heavy penalty it paid for its role in the Second World War.

Particularly with regard to the American occupation, I think you will find many people ready to give you a sympathetic ear; certainly it goes against the grain for Japanese to feel sorry for themselves and to appeal for sympathy, but there is nothing wrong with talking about the recent past in order to deepen people’s understanding. As my conversation with my Dad last night made clear, the level of ignorance about Japan in the West is surprisingly high; but people ARE very interested to hear the true story ‘from the horse’s mouth’, so to speak.

[ NB. 'from the horse's mouth'というのは、「直接に」とか「一番確かな節から」とか「本人から」とかという意味です。]

deviating from ~ - 〜から離れる・偏向する / anecdote - 逸話

One day, as we were studying, one of the teachers gave us a challenge that I found very motivating; he said to us, “It’s all very well studying Russian, but you need to have something to say in it!”. Of course, what he was pointing out to us is that no matter how many lessons you take, no matter how perfect your grammatical knowledge, unless you put some energy into thinking about what you want to say your linguistic knowledge will never be of much use. I found that a very deep observation - not just about being able to make conversation - which started me thinking about “Why am I learning Russian?”, “What am I going to say to people when I go to Russia?”. The teacher’s comment helped me to realize that it is a luxury, an honour, and a responsibility to be able to speak another country’s language. He was encouraging us to make the most of this opportunity. It also made me aware of the way that speaking a foreign language gives you a chance to change your identity, even to change your personality.

challenge - 挑戦・呼びかけ・チャレンジ / motivating - 刺激的・動機をもたらすような
it’s all very well ~ing - 〜するのは良いんだけど / point out - 指摘する
no matter how many lessons you take - レッスンをいくつ受けても
no matter how perfect your grammatical knowledge - どれだけ完璧な文法知識をもっていても
unless you ~ - 〜しなければ / never be of much use - いつまでも役に立つものにならない
I found that a very deep observation - とても深い発言だと思った
realize - 気がつく・気づく / a luxury - 贅沢な事 / an honour - 光栄
make the most of this opportunity - この機会を逃さない（ように）
made me aware of ~ - 〜と言う事を意識化させた

The reason I am writing about this here, is to share with Japanese students of English this very deep idea. You should never underestimate the importance of your English; especially if you go abroad, the way you behave and the things you say will live on in the memory of the people you meet. Every government has a ‘Foreign Ministry‘ of some kind or other, but the real, and most important, diplomats or spies or ambassadors of the world are the numerous ordinary people who have mastered another language to the point that they can communicate their feelings and ideas effectively in it. To a certain extent, if you are Japanese and you go to stay for some time in an English-speaking country, for the time that you are there, you are like a VIP, or an ambassador; no-one will probably pay you any money, but it is still a great responsibility and honour to represent your country, AND, perhaps more importantly, represent yourself and the ideas you care about in a foreign land.

underestimate - 過小評価する
live on in the memory of the people you meet - 会った人の記憶に残ろ
government - 政府 / Foreign Ministry - 外務省
of some kind or other - ある種類の〜 / diplomat - 外交官 / ambassador - 大使
numerous - 多数 / to the point that ~ - 〜が出来るところまで
to a certain extent - ある程度 / you are like a VIP - あなたは、VIPのようです
represent - 代表する / the ideas you care about - あなたが大事に思っている考え

Travelling abroad has become a commonplace activity, but communicating with people in a foreign language should never be.

commonplace - 平凡な
should never be - （平凡）になるべきではない・なってはいけない

encourage ~ to = - 〜が＝をするように励ます / exactly - ちょうど・まさに

One of the exciting things that happens as you study a language intensively is that parts of your brain become stimulated - parts that you would probably never normally use. Some learners report having dreams in which they are able to understand and speak a foreign language fluently. Maybe you have experienced this - a dream where you were speaking in fluent English, even though you cannot yet speak fluently in real life? When you are encouraged to ‘think in English’, maybe this is what you imagine?

intensively - 集中的に・強烈に・徹底的に / become stimulated - 刺激される
report - 言う・語る・伝達する / having dreams - 夢を見る事
fluently - 流暢に・ペラペラ / have experienced - 経験した事がある
even though you cannot yet ~ - まだ〜出来ないのに / imagine - 想像する

Obviously, if you are not English, then thinking in English is a difficult thing to do - how do you get that little voice in your head to stop speaking Japanese all the time and switch to English? I believe this is possible, and the key is : your attitude to GRAMMAR. Now I’m not suggesting that students only need to know grammar - that’s not true. I believe in English lessons that are practical and offer students the chance to speak and listen and not just note down grammar rules. BUT, how you understand English grammar is actually very important if you want to achieve your goal of ‘thinking in English’.

obviously - 明らかに・明白に / switch to ~ - 〜に切り替える
the key - 要 / attitude to grammar - 文法に対する態度・捉え方
suggest - 提案する・すすめる / practical - 現実的
offer ~ the chance to = - 〜に＝をする機会を与える
note down - 記す / achieve - 達成する / goal - 目標・目的

At first, we see grammar as a set of rules that we have to learn. But it’s important to remember that you probably learned to speak Japanese (if you are a native) without once being taught a grammar rule. So, for all practical purposes, language comes first, and grammar rules tend to follow after, as we analyse the language we are using every day (I was about 14 before I really understood what a ‘verb’ or an ‘adjective’ really is). When we learn a foreign language though, the process is reversed. We start with the grammar rules and have to work backwards to being able to produce natural language.

see grammar as ~ - 文法を〜と見なす / without once being taught - 一度も教わらずに
for all practical purposes - 実際的には / tend to follow after - 後についてくる傾向にある
analyse - 分析する / process - 過程・プロセス / is reversed - 逆になる・裏返しになる

It is my opinion that what your teachers mean when they say ‘think in English’, is that you need to make the jump from grammar rules to real language. Remember that you are doing what natives do, but in reverse. Don’t think of grammar rules as rules imposed on you by teachers and textbooks and tests. The rules are simplifications of patterns that occur in any language. All grammar is about is RECOGNIZING PATTERNS in language. You did the same with Japanese when you were 2 or 3 years old - you listened to the people around you and you recognized the patterns in their speech; sometimes you probably made mistakes, but no-one ever told you that you had failed! A certain amount of trial and error is part of everyone’s experience.

in reverse - 常と反対に・自然と逆に
don’t think of grammar as ~ - 文法を〜（だ）と思わないで
imposed on you by ~ - 〜によって（あなたに）負わせられた
simplifications - 簡単化された物 / patterns - パターン・模様
occur - 生ずる・発生する・生まれる / recognizing - 見て理解して受け入れる・容認する
no-one ever told you that you had failed - あなたがそれで失敗したと誰も言わなかったでしょう
a certain amount - ある量・ある程度の / trial and error - 試行錯誤

Clearly, in Japan, it is probably impossible for you to be constantly surrounded by native speakers who love you and feed you and play with you (like parents do for their children) all the time speaking English so that you can become familiar with the language! No, unfortunately, you are an adult, so you will probably have to start with the grammar and work backwards. Try to see the rules as pointing out patterns in the language; keep your mind relaxed and every now and again, step back from your books and try to ‘get a feel for the language’ (the best way to do this would be by having a conversation with a native speaker, joining an Eikaiwa class, etc.).

constantly surrounded - いつも囲まれている / feed - 食べ物を与える
become familiar with - 何かに慣れてくる・親しむ / pointing out - 指摘する事
get a feel for ~ - 気持ち・感じを掴む・把握する

Once you can see and understand the patterns behind the grammar rules, you can ‘forget the rules’ and just speak. This is the final step towards ‘thinking in English’ : when the rules, those pointers to patterns in language, have become second nature to you. You don’t need to constantly remind yourself of an old friend’s name - it’s important to you, so you remember it. If you can have experiences using English which are important to you, your English will improve - it’s a ‘virtuous circle‘.

become second nature - 完全に身に付く・自然になる・潜在意識に入っているようになる
don’t need to constantly remind yourself - 絶えずに思い出させる必要がない
virtuous circle - 善循環

I hope that this post has given you an idea of how to take a positive approach to grammar; relax and don’t underestimate your natural ability to learn a language by recognizing patterns.

take a positive approach to ~ - 〜に（対して）前向きに（取り組むなど）
underestimate - 過小評価する・実際より少なく見積もる
natural ability - 生まれつきの能力・自然な能力

It’s important to be honest with yourself about your progress in learning English. You shouldn’t judge your ability only by comparing yourself with other students in your school. What you need is to set your own standards… - you already speak at least one language fluently, which means you know what it means to ‘be able to speak a language’… - and realistic goals that challenge you but are achievable in your daily life.

honest - 正直 / progress - 前進
judge your ability only by ~ - 〜だけで自分の能力を判断する
comparing yourself with other students - 自分を他の生徒に比べる
what you need is… - 必要なのは〜です

So many students I meet in Japan are always putting themselves down - ‘I can’t do it’, ‘I don’t understand’, ‘I’ll never be able to speak English’, ‘It’s just not possible for me’ - and that negative voice in their minds becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. It’s time for a bit of positivity, so here’s my New Year ‘pep-talk‘ for everyone who wants to make a fresh start with their English this year.

putting themselves down - 自分をけなす
negative voice in their minds - （彼らの）頭の中の否定的な声
a self-fulfilling prophesy - 事故達成的な予言（要するに、予言されたために実現してしまう）
pep-talk - 激励演説・激励のことば
make a fresh start - やりなおす

You’re not going to get anywhere by being too negative, but at the same time, it is quite important to keep some pressure on yourself to get better. If you often try to start conversations with people, you will often feel the limits of your English ability and probably feel quite frustrated as well. This is a very important feeling and should not be ignored - you need this frustration at the limits of your English and you need to channel it into positive energy. That frustration at not being able to express yourself clearly, or at not being able to understand what other people are saying, THAT is like fuel for your engine - it is the single most important feeling to have when you are learning a language. Don’t let it get you down! Just work out what you need to do so that you can avoid that same feeling of frustration the next time you speak English.

not going to get anywhere - どこにも進歩しない
feel the limits of your English ability - 自分の英語力の制限を感じる
probably - おそらく / feel frustrated - 頓挫・挫折した気持ち
should not be ignored - 無視してはいけない
channel it into positive energy - それをポジチヴエネルギーに導く
That frustration at not being able to express yourself clearly - 自分の言いたいことを通じさせることができない挫折した気持ち
fuel - 燃料 / the single most important feeling - なによりも第一の感情
Don’t let it get you down - 絶望してはいけない
work out - 知ろうとする・理解しようとする / avoid - 避ける

If you’re really overweight, but don’t care about it, you’re never going to get thin. If you couldn’t care less about not being good at English, then you will never get good at English. So, you need that pressure and that frustration inside you - it just means that you care.

overweight - 太っている・太りすぎている
don’t care about it - それを気にしない・平気である
you’re never going to get thin - やせる分けない
couldn’t care less about - （のことを）どうでもいいと思っている

Just don’t let it overwhelm you - channel it into positive energy by asking yourself these questions :

• What can I do to stop feeling this way?
• What do I need to learn in order to feel more happy about my English?
• How long is it going to take me to get to a level I can feel happy with?

This last question is really important. There are a few geniuses out there who can pick up a language in a few months, but for most of us it takes many years… and we have to keep ourselves motivated during that time. Be realistic about your goals - unless you’re a genius, or have an amazing memory, it is going to take a long time to get really good at English. You can spend your whole life learning English, but as long as you are happy doing it, that is all that matters.

overwhelm - 圧倒する / geniuses - 天才の人々
pick up a language - 外国語を身につける / realistic - 現実的
unless - 〜じゃない場合
that is all that matters - それだけが大事だ

So, channel your frustration, judge yourself honestly and fairly and take your time. That’s my advice to all those who really want to improve their English this year.

For Christians, Christmas is the second most important festival of the year, after Easter (which is at the end of April or beginning of May). For most people, however, it is the most festive of all festivals. Families come together for a day of eating, drinking and exchanging presents; for children it is still one of the most fun days of the year, as they receive their long-awaited presents.

festive - 祝祭らしい / long-awaited - 待ち通しの

Nowadays, the religious significance of Christmas is fading, but due to the continuing tradition of exchanging gifts, it has become an overwhelmingly commercial affair with shops putting up their decorations at the end of Autumn.

religious significance - 宗教上の意義 / is fading - 薄くなっている
continuing tradition - 今でも続いている伝統 / overwhelmingly - 圧倒的に
commercial - 商業的

Although mainly a christian event, there are many aspects of the festival which have older roots in pre-christian traditions - the Christmas Tree, for instance, has its origins in a pagan festival.

mainly - 主に / pre-christian traditions - クリスト教より前からの伝統
has its origins in - 〜に由来する / pagan -異教

(1) Mulled Wine and Mince Pies - People often hold parties in their houses in the fortnight before Christmas, inviting friends and neighbours to enjoy some drinks. We usually serve ‘Mulled Wine’ - hot red wine flavoured with herbs and spices - and ‘Mince Pies’ - small pastry pies filled with mixed fruit-mince which are eaten with cream or ice-cream or ‘brandy butter’.

fortnight - 二週間という意味 / serve - （お客さんに）出す

(2) Carol Singing - There are a whole collection of traditional, christian songs, called ‘carols’, which are sung during the Christmas season. Groups of ‘Carol Singers’ go round their neighbourhood and sing carols outside people’s houses. We usually go to the door and thank them. If people are feeling very festive, they often invite the whole group into the house to drink, guess what(?!), mulled wine and mince pies…

collection - 収集 / neighbourhood - 近所 / guess what - 当ててみて！

(3) Presents - Christmas Day itself is usually spent with family - so a lot of people go back to their parents’ homes - and involves lots of eating and drinking. Some people go to church on Christmas morning for a short service where they sing carols and try to show their children that there’s more to the whole thing than just getting presents… Which is of course actually the most important thing… Children tell their parents what they want and then wait for Christmas Day to see if Father Christmas will bring them their desires. It’s not just family though, as friends also give gifts to each other as well.

involves - 〜を伴う / service - （教会での）式・儀式 / desires - 欲望・欲しがっている物

(4) Boxing Day - The day after Christmas, the 26th, is called ‘Boxing Day’. People usually spend the day relaxing and recovering from eating and drinking too much the day before… Children spend the day enjoying their new presents. Outside the cities, people often head out for a long walk in the countryside, usually to counter the effects of Christmas overindulgence. ‘Boxing Day’ gets its name from an old tradition where wealthy people used to give their servants boxes with a ‘bonus’ (ie., some money), presumably as a reward for a year’s hard work.

recovering from - ～から回復中 / the day before - 前日 / spend ~ ing - （時間を）（何々して）過ごす
head out for - ～のために外に向かう・出かける / counter - 中和する・打ち消す
overindulgence - 耽りすぎ / wealthy - 金持ち / presumably - 思うに・たぶん
reward - 褒美・報酬

And there we have it, some Christmas traditions… I’ve got to say this, but… it sure beats KFC! Anyway, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!