| Grinch and Holiday Reflection |
Christmas was not so upbeat this year not to be so grumpy but It seemed like the spirit was all gone and so were all the toys. Usually every Christmas I get tons and tons of gifts from my family but this year I barely got half of what I got last year. When I spoke to my dad before Christmas came, we were speaking about money situations and how hard it’s going to be for people to give gifts this year, although I completely agree because of the recession and stuff I didn’t think it was going to effect Christmas that much. So we made a bet that if I got more than 5 gifts from my family he would give me 20 bucks sadly I lost. To my surprise I didn’t get a lot of gifts at all. I know Christmas helps the economy a lot with all the shopping and spending of money but it seem like not a lot of that was going on this year. Christmas is such a big part of the American way of life that even with the recession and the hard times that the economy is going through its amazing to see how Christmas was celebrated even though money is an issue. I just think this proves how important Christmas is to Americans. The good thing is that Christmas will always keep coming year after year and can always get better. >if you wondering what the sign that Santa is holding it says “the sleigh broke down”<
Class discussion about our holidays: Reflecting with other people about Christmas I learned that as the older we get the more we are less excited about Christmas. As a child I think that Christmas is something to look forward to and enjoy but as you get older Christmas is just forced upon you with not so much joy. When I was with my family yes we did have fun but it had a feeling of being forced, forced to get gifts for everyone, forced to meet up at in a house, forced to look nice and have spirit. I think the American way of life follows that theory as well, it paints a picture as little kids run down the stairs and parents so happy to give their children gifts but we never really see how teens fit into it all. To me it shows that Christmas time becomes a big part of your American way of life only during those periods. But as we get older I didn’t feel the need this year to dress all up and throw on a smile because I knew everyone felt the same way as I did. It made me realize how much of a hype American family’s have for all holidays or celebrations.
With the feeling that 2008 wasn’t such a good year I was glad when new years was just around the corner. Doing typical things every New Year’s didn’t seem odd to me, hanging out, eating a lot, getting drunk and watching the ball drop was normal. I think every New Year’s people tend to reflect on their previous year and focus on the bad rather than the good. Getting drunk and acting stupid probably became a tradition so that people can act silly and shake off the past because the New Year is here and they can have a fresh start. Watching the ball drop gives meaning to the holiday, without the ball I don’t think there would be anything to look forward to and every holiday needs something to look forward to. The biggest tradition that goes hand in hand with New Year’s is the atmosphere. Whether you see the excitement on TV or the people are around you are hyper I think being excited and cheerful is something that is expected from everyone. Whatever holiday it is Christmas or New Year’s I think having a tradition is nothing new and there can be many reasons behind those traditions. The American Way Of Life is all about tradition. |
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posted by Lauren at 