11:10- 11:18 December 14, 2014 I recently followed Mari Madsen on Twitter. After reading through the syllabus I decided I needed to follow more people who are spreading important information so that I can not only use twitter as a place to catch up with what my friends are doing, but also to be able to learn about new discoveries. Mari Madsen followed me the other day, and I had no idea who she was. She had favorited a tweet that I put out that read “Mom’s last day of chemo!!!!! @mommahuff #kickingcancersbutt #pink #STRONG” so naturally, I was curious who she was. Her account says that she is a doctor based out of Los Angeles. She is double board certified in general surgery and colorectal surgery. After visiting her page and reading some of her tweets, I decided I would follow her back. She sends out many articles for people to read and discover new things as well as health tips and videos. I think that it is amazing how we can connect with people and learn things every day just because a social media site such as twitter has been created.
My culture is one that continues to change as I age and as I develop a safe space for my children to think and to live and to learn. It includes a range of rituals and unique ways of doing things. It includes manners and table protocol. It certainly includes our family's belief systems - what we value and why it's important. I constantly question how I do things with my family because of my own strange family upbringings. This, in turn affects my ambivalence to what's important so that, I find that I often default to what my wife has taught my children. As a result, my children will be mixed up or they will have a richer and deeper sense of their own culture. It also means that my own ideas of culture are changeable and will continue to evolve throughout my life.
I agree strongly with the first line of your comment. ALWAYS changING! evident in the fact that your children are experiencing a mixed or new culture. There in itself, is a new culture forming.
What is my culture? December 15th, 2014 To me, culture is something that I was raised with. I have noticed it more recently with being in a relationship with my boyfriend, seeing the traditions his family holds and how they are different from my own. For example, when we have dinner we both have family dinners where everyone sits down for a meal at the table. I was taught to stop eating when I am full, but my boyfriend was taught that no matter how big the portion size, you do not get up from the table unless you have cleared your plate. Another thing that is different between our traditions around christmas time is that when my family decorates the tree we turn on christmas music and just enjoy our time. When we were younger we created different ornaments in school and they are in the box full of ornaments. We don't really bother checking whose is whose, we jsut hang any ornament we grab. My boyfriend's family separates the ornaments so that each person hangs their own individually. They also have a pickle ornament and on Christmas morning whoever finds the pickle gets an extra gift. My family never did that. This just shows that even though we grew up and went to the same school together and everything, out culture is still different just because of the family that we are in and how we were raised. His family is mennonite and my family is catholic, which may also have to do with our upbringings and how we differ. I have always found that Christmas is the biggest holiday celebration for my family. I have a large family (29 cousins) and we always get together once a month to celebrate whoever has a birthday that month. Also, on major holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter we always get together either at my parents house or at one of my aunt or uncle's house. We love celebrating each other and catching up whenever we can, which is why we choose to celebrate together at least once a month.
I completely agree with you that tradition is a big part of our culture and it is intereting to learn someone else's culture by just being around them. We have similar traditions around Christmas time that you do, we don't find a pickle but my mom hides envelopes deep in the Christmas tree and when we find them we get to keep whatever is inside them. Family is a big part of culture and influences most of our lives. The fact that family can get together at least once out of the year is awesome and that is because of culture. Families value different holidays but I would have to agree with you, Christmas is also the biggest holiday in my house as well.
I agree very strongly with a lot of what you say. What you grow up with in your life definitely influences your own culture. There are a lot of things you have said that relates to what I have seen and also begun. My family mostly consists of just myself and my parents. Our relatives are all in New York, so we really only get to see them once every year (mostly for Christmas). The way that we have our meals and how we celebrate with one another is definitely different.
With me, though we have close knit meals we are rather reserved and quiet. When I was visiting my boyfriend's family, we also had our meal (this was for Thanksgiving). We ate, listened to music in the background, talked, and afterward we played some boardgames and such. To me, it was amazing and more close knit. It's not that my family is not, we just experience things differently.
To not babble on, I'm glad to hear you enjoy celebrating with your big family, and it's good to see them for the holidays. :)
I really like the way that you start your free write, that it is how you were raised which ties into how traditions were brought up. I found it to be interesting the stories you shared and how they differed. I think it goes to show that each family has their own culture depending on how they were raised too and the traditions and beliefs that they carry on for their family.
What is culture. We defined what culture is with words that relate to it. Food, Values, Language, and so on. It's funny that you don't normally think about culture until you're being asked about it. Maybe that can be said for any kind of topic, really. You may think about it, but you don't really delve into the matter unless you really want to. Cultures all over the world are different, that we know. A lot though hold the same values and traditions that we do. For example, we are a state that takes pride in sports (particularly football). This can be the same for other countries such as Sweden, or even Italy. We also hold traditions such as celebrating holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and so on. It may not be those specific holidays for other countries, but we still hold them during the specific month.
Like I had said earlier, I found it funny that any Asian restaurant mostly keeps themselves open during New Years, while other restaurants would normally be closed- or at least close early. This was because for them, our New Years is not something to celebrate because it is not their culture- like Chinese New Years (which in some ways is definitely different in terms of meaning and such).
The one thing that I enjoy telling people, or find it humorous when other people find out- is that I am adopted. I am Chinese, born in Changsha, but adopted as a twelve month old baby. I was raised in New York but I have grown up in Pennsylvania all my life. My parents, as I like to tell people, are Italian New Yorkers. So in a sense, my culture has been of Italian upbringing. We are a rather loud family at points, and we love food. Whenever we have celebrations together with our relatives in New York, there is always a feast to be had, warm drinks, and lots of loud talking.
I do not know how it could have been if I were still in China. I know that my upbringing, my culture, and my values would be very different. It's hard to think about sometimes, but I know that if I weren't adopted, I would probably be working in a cotton field somewhere. Who knows where I would go from there, would I even be successful? Something that, while it isn't culture based, valued is that I am lucky to be where I am. I want to be able to utilize the chance I've been given and make a good, successful life for myself.
Parts of me have to wonder though, how different would I be? Would I still have the same personality? Could I still change things for myself? If I have been given a destined plan by the greater good above, would things still eventually map out the way that they will for me now? I probably look too far into these kinds of things for my own good, as my thoughts tend to trail off afterward.
This entire topic even kind of had its own trailing off... Admittedly I still have a part of nervousness in me with these kinds of writings. I hope I do not bore anyone, and also don't sound completely stupid or off my rocker. Thoughts written versus an actual topic paper address different audiences as we all know, and for the most part I know that I normally want mine to be something that people take interest in.
I felt the same way. You never really think about it till it is presented to you. I myself, found my mind wondering to so many avenues. Thanks for sharing.
culture can be analyzed by mood, place, people, food and drink, rituals etc. Through a social psychological aspect the culture frames the event. culture can be grouped with race, SES, income, gender, sex, etc. Institutions of business, religion, government and many more come into play. Culture is always changing. Each day we see new emergence of culture. Culture cannot just be defined by the borders of race. For example, because you are of one race does not mean you participate in the culture. Not all Asian-Americans celebrate the chinese new year, an otherwise Asian tradition. Culture can be defined by the dress you choose to wear, the transportation you arrive in, any element of your person. In my Celebrations class with Dr. Orrh, we analyzed the celebrations of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and more. We looked at the Cultural elements of dress, food/drink, music, mood, rituals, activities present and more. We social psychologically analyzed the cognitive, emotional and attitudinal aspects of the culture forming the celebration. for example the mental framework and significance of events, i think these aspects come hand in hand with culture. Culture can be a stigma or stereotype labeled blue as a boys color-what do we define as gender? changing?
I agree that culture can be analyzed by many different aspects, and among those it is always changing like you had mentioned. I think it is neat that we see new aspects of culture every day. I also agree that culture can be a stigma or stereotype...for better or for worse.
It's interesting that you mentioned that culture can be a stigma or a stereotype. I completely agree. Being black, many non-blacks that I have encountered assume that I am a certain way, that I like certain foods, and like certain music. I don't like rap or fried chicken. And many other things that it is assumed that blacks like. Culture is not always as applicable as people may think.
Culture is the beliefs and values that people hold in different places all over the world and within our own country. Culture encompasses who we are and what we do as human beings. When I think of culture I think about the traditions that different people have. For example, the Christmas season is upon us and my traditions have already begun. They start on thanksgiving and they continue through the New Year. My family traditions are to have Christmas Eve dinner at my Grammy's house and then every Christmas my entire family comes to my house for dinner. Traditions are not permanent though and are subject to change. it was unfortunate that my grandfather pass away days before Christmas my freshman year. Because of this, Christmas Eve dinner could not be held at my Grammy's. As a family we had to decide what we would do with the tradtion and how we would change it around. We decided that my sister would now host Christmas Eve dinner. It might seem like a small change (because my family lives relatively close to one another) however, it was a big change to my family. Traditions are hard to change, in fact change is hard in general. We all adapt and make the best of it, though. When I think culture I think about ethnicity and all of the different barriers there are around the world. Culture to me is how people dress and act. Think about our culture as Americans. Culture can be as simple as our daily routine to as complex as the hand gestures and ways we interact with other people. Culture is not something that should be pushed under the rug. Culture is something that is all around us and that we might not even know is there. Think about the very mundane tasks we do everyday and the simple conversations that we have with friends and family. If we spoke the way we do with each other (very informally as if through text) to people outside of our culture, we might offend them. But we don't think about these things because they are what we consider to be correct and socially acceptable. Culture is something that is overlooked because of the fact that it is something that occurs in our everyday lives.
It's funny because I have a friend from Wales, and the other day I told him I "picked up a shift" at work. He had absolutely no idea what I meant! I don't think we realize some of the things that our culture says, another culture has no clue, even if we think it's obvious. We ALWAYS need to be aware of other's culture as well as ours as to not offend others.
When you are thinking culture in the broad sense it’s hard to narrow on one thought, but when I think about my culture, it brings a whole new sense of the meaning.
My culture, the things that define who I am is the history of me. The experiences I share with the world I come into contact with. Some may say I am culturally bound. I find that as long as you take every day and moment and do not take it for granted, make it useful to your life, big or small, that can add to the culture of you.
My culture is local. I grew up in various towns in the Pennsylvanian region. I come from the traditional German Irish heritage, where food and family is where its at. I did not realize in my younger years that I had things that made me culturally unique. I have a friend from Missouri, where she has never tried red beet eggs, shoofly pie, and all the fixings of local Dutch cuisine. I come from a non-denominational Christian background, where there are cultural beliefs, rituals, and traditions.
Another thought. Culture can be defined in various aspects. Education has its own culture (its values and beliefs). As I have moved through my courses and got to that point where most of my classmates were in the same major, I would look around in my classroom and simply observe the people around me. I started to notice similar thinking, style, and tendencies. We also share similar philosophies.
I like how you say that culture defines me. And that is such a strong point because although you could come from a common area, your outlook on many things could appear in one sense and your next door neighbor even could have an entirely different perspective.
Culture is something that I have always admired because it blows my mind that it can be so different in so many places. I watch the amazing race at home and that is something that shows how different the culture can be. They players travel trough many countries and the tasks that they are assigned to do in each leg of the race they are in relate to the culture of that country. I also do admire music in different cultures. A fan of mine is music from africa because of the african drums. I play the drums myself so I think it would be incredible to have the chance to actually sit in a play these drums with the culture itself. Food is also another aspect of culture I wish i could experience. Tv shows show people travel the world tasting different foods. We have different types of food here that are from different cultures but I believe that it is completely different if you tried the same food in the country it originated from. Hopefully one day I get to experience that!
I've also seen Amazing Race and think it's really cool how it shows so many different countries and their cultures. It's also interesting to see how much the contestants struggle to complete tasks that are so simple to those people who live there.
What is culture? Culture is something that involves your proximity that includes similar ideas, beliefs, traditions and norms. It helps us identify ourselves and ourself within our community. I think culture could take place in many settings just a few being school, work and home. Being in the different places you will see norm behaviors which will help you to understand how people act in your culture.It also helps us to see any taboos that are going on and what is accepted and what is not. I think our culture is a place that is very work dependent. We either get a higher degree or have to work longer hours making less in order to have the things we need. On another aspect I think that we are technology based. So many of us have these social media sites which is just one way that it can interfere with interacting with others. Many times my previous teachers would ask the class if they would go without their phone for a day. A lot of the time there are many students who say they couldn't.
What is culture? I think culture is an individual’s shared beliefs and values that help connect them to others who also share those opinions. Culture is something that I have always loved learning about and have always been interested in. In high school, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be able to travel to Italy and Greece for two weeks with my teacher and classmates. From this experience, I was able to first hand see the different ways the people from these countries lived their daily lives. Some of the differences included food, clothes, music, money, and language. Since this opportunity, I have been more intrigued about learning about cultures different from my own. I love learning about the different ways people live their daily lives and how differently they approach everyday tasks from how I would. In the future, I hope to be able to learn more about different and also be able to experience them first hand.
When we think about culture, we typically think of how different foreign foods are and the music and language. We see differences in clothing, traditions, rituals and religions, but these things are only the tip of the iceberg. Culture is much more than these obvious external differences, it can be about how people solve problems, what direct eye contact or other gestures mean, or it can be how they define the self. Culture also includes how family units are structured, social norms, gender roles, and whether or not the young or old are valued more. Cultural differences are prevalent within populations too. For instance, we are the generation of Millennials and people like to assume that we are all incredibly talented with technology. This is an untrue generalization. Many of us are more technically inclined than our elders, but due to cultural differences within our generation, there are many cases where it is just not true. Even though we say “American culture” there are a lot of regional cultural differences between Americans. There are cities, suburbs, and rural areas. There are mountainous areas, farmlands, and beaches. So geography is another factor determining the variety of “American cultures” as well as a variety of cultures within other nations too.
I agree completely with your analysis of culture. It is true that narrowing culture down to foreign foods, music and language is a common misconception of the definition. Those are definitely part of it but there is so much more to it. I even saw a regional culture difference just from my area to Millersville. It's truly amazing how broad of a spectrum the definition of culture covers.
Culture to me is something that is ingrained into us from the time we are born. Culture is the environment around, the manner in which our parents raise us, the era in which we our raised, the trends of the society you grow up in, and the make up of your community. While many people may share similarities in their respective cultures, I believe that not one person's culture is identical. Culture seems to be how one perceives the world they live in and how the people they know, or come across, interact with each other. Culture is simply a means in which humans can relate or differentiate with other human beings, it is an identifier. I think what must people hope to get out of culture is to value what they take from their surroundings, hopefully pass some of that on to future generations, and attempt to learn something from the culture of others. While culture may sometimes separate us, I think it can be an important tool in bringing people together as well.
To me culture is a mixture of beliefs, ideas, tradition, ethnicity, religion and much more. Culture is what makes you you. It is most of the time passed down through the family and the society you grow up in, however it can very easily end up being a blended culture. My mother’s family came to America from Germany and some of the German traditions we still follow. My husband’s family is Pennsylvania Dutch and still follow many of the Dutch traditions. We all live with in the same area, so our traditions start to blend. You can see this in many different places. People marry others out of their own culture or they live in a neighborhood that has a different culture then their own. These cultures start to blend in certain areas. However, most of the time a person’s values and beliefs are those of their culture.
I love how you brought up the fact that many times culture gets blended in families. I love seeing interracial marriages that bring in various parts of culture. It is also great to raise kids in such a diverse environment, because in today's world it seems that people are so close minded and want nothing to do with people who may be different from them. If these people only knew all of the amazing things you can learn from people who come from some place unfamiliar to you!
Culture is the defining arts, beliefs, and customs of a certain society. My culture is illustrated with Christianity, family dinners and laughter. My world revolves around my parents, sister, and grandparents. There is never a dull moment with my family, considering each night grandpa drinks too much and dances on the table..! My culture is something I am truly proud of. I love to share my religious beliefs and tell people how God has positively changed my life. My culture can be described with lake parties, corn mazes, horse rides, hunting, fishing, and a bountiful of food! My culture is inspiring, encouraging, and even critical. Each person in my family pushes the others to be their best self. I probably sound like a true ‘leave it to beaver’ family but it was how I was raised and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
It is good to be proud of what makes you you. And it is wonderful that you are not afraid to tell others about God, so many people are afraid to bring up God while talking to others even though they are a Christian. I too bring up God quite a bit.
I agree with many of the posts about culture. Last spring I took the class pluralism in the classroom with Dr. Hossain. In this class we discussed culture and the importance of culture in our lives. I came into the class with my idea of what culture is, but I left with a much better understanding of my own culture. Culture is constantly changing. A certain points of your life you have a different culture. Culture is not just your background, but it is events, places, and things that hold a large impact on your life. As of now my culture consists of being from Lancaster county, being a college student, my religion, and work. Family is important to me, but right now I am so focused on school and working that I don't have a lot of time for family events. It was interesting to share our cultures with the class and see the similarities/differences between myself, my professor, and my classmates.
I posted this earlier during class today, but when I hit “Publish” all the seven minutes I wrote was erased. I wrote about culture shocks since our optional prompt was about culture. I never really thought culture shock was real. I just thought that people were overacting and would adjust quickly when they went to another country. I was wrong. The first time I traveled out of the country was my freshman year of college. I was lucky enough to get the most amazing Dutch roommate ever. We became best friend’s immediately and she invited me to stay with her in her country over New Years. At first, I laughed at her. There was no way I could afford that. Every night I would tease myself by looking up airfare to the Netherlands over winter break. One night I saw roundtrip plane tickets for $700. Without thinking, I bought them. I couldn’t believe I did something so impulsive. Months went by and it was finally time for me to fly. I flew by myself to England first. I landed in one airport in England and had to make it to another airport in the matter of three hours. I felt like I was on another planet. Everyone was driving on the wrong side of the road! Somehow, I made it on the right bus and made my flight to Amsterdam successfully. When I arrived in Amsterdam I experienced a whole new type of culture shock. Everyone spoke Dutch. I knew they would speak Dutch in Holland, but I was so used to my friend speaking English that I assumed everyone did. I was wrong. I found out later that even if the Dutch knew English, they preferred to speak Dutch because it was more natural to them. The rest of my trip I was a little less shocked because I had my friend there to guide me. Now I can truly understand what the phrase “culture shock” means.
What is culture? Culture defines who we are as human beings. Everyone has different cultural aspects in their life such as customs, religion, economics, family and community life, sports, foods, etc. My interpretation of culture is relating it to my family and my town. My culture is much different from other cultures I have encountered. College for me was a complete culture shock to say the least. As I have mentioned in another post, I live in the country next to a town of 500 people. It is a very tight-knit community where everyone knows each other and would help someone out at the drop of a hat. My father grew up a farmer and my mother became a teacher, and their family before that were factory workers, farmers, and coal miners. Because of my family, being taught to live simply and appreciating small things was always drilled into me. We have lived in this area since my ancestors came from Ireland. My family is Catholic and I was born and raised that way, so religion has always been a huge part of my life. Hunting, fishing, four wheeling, and working with your hands defines my family. The dominating sports I grew up with were Baseball, Football, and NASCAR and it seemed none ever paid any mind to any other sport. In my town, our culture is still old fashioned in a sense. People graduate school, some get a college degree, most marry someone from high school or from a neighboring town, get a blue-collar job close by, and stay where they grew up. My culture a simple culture but it’s what I grew up with and what I’m proud of.
Wow! What an awesome, unforgettable experience you now always will have. That is so special that you went backpacking in Europe with your grandma and experienced another part of the world together. It's crazy how people live so differently from you, but in new places it is neat to find the similarities.
That is quite interesting about the conflict between the Catalonians and the Spaniards. When going to a new country, it is very important to be aware of relationships struggles like that. Thank you for sharing that history!
And I can completely relate to you as far as culture shock but slightly in a different way. I've been to a few impoverished countries and I have seen the poorest of the poor. Places where there is no grocery store to get food, but live off the land and also places where people call a tin hut their home. After all of my trips, I experienced much heart-breaking culture shock, that truly made me realize how fortunate I am to have been given the life I have!
An African woman's head dress, a festive, Latino tune, a shake of a hand, and a peaceful nation are all aspects of culture. Culture is portrayed through a peoples way of life, but also through their interactions with others. Their are invisible parts of a culture in which normally are only displayed through interactions with others and their are visual parts of a culture in which are shown through dress, food, lifestyle, etc.
My first experience in another culture was when I went on a mission's trip to Honduras. Never in my life could I have thought that learning about another way of life could be so life-changing and inspiring. I was encouraged by their friendly hellos, never hesitant to share a smile. Here in America, it is odd if you say hello to a stranger at times. In Arizona, I was able to experience a dose of Native American culture. Their ritualistic ceremonies, beautiful bead work, and simple mud homes opened my eyes at their unique, but simple way of life. But then again, my way of life may seem very complex and different to them. In the Dominican Republic this past March, I learned about the music of this Hispanic group of people and also the importance they place on their family and friends. In Dominican culture, it is known that they put their value in relationships rather than in jobs or money. How cool is that? I wish it was more like that in fast paced, career focused America.
Culture is a beautiful thing. It opens your eyes to the fact that their are other ways to live happily. It is neat to embrace differences, but it also is comforting to know that all people can relate in a few ways: we all want to be loved and hold a special place in this world.
I really enjoyed reading your post! I agree completely that culture is beautiful thing and it's really cool to learn about and experience different ones.
Culrure is a huge part of one's life; it is what makes us who we are today.Culture is our beliefs, values, langauge, religion, etc. I am Turkish, buy I was born and grew up in Russia.I mived to U.S.A. in 2005 due to discrimination. My culture is majorly Turkish, but I have incorporated little bit of Russian and American aspects to my culture. Oour culture keeps evolving with our experiences and age.
We have discussed that culture is a set of values, traditions, and what we have grown up with that result in what our own culture is. For us, it becomes something that is a norm. In terms of youth and in terms of schooling, culture is also that. It is a social norm, and what kids believe themselves. Unfortunately, a lot of school norms can be negative. For example, many young boys have grown up to believe that it's socially normal to lift a girl's skirt and not have to deal with getting in trouble. Young girls have come to think that they either have to dress less or more to either protect themselves from judgement or to make a statement. It isn't just the students, though, that have come to these norms. Though not entirely youth but still a part of the school body, some teachers have come to make it a norm that dress coding for girls should be more strict, and that it is the girls fault for what she wears. While this isn't just all black and white, to me it's something that should not be blamed on any child- especially if they are very young (compared to something that a high school student would wear). I know my thoughts right now are a bit scatterbrained, but hopefully some of it makes sense. From what I've grown up with in high school myself compared to what is happening now that has become a social norm to the next generations, it unfortunately makes me a bit worried for the future generations.
And while I know that this doesn't happen everywhere, it does still happen.
Being in the field of education helps me to see ideas from a different view point. I am constantly trying to see things from my student's perspectives and trying to put my own biases out of the way. Schools bring about the most culturally different environment that you will see all over the world, but especially here in America. I had the fortunate opportunity to be placed into the York City District, this past fall, where different cultures bled from the walls. It was interesting to be placed into such a culturally different environment, it was not one I had experienced before. I could tell, however, that the children's culture affected how they learned/if they learned. A lot of the students were ELL's (english language learners) and therefore had a more difficult time deciphering lessons than the other children. It was quite evident that the teachers did not know how to fully overcome these differences with their students, either. One of the things I had discussed with my fellow classmates this past fall semester was how do we incorporate different cultures into our classroom setting? What we concluded was that it would be a good idea to open the children up to every culture that they might encounter. Maybe holding a culture fair where they can experience different music, food, dress, etc. that other cultures might be using. As a future educator I am constantly looking for ways to improve my classroom community. I want nothing more than to be able to have a classroom of committed and knowledgeable students. This starts from the teacher. The teacher needs to facilitate the learning of culture and explain to the students about the similarities and differences they may encounter. I also believe it is good to have the students celebrate their differences and similarities amongst each other. We all bring something different to the table when it comes to culture and it is important to note that it is not a bad thing to be different, but rather something that should be celebrated. Culture amongst students affects everything from the minute they leave their house to the minute they leave school at 3 o'clock. Culture can affect their mood and how they act on a particular day. It can also affect the vibes they give out to other classmates. If the class is not aware of the cultural differences that are taking place, then the learning environment is not one that facilitates the best possible learning.
We can write about any topic here, so I am going talk about my dreams and goals and try to be positive...(I need it:)))) My goal is to finish my Bachelors, take 1 year brake, get my Master's and start working as an advanced practitioner nurse. I am planning to have 2 more kids, but not in the near future:)) I want to raise my children in the best way i can, and be able to spend enough time with them. Later in life, after they are grown, I would like to visit multiple places in world. I love different cultures and people each with a different story. If i make enough money, i would like to use it to help poor countries with food and water, and improve healthcare. I have a big family in Kentucky, and I am planning to go there for this new year. I am very exited bout that...
Wow, two more kids. Good for you. I am older, and two is enough for me. If I started when I was younger maybe I would feel different. Spending time with them is important. I have six years between my girls. I was able to spend a lot of time with my first one and by the time my second child was the oldest was in school, so I had time with the little one.
My Welsh friend has helped me define my culture. As a guy who has lived in Wales his whole life, having another set of eyes on my ways and beliefs is not only clarifying for me, honestly kind of amusing as well. He pokes fun at my "typical American life" but I have also cleared up some stigmas with him as well. We do have some speech barriers with his accent where he tells me he has to "slow down" his way of talking for me, otherwise I can barely even understand him. They have certain phrases over there that I had to get used to... And the other day I told him I "picked up a shift at work" and he had absolutely no idea what I meant! It was too funny to me that something we say regularly in our culture, he has no clue what I meant. I have discovered that our cultures are not simply defined by what we surround ourselves with, but also by with whom. I love that we can talk about things with completely different viewpoints which opens my eyes to things I never would have thought. He has definitely changed my culture for the better.
That's so cool you have another perspective with your friend from Wales! People see things from all different perspectives and it's interesting to see different cultures collide and merge to form new unique cultures. Typically we associate with friends that hold the same values and beliefs as us and define our culture. I agree that the people we surround ourselves with define our culture.
I completely agree! I think it is so interesting to hear about other cultures and see how similar and different they are. It is amazing how different everyone is.
Before I begin, this is not a rant, simply observations. My culture is misunderstood and dying. I see the black culture slowly falling apart. I see my culture being overlooked and ignored because of all of the current events taking place. Violence and hate are spreading, music is getting more graphic, and our youth are being misguided. Our values and beliefs that our ancestors showed us are slowly going down the drain. Our fathers are absent, whether it being their own personal choice or they are being killed and imprisoned, leaving our single mothers to raise us. Schools in black communities are not funded properly and many shut down, leaving our children to be uneducated and out on the streets. It is an endless cycle and it is hard for me to watch what is happening in the US currently. It's like we're slowly stepping back further back in time. I don't agree with what is happening in our communities and I don't like where my culture is headed. I hope that the few of us who still have good values and the will to succeed and stop this cycle will spread this positivity to the communities that need it. My culture is lost and it is dying.
As a future educator myself, I TRULY support you with your beliefs and will help assist in the goals of creating a better future for all. The first step is awareness and hopefully people are starting to get what is going on.
Dr. Ben Carson is phenomenal. I think the problems you speak of is the fault of all aspects of society. Respectfully, I see some in white community as possibly playing down certain problems in the black community, while some in the black community are to quick to blame and fail to see possible internal causes. My only hope is the majority of us are able to step back and see these issues and come together, instead of fighting and causes greater racial divisions. I am also glad people are able to discuss problems like these freely, I think that is truly a sign that is not all doom on the horizon.
I started to think about our culture, here in the United States, and how it relates to schooling and growing up. It is quite obvious, over recent history, that there a cultural pressure has grown on American youth to go to college and get a degree. Many children are taught throughout the country these days that one must get a college degree to be successful in life, or that a college degree today is as important as a high school diploma was for our parents. While obtaining a college degree is most definitely an important part of success in some careers, I think it could be very important for us, as a culture, to value other forms of education as well, such as vocational or technical training. We have begun to see the consequences of this massive push for college education for all. As many of us will surely soon experience, with so many college graduates there is much higher competition for jobs, which leads to higher unemployment. I feel it would be beneficial to push vocational occupations just as hard as college degrees, with the result being a broader workforce and possibly a much higher chance of obtaining a job in your chosen field.
I agree with your opinion of valuing vocational and technical occupations just as much as those that require college degrees. In today's society, those occupations are almost looked down upon but they are jobs that are needed daily! Hopefully in the future we can learn to value these positions much more than what we do now.
I read the article on the Australian hostage situation and was amazed at how the Australians have banded together! By creating the #IllRideWithYou hashtag on Twitter, Australians have showed that they care for their fellow people and I think that it is inspiring. This hashtag has quickly spread over Twitter, and people on public transportation are letting those who may fear being attacked that they are safe and they support them. This is a very positive act that has come from such a sad and unfortunate occurrence, it is very motivating to read about and see take action. People’s attitudes and actions could have very easily taken a very dark and negative turn after this event, but instead it has turned around and become something to be inspired from. It’s nice seeing people take this route after all of the negative events our country and world has seen recently, for example what happened in Ferguson earlier this year. This act is a lesson our country can learn from, instead of getting a bunch of rage from the result of one person’s actions. Overall, I thought this was an enlightening article and movement that has shown us a good example to hopefully follow in the future.
I completely agree with you! Good things can come from terrible situations...thank goodness! It is awesome to know that their response to the event did not make the situation worse, but instead made the incident motivational. It also is very nice to see these people respond in the right manner, instead of the recent events with Ferguson like you mentioned. That is definitely a difficult, controversial topic, however I hope that good will come out of it just like what it is happening in Australia.
It's amazing what social media can accomplish when you have enough support, especially when everyone starts to spread the word. I also agree that good things can come out of the bad, it's really up to us to turn it around compared to what could possibly make things worse.
I think we, in a sense, become our parents. Our parents institute beliefs and values that we in turn teach our children. E.B. White talks about his experience with taking his son to the lake for the first time. He sees himself in his son through their adventures. I see aspects of my mom in me everyday. Each generation has something to offer future generations. More present now, teen mothers rely on their family as a support system, both financially and physically. Parents institute the things they hold close to their heart and in turn hope you value these things also. I think there is a shift in life when you start to mature to the point where you start to decide that your parents beliefs are not the same as yours. You individualize yourself as a distinct human being, but also acknowledging the teachings your parents have instituted into your life. I know I learn from my parents everyday, but I don't believe in the same religious practices as my parents. I am glad my parents allow it to be that way. I realize in other countries, cultures and traditions are held very highly, arranged marriages are a key example of this.
I see where you are coming from saying that we become our parents but at the same time I wonder if thats the case if you do not agree with your parents ways of life you refrain from becoming like that yourself. So yes I think to an extent we become our parents but based off our ideas and beliefs of them we identify our own self.
Being that I am an Education major, I am very concerned for our schools. I have children in the public schools and sometimes I wish I could afford to put them in private. It is not always the teacher, there are wonderful teachers out there. However, their hands are tied, they can no longer teach the way they should. My daughter has however had two teachers that I wonder why they are teachers, and it was those years I really wanted to pull her out. It seems every time I turn around my daughter is taking a pre PSSA test or some sort of assessment to know how to prepare her for the PSSA. What happened to teaching the students for them to gain knowledge? Now we teach to test. Will this help them in the real world?
I can only imagine how difficult that must be for you as a mother! This area of education frustrates me to pieces and it makes no sense. Why have tests become more important than the needs of children? I am also an education major and I pray when we will officially hold the role of a teacher we can make a stand and make a difference and also find ways to TEACH our students not just test them!
In my Foundations classes our professor challenged us as future educators to teach how we see fit, no matter the circumstances put in place by the schools. It's not right the current systems and if we band together to make a change, it will come. Especially with the pressure of standardized testing... Things need to change.
I think this is absolutely a great point. It seems, even since when i was going through the school system, there is a huge emphasis on standardized testing. It really takes away from education because teachers begin to essentially teach only how to past tests instead of to actually teach the subjects. Also, it generalized education and holds some students back, while others are not quite at that level yet.
• I am sitting in a black, rolly desk chair obviously too big for my figure. I am taking attendance and giving students their work for the period. They have to ask for my permission to use to bathroom or go to their locker. Funny, not too long ago (around 3 years) was I forced to do the same. They call me Miss Schmidt. Some call me Mrs. Schmidt, which makes me cringe. I am too young to be married. Walking through the hallway is my favorite part. Some teachers ask to see my hall pass. I flash them my badge and alert them of my statue as a substitute teacher. I've been told I should take it as a compliment. Regardless, this is my future and I couldn't be any more excited and assured I am in the right field. I love these little booger brains!
I just read the article about the Islamic attack in Australia. The people of Australia truly could not have responded better to the incident. Their hash tag of #illridewithyou displays their confidence in each other as a country. They are showing terrorists that they are standing for what is right and not allowing the act of evil to penetrate their fears, but rather come together as a group of people promoting truth. I hope that this will be an example for the American people, but also other countries as well. I'm so glad to see that there are still people in the world who will look out for the greater good of others.
I love that hashtag. I like how you brought up the American people. This incident also made me think of how Americans should react. This could have easily happened at any American store so we should show more concern.
I think Education is very cultural based. Each classroom has their own culture. Within that classroom the teacher has a set of rules which help the students follow the norms and typically most of the time the same behaviors are being displayed whether they all are reading a book silently, watching the teacher lecture, or working on a workbook. These behaviors form there classroom and anything out of the ordinary, a child running with scissors would be a taboo because it is something they are told not to do. The organization and structure of each classroom is distinct to the kids and is essiential to their learning. If there is a reward system that could be the traditions of the classroom or their normal routines.
I was going to write about the Sydney Siege because there has been so much news about it. However, since I am now home for the winter I have been watching a lot of news. The Sydney Siege was dropped as a headline because of all the terror happening around Pennsylvania. A former marine went on a murder spree killing his ex-wife and her family. The news, that was so close to home, was made onto national headlines. Having both of these stories happening on the same day was discouraging and scary. The two incidents were similar in their violent nature, but it is hard to determine which was scarier. One story is about a “mentally unstable” Iranian refugee who was trying to spread his religious message and the other was former marine seeking revenge on his ex-wife and her family. As I continued to watch the news it continued to be upsetting. The news ended with a forced happy story about the best video clips from the year. The instant change of mood from those two stories to the ending story was off-putting. I think I will just get my news from websites and the newspaper.
I was reading an article and it made me realize how connected our generation is. I mean, this is something that we normally don't think about. Today, texting or Skyping someone across the world is nothing new. The world seems so small. Fifty years ago, it would be pretty rare to have friends on each of the seven continents, unless well traveled. But today, everyone seems to be only a mouse click away. I wonder, with this somewhat new found and convenient connectedness, will we in the future feel less of a need to travel. Will meeting new people lose its appeal if we have already "met" them online?
I can see your point about how technology could diminish our desire to travel, but we can also look at it another way, that if we can reach across the world with a click of the mouse that could inspire us to meet our new friends face to face someday.
As I was reading Alexis's post about her dream career becoming a reality it hit me. It is amazing how fast time is moving and that in one more year I will be graduating and entering "the real world". As scary as it sounds it is also very exciting. I can not believe that three years ago I was entering my freshman year at Millersville University. I also can not believe that in one month I will be twenty-one years old. It definitely makes me realize that you only have so much time to do what you want because everything is moving at a fast pace. The feeling of excitement that I get when I am thinking about the day when I am a teacher is so motivating.
After realizing what the date was today, I cant believe it is this close to Christmas. It feels like it was just last christmas. I have no idea where the time goes or what happens to it. It is kind of scary when you think of it, like you cant get that time back or change anything that has happened. I just distracted myself because my phone says I have 10% battery left because I am using it as a timer. I should probably get my charger but I need to finish this freewrite first. Wow so I get distracted way to easily. I wonder if other people get distracted like me or procrastinate as bad as I do. I really want to fix it. I said I was going to be more organized this semester but that never happened. Hopefully I can start now. It is weird being home and still having a class. I like it but I don't. I espcially doing like it because I have a second online class to take. I only like Dr. Sheas classes that are online haha. I just want Christmas, it needs to be here but it will feel like forever.
I hate the cold of winter. I hate when you run all the way to your car, and you realize it’s frozen. I hate scraping off my windshield. I hate how it gets dark so early. I hate how all my flowers go dormant or die. I hate how I am constantly ill. I hate how the sandy beaches I love are now covered in snow. I hate how ghastly pale I become. I hate how snow keeps you from going anywhere. I hate when I go blind from looking at snow. I hate getting windburn. I hate how I feel depressed.
I love the warmth inside buildings. I love when you are impervious to cold from your warm jacket. I love cracking fireplaces. I love burning yummy candles that smell of cookies. I love fuzzy socks. I love cuddling with soft blankets in bed. I love wearing scarves every day. I love how snow shines when it covers a hill. I love going snowboarding… Or skiing. I love watching my dog prance around in the snow. I love making resolutions I know I can keep. I love welcoming in the New Year.
I agree all the way! I too am not a fan of the cold. Though it's funny, when I was younger I always enjoyed it. Perhaps that is mostly due because when we were children we didn't have anything to worry about. Our parents would bundle us in three layers of clothing and hats and mittens, and we'd go out and play in the snow and enjoy hot chocolate afterwards without having to worry about ice on the roads, or having to scrape our cars, or even getting sick. I've grown to dislike the winter season, but still kind of like it due to some of the better reasons you've mentioned too.
Baby Hands Have you ever looked closely at a baby’s hands? I mean yea, they’re cute because they are tiny little replicas of your hand, but when I look into baby hands, all of a sudden past, present, and future come into focus. I find it so wondrous. I see ten fingers, five on each hand, just like you and me, but I find myself full of questions. What will these hands do, create, or build? Who will they help? There is so much potential in those tiny, little, delicate hands. Hands that are fearless, and full of promise.
Next questions, have you ever looked closely at a baby’s feet…?
Kasey, this is a very insightful free-write. I have never looked at baby hands and wondered about the future, but now the next time I do that's probably all I will think of.
What a sweet, precious post. I am also so amazed at the little blessing babies are. Their tiny hands and feet show the wonders of Gods creation. Their are so fragile but full of so much possibility! Thanks for sharing :)
My freewrite today I want to take the time to talk about work. Even in the textbook chapter about schooling it said that today more and more students are having to work while going to school. To me I only haven’t worked in highschool and my first year of college when I was away at school. Work is definitely an important thing to me even though it can be very stressful working with kids and the staff at my daycare sometimes. But it being around the holidays I just love it when the kids have off school. Last year we would dress up in our ugly sweaters and had a “Santa” come in and deliver presents to the kids. All the kids love this day and I think it is a very different kind of bonding we do with the kids on that day. Another day that I went into work when school was cancelled due to the snow I decided to take clothes to play in the snow. Me being not very fond of the snow found it to be a lot of fun with the kids who did bring stuff to go out. We made a huge snowman and had a lot of fun throwing snowballs at each other. Work around Christmas time is also great because we have a work party and last year we saw a comedian and had a buffet and that was lots of fun. I am looking forward to working again during the holidays this year!
Kayla, that sounds like such a fun job! Working with children can be very challenging, but it sounds like you find joy out of the little things that they do. Way to stay positive!
I am not asking for anything for Christmas this year. My parents were both laid off from their jobs earlier this year. I’m not going to ask them for anything because I would rather them just save their money because there is nothing I really need. Even though they are both unemployed around the holidays, I like having them around. It’s weird that they are home all day, but they have worked their whole life and they need the break. If I could ask for anything for Christmas I would ask that everything works out for them because they deserve it. For my Christmas gifts this year I am making all my gifts off of the Do-It-Yourself crafts I find on Pinterest. The gifts take a lot of time and effort. However, they are much cheaper than other gifts and they are much more thoughtful than a lot of other gifts that can be bought. The problem is, I am not crafty whatsoever. So I need to find crafts with the simplest instructions and with a lot of pictures to help me. I am just hoping the end products will be decent so I can make my friends and family happy this Christmas.
I can really relate to this post. Not in the same situation but my mom is struggling with 3 low paying jobs to get by. The fact of it is Christmas is not ment for gifts but TIME spent with your family and people you love!
I was just browsing Facebook today, casually seeing what people are up to and all that jazz. I stumbled on a post written by my friend who was having difficulties with someone from autozone. She works on cars, and apparently she had an argument with a man about her radio having a relay. Now she has to take the manual in because apparently from what I gather the man doesn't believe what she had to say. This same kind of thing happened to my boyfriend's mother, who knows plenty about cars and had to take hers in earlier this year. She told them that there was something wrong with her car, that the noise it was making was not a noise that related to whatever they said was wrong with it. Because she was a woman though, they did not believe her. They "poo-poo"ed her and when they finally realized what the problem was (which was EXACTLY what she told them from the start) they completely shrugged her off and "forgot" that was what she said in the first place.
It angers me when this kind of thing happens. It's as if we are incapable of knowing a "man's" field. A part of me wishes I knew more about cars so I can one up the ignorant people who do this to my friends and other women in general. My dad even told me that when looking for cars, if you aren't a man good luck with trying to find something that the people won't rip you off of.
I don't think I have ever wanted a break more than this one. This past semester was very difficult. I had a rough start due to a surprise tumor that was found in my nose/sinus area in which had to me removed the second week of school. Apart from my surgery and the scares that went along with that, my course work was very strenuous in which left very little time for me to just "breath" on a weekly basis.
So what do I want for Christmas over this winter break? I want time with my family and friends. I want to embrace and marvel in this wonderful time of the year and bake Christmas cookies with my grandma. I want to give and bring a smile across someones face. I want a Christmas that is focused on the true reason for the season and sit back in gratitude for everything that I have. This Christmas I want everything that you can't buy.
I am sorry to hear about this past semester for you. I hope that this break is exactly what you need to keep moving on. Hopefully it will be relaxing and stress free! I love what you said about wanting to put smiles on everyone's face. That is a wonderful gift to give at any time of the year, and you made me smile reading your post! Thank you! I hope you have a wonderful time with your friends and family.
The Death of Thanksgiving. People call me a Grinch because I am not the biggest fan of Chirstmas, but how can I be when it is the longest and most greedy season ever. I work at Park City Mall and everywhere in the mall by November 1st there are decorations up and Christmas music is playing everywhere. NOVEMBER 1ST. Personally, I think that the Christmas should start by the beginning of December. Because of Christmas starting so early, people are beginning to forget Thanksgiving. The biggest cause of people beginning to forget about Thanksgiving is Black Friday. Last year, stores opened at 8 pm on Thanksgiving. This year, the mall opened at 6pm on Thanksgiving. I had to open for Black Friday this year and there were tons of people in the mall hours before we actually opened. I remember when I was in high school and Black Friday started at midnight and people would line up outside the stores but they were able to enjoy their Thanksgiving and then go shopping. People need to remember the importance of family. There weren't even any good deals this Friday purely because since places opened so early, they knew that customers would buy stuff regardless of the price because it's Black Friday. Now thats just pathetic. People are way to predictable around this time of year and its ridiculous. I don't know about anyone else but family is incredibly important to me. And I was beyond pissed when I had to open on Black Friday and miss half of my Thanksgiving day. And I am sure anyone else would have been as well.
Freewrite December 17th What do I want for Christmas? This year is a special Christmas for my family and I. My mom just went in for her last radiation treatment yesterday, and she got to ring the bell, which is what all patients who have completed treatment get to do. This Christmas, the thing I most want is to help celebrate my mom and my family, and to put this past year behind us (I know my mom wants nothing more). Now that she is cancer free, she wants it to be the new year, and I am right there with her. So what I want for Christmas is to make sure my mom gets what she wants. It means so much to me how she always takes care of the family and cleans the house and makes sure everyone else is alright, but I want to be able to do that for her. When she was sick the past couple of months, it was hard to see her that way because I am used to her being like "super mom" status, going above and beyond for every member of the family except for herself. This Christmas my sister and dad and I are surprising her with a trip to Mexico. I really want her to be able to look forward to it in the upcoming months, and I hope it helps her forget about the last year of her being sick. She deserves this getaway.
I had an early Christmas present, I will be traveling to Ireland with Dr. Scott Richardson this summer. I have always wanted to study abroad but was never able to. This was an opportunity I could not give up. I was so excited when my parents said that I could go and would help me get there. I have never been to Ireland so I am very excited to see how beautiful it is. I am very grateful for this experience.
I am not asking for anything for Christmas this year either. My dad is still employed, but my mother has slowly been working less and less and the lack of income really stresses my dad out. We're not even having a hard time financially, but my dad's anxiety makes it seem that way. He keeps saying, "we're too poor for that!" We are not poor, we have everything we need. My dad has been saving for his retirement since he was my age. Sometimes I get the feeling of middle-class guilt. My parents have always given me everything I need and the majority of everything I want. All I want for Christmas is a bottle of wine and a meal to share with my family :) and I want my dogs to stop getting injured so often and I want them to stop barking at the wind and the rain.
When my parents or other people ask me what I would like for Christmas my response has been the same for the last six years, nothing or surprise me. If somebody is giving me a gift I always find it much more pleasurable to not have any idea what the gift may be, no matter what it is. I always found it difficult, even as a kid, to make a list of things I wanted for Christmas because I am not really much of a planner and kind of see things and then I want them. Plus I dont really even buy things for myself, other than food and clothes when needed, so I guess I really dont put much value in material things? Im not sure. But really I think if you are planning on getting someone a Christmas gift you should never ask what that person wants before hand because it is the thought that counts, or so were told, and if you asked a person what it is they want then you are not really putting much thought into the gift at all.
I never made list until I met my husband. His family are big at wanting list. It would drive me crazy. Now with the kids I would make list to give so people didn't get them the same things. Which seems to happen even though I give list.
What do I want for Christmas? I want it to be as normal as possible for my daughters. Their Mommom, my mother just passed away very unexpectedly two weeks ago. She was the one who made Christmas for my children. We would go down to her house Christmas Eve and have dinner than go to church. Christmas morning she and my brother would come to our house to watch the kids open their presents and have breakfast. Later in the day we do go to my in laws, but the special times were spent with my mother. We are having her Memorial service this Saturday and with it being so close to Christmas I hope it doesn't take all the joy out of holiday. I have found the few presents she was able to get for the girls. I plan to wrap them and try and make them special. So all I want for Christmas is the joy to be there.
I am very sorry for your families loss during this holiday season. I think as long as her remembrance is a positive experience, that your daughters will see it as her looking over them and celebrating the christmas spirit. I know singing christmas carols is always a way to bring christmas cheer, in hopes she can listen to the beautiful voices of her granddaughters. I think with her absence your children will find a way to value you and the rest of the family during the holiday season.
I am so very sorry for your loss. My Poppop passed away a few weeks before Christmas as well, in 2011. It was very hard for my family, but we started a tradition of having a moment of silence before our Christmas meal to pray and remember all the good times we were able to have with him. It always feels like something is missing but we are always thankful for what we still have. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts this holiday season.
Saw a commercial for the new chapter of the Hobbit that came out and started thinking, when was the last time I went on an adventure? Now I'm not suggesting that I pack up and travel the world, but an adventure could be anything that can be classified as a new experience you go through. I'm sure that everyone has had at least one journey or another that they wish they could relive. For me it was when I went to Europe when I was 18 I had so much fun I traveled from Italy to the Vatican City, to Monaco, France and finished in Spain. My favorite places on that trip were Italy and Monaco. Both were places I had never been to before and one of them, Italy, is a country that I have heritage from. Just being in that different environment made me feel like I was in a new element. In some ways it didn't even feel like I left home. And all the rumors that people have saying that Europeans are always rude to Americans.....well I found out that that isn't true. As long as you respect their cultural norms and make some effort to speak their language they'll love you for it, but if you go around expecting everyone to know English or expect people to cater to you that's when you're called the ugly American. So looking back on that, that was one of my favorite adventures that I wish I could relive and I do have hopes to go back one day and maybe even visit some new places. That way I would have even more stories to tell about all that I've done in the time I've been given.
For christmas this year i found it hard to think of things i wanted. My mom, aunt, grandmother, etc all would ask me what i wanted and i had no clue. I am starting to find through growing up that i care more about the gift giving then the gift recieving. It will be nice to recieve a few gifts but there is a greater feeling of joy when you give a gift and get to see the reaction of the recepiant. If anything for christmas i asked for winter gear, being that i hate the cold, it is a necessity i have the correct winter parka and boots. My mother would never want her daughter to come home from winter session an ice pop. I enjoy spending the time i have off of school with my family. At my grandmothers house we always have a christmas meal and game to exchange gifts. We create a saying such as "Jingle Bells" and from that saying you can scramble any of the letters to form another word which would be your gift, all gifts have to be under five dollars. So for example if Jingle Bells was the phrase, i would buy a bell for under five dollars, wrap it and put in under my grandmother's tree. There is also a fun game that goes along with the exchange, involving stealing of presents from family members, ha ha. I hope everyone has a joyous holiday!
Christmas time is an interesting time for me. I'm not really into it like I used to be. As the years went by, my family stopped doing certain Christmas traditions like we used too like, putting up lights, putting up a tree, and even having dinner some years. So usually during Christmas, I would visit my dad's side of the family in New Jersey, where they were more festive about the holiday. Although I do not celebrate Christmas like everyone else, I do recognize the purpose of it which is the birth of Jesus, which I celebrate in my heart. Although I do have questions of how do we even know Jesus was born on this day, I still recognize it as his birthday. I feel like I have a lot of mixed emotions about Christmas. I do not like how the focus for some is getting lots of presents, but I do like to see families enjoy each other and come together. Even though my family stopped certain traditions, that never stopped the love we have for each other. People celebrate Christmas differently and that's perfectly fine. Maybe one day when I have children of my own, I'll start my own traditions to keep in my family.
Honestly, all I want for Christmas is to see my cousins, Veronica and Maurice. They are 9 and 6. They grew up by my side 24/7, but when their parents got a divorce 2 years ago, their mother moved to Canada where her family lives. Unfortunately, my uncle did not fight for custody because he didn't want his kids to endure that. Now I am only able to see my cousins 3 times a year when they are in the states for 4 weeks at a time. My uncle moved for financial reasons and now he lives 2 hours from my house. For Christmas I want to be able to fly. Or the snowball that Charley is able to shake when he misses his dad in Santa Claus the Movie.
Honestly, I never need anything for Christmas, but my mom always goes above and beyond for my brother and I. This year he wants a new laptop, and she always keeps things even between us, so she has some things she has bought already but the rest she will probably just save and help me buy books for next semester or something like that. My brother and I are both in college and paying our way through, so she helps us out any way she can. I would really like to someday repay her for all she has done for us.
This year for Christmas all I want to do is sleep. That's all. It's been a pretty long time since I've actually felt well rested. It's just so much going on. I feel like I'm always moving. Always on the go. Always in class. Always at work. Always studying. Never sleeping. The only other thing I would ask for is time to read. In my bed of course. It's the next best thing to sleep. There's something just so peaceful about bundling up in bed with a good book and no disturbances. It's so stress free. Unless the book is super intense. But I would consider that eustress. but sleep reins over all. If I could sleep all day on Christmas, which is highly unlikely, I would be one happy camper.
I can really understand what you mean, same probably here:(( If i add up the total hours of sleep i got in the past 4 days, it would add up to 15. School, work, homework, and a family with 2 toddlers is very hard...
What do I want for Christmas this year? Well, if i had to be honest I would have to say I want the magic back that Christmas once held. I'm positive it is because we are growing up, but it saddens me that Christmas is so commercialized . Although I am happy, I am not all that excited for Christmas. I am excited to watch the magic come to life with me nieces and nephew, however. I can remember sitting at the top of the steps waiting for the clock to hit 7 o'clock AM and racing down the stairs to see all of the gifts under the tree. Now I rush over to my sisters house to see them open up their presents. Now, I am a girl and I of course always have something that I want. This year I asked for a good digital camera because I will be traveling abroad this summer and I will be going on a cruise and I want to document everything! I asked for little things here and there, like a pair of good snow boots because, lets face it, you can't Millersville without them. Other than that though, I really just want to have a good time on Christmas. I am excited to be "of age" now and being able to enjoy Christmas with the adults (even though I am still stuck sitting at the kids table)...All in all I am just hoping to have a good time celebrating with my family.
Me and y family we do not celebrate Christmas, so i cannot ask the for anything, but we celebrate New Years, it is a big deal for us. As a gift for New Year, I would've loved to get summer tickets to Turkey.Although it is my country, i have never been there yet. I would love to go and visit, being able to talk with everyone in your own language, being in my country where everyone is sharing the same culture, beliefs and traditions, having the pride of saying"This is my country", these things are so precious to me.
What I want for Christmas? Well, to be truthful I've never really wanted anything. As cliche and super cheesy as this sounds, I've always just enjoyed being with my family around the holidays. I don't need presents. Heck, if anything I always just love splurging on my friends and loved ones because to me this is where I can truly give back and say how thankful I am to have each and every one of them in my life. Friendship and family are something that have always come first to me. I know that without the people in my life that have helped me grow and keep moving forward, I would not be here today. I've always told myself that it takes two to tango when it comes to any friendship, and I'm very blessed to have been able to keep friendships that have lasted all throughout my younger years from 3rd grade up, to friendships I've kept since my highschool freshman days. Not only that, but a friendship lasting for three years due to meeting on an internet website where art has been shared. It's truly an amazing feeling to know that you've known these people so long in your life, and yet it's only felt like it's been for less than that and your friendship is still just as strong!
My favorite winter activity is having a snow day. I love being able to stay inside my house and relax all day while drinking coffee. It is so nice to wake up and have emails from Millersville saying that the campus is closed. I always feel like a child in a candy store! I feel as if everyone is constantly on the go, so when there is snow and we are stuck inside it allows us to actually enjoy the day instead of worrying about checking things off our to-do lists. As much as I dislike cleaning off my snow covered car, or shoveling snow, it looks so beautiful.
My favorite winter activity is spending the day with my nieces and nephew. I am NOT a winter person at all. I don't understand how I could grow up in Pennsylvania and not like snow, but I despise it. I will go out and play in the snow and go sledding, but that's only when other people suggest it. I love cuddling in front of the TV to a good movie and drinking hot chocolate. I also enjoy baking so in the winter I find myself doing a lot of cookie making. Especially this time of year. I am making baked goods every other day at home trying to prepare for Christmas. I think I don't like the winter, more as I have grown up, but most because I cannot get anywhere when it snows. I hate having to clean off my car and scrape the ice off. I do not like driving in the snowy weather, period. I had a traumatic experience last winter and now I am more than terrified to drive in the snow. Although snow is beautiful, before the world gets a chance to touch it, it does not please me like the summer does. I would much rather be laying out in the sun able to wear whatever I wish and being able to jump from place to place because there are no barriers. I can honestly say winter is my least favorite time of the year, and it is unfortunate that we spend our spring semester in the winter...
My favorite winter activity? I guess I would have to say watching movies. I'm a big movie person and for some reason, movies always seem better in the winter. I think it's because I get so cozy. I like to bundle up with a fuzzy blanket and a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. It's so relaxing and peaceful. I usually watch movies alone but they're definitely better with family and friends. Especially if they're classic, cheesy holiday movies. It's a great way to bond. And movies are the greatest distractions for me. Besides books.
My favorite winter activity is to stay inside all warm because I hate the cold! When it is snowing, I love to be cozy on the couch with a huge blanket and a cup of hot chocolate and watch movies with my mom and sister or read a book. I do love the snow and think it is pretty, but not when I have somewhere to go that requires cleaning it off my car. I also love baking, so in the winter I am always in the kitchen baking a ton of cookies and other treats. I also love the thrill and excitement that comes along with a snow day, and the unexpected day off when nobody has any expectations or anything to do. Overall, I do like the winter season and the activities and holidays that come with it, but not the fact that it is freezing and dreadful outside!
I love snow. I really have most of life but three years ago, when I got my Jeep, I love it even more. So now that I have four-wheel drive and don't have to shovel my driveway I really don't have many complaints, plus I love ripping it around in the snow when no one else can be out driving.I just think it looks cool, especially when its heavy snow and lines the tree branches. I will however admit that it gets old pretty fast, like a day or so, and after that it really is just a slushy mess. I don't think slush should be considered snow, it is just the remnants. So for all of you who hate the snow because of the after effects, you are respectively wrong.
I love snow too!! That is awesome that you have a jeep, I have always wanted one. I also agree that snow is great at first, but it does get old after a few days. I don't like slush! The best is when there is fresh snow and no one has walked across it yet.
I miss my Jeep. Ok it was my husbands, but it was the whole reason I started dating him, for his Jeep. We no longer have it. I still love the snow no matter what I drive.
Growing up in Philadelphia, I have been immersed in culture all my life. Philadelphia is the birthplace of our nation with many historical sites, like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. There are many theatres where you can see ballets, operas, and plays. We have sports arenas and many different restaurants serving all different ethnic foods. Just taking the bus or the subway will open your eyes to many different people and how unique everyone can be. In my middle school, my classmates came from all different places. In seventh grade I was invited to a bar mitzvah and got to experience a little bit of the Jewish culture. Even though it is a big city, each neighborhood is like a small town where people know each other and help each other when needed.
Speaking of culture, a long standing tradition in South Philadelphia is the Mummers parade on New Year's Day. Like all parades there were a lot of street venders selling hats, glasses, and noise makers. When I was 15 I wanted to get in on the action. So in September I went to dollar store and bought four cases of silly string. On January 1, I went to the parade and set up my stand. I don't want to talk exact figures but I did really well and sold out within a few hours.
That is so cool. I went to the Mummers parade for the first time last year. That's a great idea to sell silly string, I'm curious how much you made, but I'm sure you did great there.
My favorite winter activity is going downtown. I love the lights and activities there are to do downtown in the winter. When I say downtown I mean downtown Philly and downtown Lancaster. About two years ago, I went to Lancaster City for their December First Friday. The whole city was lit up and there were tons of Santa’s and elves walking around. The December First Friday has to be my favorite yet.
In Philly, I love to go to Love Park, which is transformed into Christmas Village around Christmas time. I always get a picture by the Christmas tree and shop at all the little huts that are set up. One year my cousin performed at Christmas village and a man came up to me and hugged me. I thought he was just being nice, but then he started squeezing really hard and I thought he was seriously going to hurt me. My friend pulled him off. Even that scary experience has not put a damper on my Christmas Philly adventures. This year it is my goal to go ice skating at Penns Landing. Hopefully I actually do it this year.
I love going to Philly during the holiday season also, it's so pretty seeing all the lights and decorations! It's also my goal to go ice skating at Penn's Landing, hopefully we both can accomplish it this year!
Lights are definitely something I love looking at during the holiday year! I don't exactly know why but they just fascinate me. I hope you get to go ice skating this year!
December 18th My favorite winter activity is looking at all of the holiday decorations. Sometimes I go into Lancaster City with my family and we walk around and look in all of the shops to see the beautiful decorations. So many of the stores are decorated with beautiful trees and lights. I also like to go to the Prince street cafe and get hot chocolate for while we walk around looking at all of the decorations. My favorite place to go is a small store right across from the Isaacs on Queen street, I cannot remember the name of it, but they sell decorations and small gifts to gice to people throughout the holiday season. they also have a section of the store devoted to making cards in nicely printed font.
So Christmas is in less than a week and I am very excited for it. I know im 20 years old but honestly i still feel like a kid with christmas. I get very excited before I go to bed on christmas eve where sometimes i cant sleep. Usually noadays im always so exhausted I just sleep like a rock but when I was younger I could never sleep. I hate being older because I feel like what I want for christmas is either clothes, money, or things that are all too expensive. Like upgrades for my mustang, a new Mac, an iPhone 6, a new xbox. Just anything like that is so expensive. It is very annoying. My upgrade for my phone is January 4th so I am hoping I can at least get a new phone since mine is being very buggy. I want to focus on things that can progress me in my career with either drumming or video in commmunications. I love editing and I know Macs have awesome programs and are just great computers to do that on. I know I have no chance of getting one. It is a big thing to ask for and I would never expect my parents to get me something like that. This year was actually a hard year to think of things to get for christmas. I feel like that is a very sad thing to say haha but it doesnt matter. I am just happy to spend time with my family and have laughs. We need more laughs, laughs are what keep the body going so I hope this year that happens.
Another day as a substitute teacher and I find myself becoming more bothered by girl’s outfits each minute. It is almost disturbing to see what these students’ parents let them leave the house in. When I was in middle school, 8th grade to be exact, I was still wearing my hair in scrunchies and sporting the ever so fashionable jean jacket and jean pants. Girls today are getting away with wearing mini shirts and Uggs! This generation shift is not something I am going to easily adjust to. I am sitting here thinking of how I will never let me children (when I actually have children) leave the house looking like that—and in the winter might I add. Now I feel like an old grandma waving her cane on the front porch, telling those crazy kids to get off my lawn.
There's one thing I feel can never be replaced, and that is the time spent with good friends. Two guys who are not only my closest friends, but I consider them to be my brothers. This is ironic because they themselves are twin brothers. Their names are Jerry and Josh Diaz. When I first met them, I was 11 years old and they were my new neighbors. Since grade school we always could be found hanging out at each other's house playing video games or watching cartoons. Now here it is 11 years later, and still they thought to come to my door and spend time with me to catch up on everything we've been doing with our lives. I remember all the good and bad times we shared with each other. They would sometimes get responsibility lectures from my mom and I would sometimes get tips on life from their dad. Before I met them I didn't know what it felt like to have a brother, but after getting to know them I started remembering a quote that I hold true to this day. "If you're in a friendship that has lasted more than 5 years, you're lucky because that's a friendship that will last a lifetime." And looking back at the impact we had on each other's lives I believe we are equally blessed to be a part of one another's lives.
I love winter and I love snow. There are so many activities I love doing. Just going out with my kids and making snow angels or a snowman. We mix water and food color in spray bottles and decorate the snow. About 16 years ago I wanted to learn to snowboard and that was one of the first things my husband and I did when we first started dating. We did it for several years but never invested money in to our own equipment. I wish we did because I would love to be able to still snowboard, but with kids and me in school and not working we don’t have time or the money. We have this great hill just across the park from us at the local high school that all the kids love to sled on, so we take the girls over with big inner tubes. We have a lot of fun.
First of all, I'm a summer type of girl. Even though I was born in December, I prefer being warm. I do however enjoy some winter activities. My favorite winter activity of all time is sledding! The home I grew up in was on an acre of land, and the house sat on a pretty steep hill, perfect and safe for sledding. Every year, my friends from the neighborhood and I would anticipate the snow fall so we could all come to my house and sled. Even when I didn't feel like sledding, I would still let my friends use my hill and just watch. I also enjoy ice skating, though it is very challenging, it's tons of fun and a great work out. I also recently tried out snow tubing, which was also pretty fun, even though I wiped out a few times.
I too grew up in a perfect home for sledding, with just a short walk to a treacherous hill. I enjoy sledding and surprisingly no other winter sports. Going to the community hill was always the winter thing to do, and its cool that you could provide the place to provide fun for the community's children.
Even though the summer is my favorite time of the year, there are many things that I like to do in the winter time. Sledding is one of my favorites. There is a huge hill near my house that sadly gets smaller and smaller each year because I just keep getting older and older each year. My neighbors and I would sled on it every time it snows and we still do to this day. I would also make jumps that would have me fly into the air and crash to the ground usually leaving myself with bruises. I also like seeing the lights on everyones houses. Lights fascinate me alot. I dont have an exact reason but I just love looking at them. Thats about lights in general not just christmas lights haha. While im in a car, I will usually rate peoples lights on their houses with my friends. Usually either with an oooo thats cool or ewww thats not good haha. Another thing I love doing is getting and decorating the christmas tree. I love having it inside. Sadly my parents got the tree before I got home from school but it was still fun decorating it!
With our paper being due tomorrow this is my free write for tomorrow Friday. I didn't realize how hard this week was going to be on me being away all day everyday and trying to do homework assignments and papers for my two online classes. I have not gotten as much done as I wanted and now its either I stay up all night to finish it so I can go out with my friends tomorrow night or I stay in and finish it then. I really hate having to make this decisions either way and look forward to a break next week where my schedule is a lot easier. It was interesting because today I was at a work training and we talked about school a little bit and one of the other employers said how in her perspective taking a few classes at a time really was to benefit and I then started to think how that would have been a lot easier for me and I wouldn't be as stressed and been in the overwork mode. Then my trainer was talking a little and she was just telling me how important it is to get enough sleep and to not be doing too much work while being in school which she is right, I probably should stop working so much and focus more on school.
My favorite winter activity would be baking cookies with my family, and overall spending time with my family. Being a college student, i spend part of my time working. I have worked and lived up at school during the summer time, and cannot wait to spend a whole week off during the holidays with my family. I think snow is a magical thing. My favorite thing about snow is the quiet it provides. When it snows, i like to go outside and just lay in the white powder. Then, i listen. Most of the time, there is nothing but silence to be found, which is what i enjoy. No a thing can be heard all around. Then needless to say my mom is preparing cookies as i take off all my winter gear and get ready to cozy up by the fire. Typically my family has a day where we bake all the christmas cookies. This year i had to miss the cookie baking day, and felt sort of left out by the family. I am very excited for the Christmas week to begin!
I pretty much hate winter. Warm weather makes everything so much easier. I don't have to shovel snow or dig out the cars. I wear less clothes, do less laundry, and can dry my clothes on the line. I can say a few good things about winter though. I love to cook and eat creamy soups on cold winter days, especially cream of crab! In my house, we typically have fires in the wood-stove everyday. Outside, I like to take my horses out for snowy rides. I like to go sledding too. When my sisters and I were smaller, my dad would tow us on sleds with the four-wheeler. We called it "extreme sledding" because it was actually pretty dangerous. It was like the kids version of the Jackass Movie. But otherwise, I really hate winter and am already so eager for it to pass. Summertime is better because it means crabs and swimming and driving with the windows down! Ughhh, I won't come soon enough...
I look forward to spending Christmas with my whole family. Even though I am not a little kid anymore it is still fun to partake in all of my family traditions during the holidays. It brings back nice childhood memories. Like when my father, my brother and I, walk to get the tree every year and carry it home (Which has been getting easier each year). This year someone made a comment that we should get a small (Charlie Brown) tree since no one ever wants them. So I came up with the idea of getting two small trees so we can have a small forest in the house. No one has backed we with this idea yet, but I still have a few days to convince everyone.
Since I love the winter and when it snows, I have a lot of favorite activities to do. Of course I enjoy a good snowball fight (unsuspecting neighbors aren't even safe). Sledding down snowy hills and playing tackle football in the snow with friends. One practular winter my family went to Quebec to see the Ice Hotel. It was amazing, like the song, it was a winter wonderland. When I think of Canada I think of a lot of snow and ice. It didn't disappoint, in some parts I was waist deep in snow. The Ice Hotel was really cool (pun intended) literally everything was made of ice. From your chairs to your walls, to the beds. There was even a bar where the drinks came in a glass that was made of ice. The hotel melts after every winter and they build a new one the following winter. Before we left we made sure to have one good snowball fight in Canada.
I have lots of things I like to do in the winter! My favorite thing to do in the winter time is cuddle up with a warm blanket by the fire place and read a good book. I rarely get the chance to do so but I am hoping that one day this break I will be able to. I also love to crochet and watch a good Christmas movie.
I enjoy spending time with family and preparing for Christmas. It is such a special time of year! I love baking Christmas cookies, wrapping presents, family get togethers, and simply just being at home with the ones I love.
The Chapstick Philosophy It all started with an ice breaker in my one class. A teacher had asked us to select one object we had with us and to share why we chose it. Sitting there I had my pencil, books, and notebook. Other than that, there was my keys, purse, and book bag. I chose Chapstick. Chapstick like pens, end up getting lost all the time. Me on the other hand, has this weird little goal of never losing a tube of chapstick. I get the stupidest high after finishing a tube. It is like I won a marathon or climbed the highest mountain. So the philosophy is, if you can finish a tube of chapstick you can get through anything in life, if you dedicate and focus enough on it. Even the tubes that are not my favorite flavors I still make it a goal to use them the whole way. Its nice when you get a tube you like. Of course it makes the task easier, but nonetheless its an interesting goal. My friends and I joke about it. Some of us have made up Chapstick wars, where we start a tube at the same time, see who can finish or who will lose it.
This was honestly really fun to read haha. I never would have thought about Chapstick like that before haha. This is mostly because I'm not a user of it, but maybe I should start to really think about it! Though since there's so many different brands of it and flavors and stuff, it makes me think it's pretty much like anything else you find victory in finding the 'right one' when it comes down to it :)
It's kind of crazy to think that Christmas is literally next week. The days of dreading being stuck in the mall with thousands of people crammed into one space are coming to a hopeful end. It boggles my mind that Christmas still is rather very... plain. What used to be the ideal Christmas consisting of snow and fluffy white layers has drifted into a hopeful 'please don't let it snow so much I can't scrape it off of my car.' Sometimes I wish I could go back to those days of not having to care about responsibilities... heck even now sometimes I have to wonder when I'll actually have to 'grow up.' I'll start having actual conversations that aren't based on the random norm in my life, or maybe that's just what I'm making myself believe. Either way, thoughts about the future and where I've come from get to be both nostalgic and also kind of nerve wracking... or maybe that's just me?
What I like to do in winter depends on my moos. I enjoy sitting in my chair, watching a movie while I drink my coffee. Sometimes though, I rememmber my childhood and want to spend time outside playing with snow. I like making different thongs out of the snow. Or playing snowball with my husband. Sometimes I just prefer to walk in the anow and enjoy the beaty of it. Most of the time everyone in the house is stuck at home, so we get a chance to spend more time together, which I really enjoy...
I like how the snow sometimes forces us to stay home and reconnect with our family. I love walking in the snow as well. This is this nice serenity of peace and silence with the white blanket of snow all around.
How does the media depict Christmas? I think the media puts a lot of pressure on the holiday season and takes away from the true meaning of Christmas. You see the commercials for name brand items and reality television shows celebrities having dozens of wrapped boxes under their trees. Is that what Christmas is all about? The name on the tag, the amount of boxes under the trees, what new gadget you get, or how many gifts you received? No. For me Christmas is about spending time with my family, going to church, and being thankful for everything we have. I get so angry when I see all of the talk about the presents all over the television. Instead, we should focus on the true meaning of Christmas and how we can make sure that everyone has a blessed holiday. However, I also enjoy hearing about the people who go into stores and pay for everyones purchases. It shows the generosity of the holiday season.
I so agree. Name brands, the hottest toy. I have been so lucky that my 9 year old daughter never wanted the hottest gadget and my 3 year old would be happy with the box a toy came in. My daughter this year wants a Bow and Arrow so some day she can hunt with grandpa and dad and me. That is time with family. And you are right, that is part of what Christmas should be.
Media’s idea of what Christmas and mine are totally different. First of all Christmas enters the stores and TV before Halloween now. And it is all about what the hottest toy or gadget is this year. You must get it for your kids or they will not be happy and isn’t that what Christmas is all about making sure the kids are happy? No! Let’s not mention going out on a day of thanksgiving and time with family to get the best price for that gadget. Even the movies and TV shows take the real meaning out of Christmas. They are the same thing, someone trying to get the hottest gadget or toy for someone. To me Christmas is about a birth, the birth of my savior Jesus Christ. Ok, my daughter is watching a Christmas movie and they just said Christmas is for kids. No, it is for everyone. Sorry if I upset anyone, but Christmas is a celebration of life, not just Jesus’ but ours. If we accept him we have eternal life, and that is what I celebrate. Yes, my kids go see Santa and we have presents, but I don’t think they believe in Santa and they know the real reason we celebrate Christmas. The media has taken Christ out of everything. Christmas now is about shopping and I want, I want, I want. And that is what the media shows.
I loathe seeing "Christmas Sales" commercials around Halloween time... And then when I walk into Walmart and see displays for Christmas decorations right after the Halloween ones come down, I cringe.
When I was a kid, of course I was always a big fan of Christmas. My parents ALWAYS went above and beyond to give me mostly everything I asked for, and of course I took it for granted. Now that I'm older, I'm getting annoyed with my family. We spend way too much on each other for Christmas and lose the value of what Christmas really means. I'm not trying to point blame at the pressure put on by the media, because my family is a very giving family. But my family also can't pass up a good deal. So they buy more for less and feel great about it. But everything is so overpriced to begin with that are they actually really getting a good deal? Who knows. It's now frustrating for me, as I am becoming an independent adult and am now starting to feel the pressure of buying everyone in my family gifts... I value the time I spend with my family since I only see them a few times a year, and sometimes I feel that for them, it is lost.
I can definitely empathize, that I why Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. Its like Christmas but with out the pressure. Just family, friends, and food!
My husbands parents are divorced, so we get together so many times not just with his parents, but extended family and it is the same way. Everyone buys for the kids, well for the longest time I only had one child, but everyone else had three. The adults would pull names, but they would still buy a little something for every adult. It drove me crazy. However last year his Aunt went in to a nursing home and that ended on that side, but we still have his moms side. I always said if we could just get together and have a meal and spend time together that would be enough.
The media throughout history has had major influence in our customs and traditions. I read a book for my one class last semester that dealt with the consumerism of our holidays. The book references Christmas, Easter, Mother's day and other holidays that have been ruined by the institution of the economy. When I think about this i think about how in the past, Thanksgiving was a holiday celebrated all about giving and sharing thanks. More recently, I noticed Thanksgiving is now termed "Grey Thursday" as it being the day before Black Friday, a day to purchase deals on gifts for the upcoming holiday early. The commercialization of the holiday of Christmas has become centered around the gift giving process. There are feelings of disappointment if the desired gift is not received. I feel like our youth are very representative of this, being brought up in such a technically advanced society. I agree that we should focus more on the element of family. Celebrate with those lucky enough to be able to celebrate.
I know this may sound like what is getting to be an old and tired argument, but I believe the overall theme, being pushed by the media, etc., at this time of year is more of a generalized "holiday" theme, rather than how it used to be just Christmas. And that is not to say that is a bad thing. I think its wonderful that as a society we now recognize the broader and various amounts of cultural and religious holidays which occurs at this time of year. Another theme I think is prominent at this type of the year is the discounts and sales all around. There seems to be such a focus on the consumer, which is understandable. Its hard for me to say this is different than before as I think it has been like this around Christmas time for really as long as I remember. I think overall, during the holiday season, there is generally a sense of caring and family that still exists among our culture, but I do see underlying societal norms that are beginning to take hold. Whether that is a good or bad thing remains to be seen.
I also think the "holiday" theme has been increasing more and more every year. I think schools are doing a better job of educating that Christmas is not the only holiday in December and January that people can celebrate.
the way that media depicts Christmas I feel is a mesh of things. It ranges from the hottest items, to clothing, food utensils, and even holiday decorations. Everyone competes with one another in terms of where it is better to buy something, which place has the best discounts and which has the best items. I think the media's main focus on what to sell or what to focus on depends where you're located. Some people focus on nostalgia, like the Hess toys that they continue to make models out of to keep tradition a foot. Others focus on clothing and personal items. I have found that throughout the years, the ideals of family and just spending time with one another has shifted to personal materials and who has the better whatever. It's just like with Thanksgiving and how we were smacked with a wave of crazies during Gray Thursday and Black Friday. How much more are we going to make things 'early' so that they actually run into Thanksgiving completely? Is the holiday going to be even celebrated or given two thoughts about anymore? Or are we going to be completely outrun by possessions down the road.
Media has changed the entire view that civilization has on Christmas. Christmas has become such a commercialized holiday , in America, that a lot of people do not even celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas has become more than a season of giving, but also a season of expectations. The repetitive theme of needing the newest thing, is how Christmas has become. The neediness and the "I want this, I want that" attitude has taken away from the true spirit of Christmas. Christmas is supposed to be the season of giving without any thought of something in return. It is the time of year when we should begin to think about others less fortunate than us. I would like to say that I have always done this, but this year I started to go through my clothes to give away because I know at this time of the year there are many people who have much less than I do. I also make a point of donating at least 1 dollar to any Salvation Army deposit box that I see. It makes me feel good that I can give to those who have less because I know I would want the same kindness in return. Christmas has become less about "Christ" and more about "mas" or more and more things. It's a shame, but if we all take the time to give back to those less fortunate, we could truly make a differences in people's lives this holiday season.
The media depicts Christmas as "the best time of year." In the middle of the coldest and unenjoyable time of year, consumers are pressured, convinced, manipulated to cope with the unfavorable conditions by spending $$$ on the ones we love. Christmas especially, but actually all holidays, are recognized as times for indulgence and gluttony and greed too. We say Christmas is the time for giving and we may throw a dollar or two in the charity jar or maybe some socks, mittens, or nonperishable foods, but then we pat ourselves on the back and say, "I did good today, now its time to treat myself!" We like to be able to feel comfortable, physically and emotionally. Most holiday generosity is fueled by our middle class guilt and selfish desires. Personally, I celebrate Christmas just as I do Thanksgiving and Easter. I use that day to recognize how much I cherish what I have received in my life. Its not about gifts, decorations, Christmas music, Jesus' birth, or sugar cookies. For me Christmas is about being thankful. Food and family and a fire in the living room come to mind and its nice to have unlimited amounts of all of them at the same time. But how does unlimited amounts of food and drink, love, and warmth help me celebrate being thankful? It doesn't. That is greed. I recognize it. I enjoy it. One day, maybe I will stop celebrating silly holidays designed for me consume. consume. consume. Why should I celebrate my privileged life on only a few days of the year. Everyday that I get by without worrying about survival is a day for celebration.
You can see how the media depicts Christmas by seeing how stores and commercials sell their products. Even on the radio. Companies see it as the time of the year where they can sell alot more of their products than other times of the year. Black Friday is an example of that. The day of the year that is all about focusing on sales to buy for christmas time. It is true some of the sales are great! It is crazy but not when people get trampled and killed just so someone can buy the hottest thing at Wal-Mart. Once christmas time gets closer you see alot of jewelry commercials. I feel as if these commercials play more because they know people are more willing to buy something expensive during christmas. I don't agree fully with the depiction of christmas nowadays. I believe there should definitely be sales, which there are. Companies should not make workers work on christmas eve or christmas day unles there is some type of benefit that is worth it. Same with retail stores that are open 24 hours or anything that is crazy. People need and deserve to spend time with their loved ones, families, and friends.
The media depicts Christmas to be a holiday all about getting presents and materials. Christmas has lost its true meaning through the media, and the constant television, radio, and online advertisements. Before Thanksgiving, Christmas is being advertised and constantly in your face. I do love the holiday season, but I believe companies have gone a little overboard with the commercialization of the holiday. In the media, Christmas is all about the image, having the perfect decorated tree and giving your children the best gifts and practically everything they asked for. The media portrays it as just an excuse to go shopping and spoil your family, not a time to spend with loved ones and reflecting on the true meaning. With this, children are now becoming greedy and only view the holiday as a time when they get everything they want.
The media has had a huge impact on Christmas and its influence seems to be increasing every year. This year. Christmas seemed to start the day after Halloween. All the Halloween specials ended on TV and suddenly there was a Christmas tree placed at the Park City Mall. Last year, I could remember having a couple days of normalcy before I smelled a hint of evergreen. The media has such a great impact on Christmas for good reasons, but also bad reasons. Christmas is great for the economy. Days like black Friday and everyone constantly consuming puts a lot of money into our economy. The government and media support this spending and I honestly do not think it is a bad thing either. However, giving gifts was supposed to be a symbol of the gifts Jesus received when he was born. Instead it has turned more into a stressful experience, trying to get everyone gifts to be happy, instead of giving thoughtful gifts to people you love. Media also fills the TV and Radio with snowmen and Santa, even more of a distraction from the original meaning of Christmas. The media does portray positive images and messages of Christmas. A lot of Christmas specials and photos promote family during Christmas. This is an important factor of Christmas and I do think the media does touch on this aspect of Christmas.
The media depicts Christmas as such a cheery, family-oriented holiday. Everyone's sitting around the fire, sipping hot cocoa. But I feel like it isn't anymore, if it has ever been. Christmas is a money-driven holiday. Nowadays, it's all about gifts, gifts, and more gift! As soon as Halloween ends, the Christmas gifts are put out before the Thanksgiving turkeys can go on sale. Santa Claus decorations go up. All commercials are in red and white while the customer service representative dress like elves. Everywhere you look the media is asking if you bought your Christmas gifts yet. Advertising gets super heavy and intense. Sales! So is this what Christmas is about now? The media makes it seem as though there is no Christmas without presents under the tree.
I couldn't agree with you more! Media has ruined the true meaning of Christmas. I hate how it is so focused on gifts! Christmas is so much more than that. And it is negatively influencing children as well.
It seems that Christmas is mostly depicted by the media. During the holiday season, many commercials, movies, news programs, and even department stores have a high focus on Christmas. I enjoy the Christmas-filled media on television. It helps you get into the mood of the Christmas spirit. There is nothing like cuddling up on the couch and watching your favorite Christmas movie. However, I do not like how media brings attention to the gift part of Christmas. Many commercials and magazines are sparking the eyes of children, emphasizing the importance of gifts. Although gifts are a wonderful part, children need to be taught the importance of giving and family because there are many people who are less fortunate than you are during this time of the year.
Freewrite December 22nd: How Christmas is depicted in the media. It seems as though every business has a commercial in leu of their regularly advertised commercial especially centered around Christmas. I believe that companies do this to encourage you to buy gifts from them for your friends and famliy. I also believe they make their advertisements Christmas themed in order to put you in a good mood and make you feel happy, which will make you more willing to listen to what they are advertising and hopefully buy their product. during the holiday season, whenever you turn on the radio it is christmas music, on every channel there are Christmas movies and shows that are having Christmas specials. I personally love this time of the year because everyone in the media and in general seem to focus on more positive things. The "miracles of Christmas" if you will. I enjoy when there are uplifting stories shared on the news of people who help donate food to those in need, and coat drives, as well as people donating toys. I just wish people would made the spirit of giving a year-round event instead of saving it for one month out of the year.
Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year, but once Christmas and New Years are over winter can go away and summer can come back. My all time favorite holiday movie would be the Polar Express. I have watched it every Christmas Eve right before bed, since it came out. I have always loved its cute messages and its catchy tunes. I just like the theme of "seeing is not always believing", but for this boy it most definitely is. The Christmas spirit is lost as we become older and people begin to drop the bomb about santa. However, it's movies like this that remind me of how innocent children really are. I now try to live vicariously through my nieces and nephew by anticipating them opening their gifts on Christmas other than my own. This movie is a great depiction of the holiday season and of the magic of Christmas. We are taken through a journey of getting to the North Pole and then another journey entirely while being there! Each character is given a golden ticket to ride the Polar Express to the North Pole and then their tickets are punched in such a fashion that it spells out a word of who they are or how they should act. For example, one says "leader" and another says "believe". I just love the overall spirit of this movie and it definitely put me in the Christmas Eve mindset.
I agree with you completely! Winter is great around Christmas time, after that spring time can roll around! My brother and I also watch The Polar Express every Christmas Eve. It has such a good message and captivates the mind of children. Children's innocence and imagination is definitely portrayed throughout this movie. I can't wait to watch it tomorrow! Merry Christmas! :)
I have several favorite Christmas movies. I love the classics, but also recent films. My favorite classics are It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story. My favorite more recent movies are Four Christmas', Christmas with the Kranks, Best Man Holiday, The Polar Express, the Santa Claus Movies and I am also a sucker for Lifetime and Hallmark movies. There is something extra special about Christmas movies, it really brings the season to life. In the next two days I hope to watch It's a Wonderful Life. I watched it when I was in high school, but I haven't seen it since. My brother and I also always try and watch The Polar Express every Christmas Eve. I find that movie to be magical and thrilling. Overall, I love Christmas movies and will hopefully be able to watch a few more in the next two days!
Today I am doing my free write for yesterday since I was too sick to get out of bed. I definitely didn't think that I would be sick for Christmas but it looks like I am gonna be. This definitely has made me not very excited for Christmas because all I want to do is sleep. I slept for about 12 hours yesterday and do not feel much better but have to go into work for six hours. Im supposed to go to my moms sometime Christmas day but if I still feel sick I won't want to drive for 45 minutes. It just sucks because I was excited for Christmas but now I feel like all I'm gonna wanna do is sleep. Now all I want for Christmas is to feel better so I can enjoy time with family!
What is my favorite Christmas movie? I don't think that i necessarily have a favorite one but I really like all the hallmark Christmas movies and Home Alone. At work we watch that movie a lot. It is really funny to me how this little kid is so smart and how he fools Marv and whatever the other guys name is. I love how even when they get caught on fire and bricks thrown at them they still try to go after him even though the misfortune for them doesn't stop until they are caught by the police. Even though this movie is so funny I can't help but think how much of it is acted because come on no kid would think of things like he did in order to stop the criminals. It also if funny how the family always seems to forget him when they go on vacation.
It's funny, my pastor just used Home Alone in his sermon this week. He does that a lot using movies to lead into his sermon. I was thinking I haven't seen that in years, and my 9 year old would love it. Maybe that is an idea for tomorrow when she doesn't have school. I am also a Hallmark movie girl.
Home Alone is one of my favorite Christmas Movies.Such a great Christmas Movie. I love how the setting is in New York and the beginning when his family forgets him.
I am a Christmas movie junky. I watch all the Hallmark, ION, and Family Channel Christmas movies. I am not sure I can say I have a favorite. Growing up I always loved “Miracle on 34th Street” the old version. Then they came with the new one, and I am in love with Dylan McDermott. Then I had trouble figuring out which one I wanted to watch. Of course who could forget Rudolph, great classic? I enjoy pretty much anything that has a good story to it. There was a movie my family and I saw on TV when I was in my late teens called “Three Kings”. I remember that Lou Diamond Phillips played in it. He was a patient in a mental hospital who escapes with 2 other patients while playing the parts of the kings in a play. I can’t remember too much other than they walked around town thinking they were the kings. It was funny but had a great story and ending to it. There had live camels! My mother a couple years ago googled it trying to find it just to find out that whoever owns the rights to it has it locked in a vault somewhere and won’t release it. Not sure why and it is a shame.
The media depicts Christmas as being the happiest, magical time of the year. I feel that it focuses on gifts. You'll see non stop commercials on where you can get the best gift for the lowest prices. Also the media portrays to kids that Santa will come give them a gift and they might get a chance to see him in person. I don't really agree with how the media portrays Christmas because they make it seem very secular and make it seem like it's only about receiving presents. In the media, they display image and style by making families seem really happy during the holiday time and they're always dressed in the nicest clothes in the commercials. It's very unrealistic but I understand why they do it, to get people to buy their products. Christmas in America is all about the economy.
My favorite Christmas movies is probably "A Christmas Story". I especially liked this movie when I was a kid because it is a funny viewpoint of a kid at Christmas who just wants one thing from his parents but they do not think he should have it. I think I liked it because it was relatable as a child because there is always the one something that you want but your parent wont get it for you. I also think this is my favorite because now it is just a classic Christmas movie and it is on every single year so when I see that its on I know that it is Christmas time again.
My favorite Christmas movie is "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". This movie has been a favorite since I was a young girl. I am also a big fan of Christmas time so I like how festive the movie is. I feel that it spreads a good message for young viewers as well. It reminds them that it is about the holiday and not the presents underneath the tree. Today I feel that children are more focused on the number of presents they receive rather than the holiday itself.
My favorite Christmas movie is Christmas with the Kranks. I make sure to watch it every year, even though it is very unrealistic, I still love it. Every Christmas Eve, my sister and I make an effort to watch Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, which is another, favorite. By now I have seen both a million times and can recite them word for word, but I still enjoy it, it has become a classic in our house. I love all Christmas movies because they help to get me in the holiday spirit and are usually really funny. During the holidays I always have ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas on and watch all the movies they play.
For December 22 post: How does media depict Christmas? Media plays a huge role in how Christmas is viewed by the citizens, and about their plans.There are a lot of advertisements, shows and even movies that come up during Christmas. Media shows Christmas as the most important holiday we have. Most of the media part is all about presents and gifts. They are working for their own pocket trying to have people buy more things. They have posters and pictures everywhere. I am personally not on the side of depiction, but also can not be against. There are a few positive sides to it. It keeps the traditions, and brings up the culture. Makes it more likely for people to meet and spend time together.
I think the media highlights the presents and gifts aspect of christmas too much. There needs to be a bigger focus, in my opinion, on the coming together of family and love than presents.
My favorite Christmas movie is Jack Frost. It is the movie where the dad dies around Christmas time, but then he turns into a snowman. When I tell my friends it is my favorite Christmas movie they ask me why because they say its depressing. It definitely is a sad movie, but it is also a very touching movie. I am very close to my dad so I really like the connection the dad (snowman) and his son have throughout the movie. It has a very powerful message and the whole story is not completely centered around Christmas which is different from other Christmas movies.
If I had to pick another movie it would be home alone. I love how the movie portrays New York City in the winter. Like Jack Frost, Home Alone also has a very powerful message about family. I have yet to see this movie this year so I might watch it tonight. These two movies are classics for me on Christmas.
I'm a huge fan of Rudolph, the classic. My mom has these stuffed animals that she puts on a ledge in our home according to how they appear in the movie. So we both sit down and watch it and she puts them in order as we watch it! It's sounds like a silly tradition, but I always find it fun because when the Island of Misfit Toys comes up she has about 10 of them so it speeds up and we get all confused and sometimes have to rewind (because it's a VHS of course) and it's just really funny. We do that the same time we decorate the tree so it's a couple hours just spent with my mom that I truly enjoy.
My favorite Christmas movie is Rudolph (the animated version). I watched this movie almost every Christmas growing up. I really like this movie because it gives a great message that when people doubt your abilities, you can always prove them wrong. Rudolph was made fun of because of his red nose and was rejected from his peers. Santa seen his potential and his purpose and he lead the way, with the help of his blinking red nose to help deliver all the presents. It's a great movie for all ages!
Im not huge on Christmas movies. I find them corny and just plain weird in some instances, especially the clay-mation movies. But there are a few I really enjoy. My favorite would have to be National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Its hysterical and I love Chevy Chase. Its weird, sad, and funny all at the same time. It also really makes you appreciate your messed up family! Elf is another good one but it is really overplayed. I didn't grow up with a lot of those kiddy cartoon Christmas movies. I grew up with movies like "A Christmas Story" and "It's a Wonderful Life." I've only seen movies like Rudolph and Frosty once in my whole life and I wasn't a huge fan. But that's just me. Im weird :P
Post from 12/22: The media depicts Christmas as a wonderful, magical holiday season. However, there are several children and adults who do not experience the magnificent Christmas the media illustrates. The middle school where I substitute teach puts together toys for children in foster care. Several students who attend the school bring in gentle used and new toys for children who may not receive any toys from Santa. Through Christmas specials, holiday commercials, store sales etc., the media draws a picture of a happy and cheery season. That might not be the case for some children, however. I think it is appropriate for the media to exemplify Christmas this way, but I think large corporations and groups should do a better job of reaching out to families and children who will not be able to give or get anything for the holiday.
Post from 12/23: Today, I am substitute teaching for an aid in a special education classroom. Through experiencing a world different than my own, I am able to understand the mind of those who sometimes have trouble expressing themselves. Today, I am following a student with autism. This student uses a ‘talker’ that helps him communicate. He is able to push buttons with pictures to state what he needs, wants, or thinks. In the beginning of the day, he hesitated to talk to me because he didn’t know me. He loooves routine, and I was not part of this daily plan. After a few periods, he warmed up to me and was holding my hand while walking to class. I’m beginning to consider his culture and how he perceives images. This student can recognize and understand just about everything you are saying, but has a difficult time to convey what he wants to say.
My favorite Christmas movie is The Christmas story. The tell old tale of ralphie. One of my favorite parts of the movie is when the boy gets his tongue stuck to the frozen pole, and when the dogs eat the whole christmas ham that was prepared for dinner. I think this movie is my favorite because i always remember watching it with my family every year. It was a 24 hour Christmas marathon of the movie, you had to watch it at least once. The movie itself focuses on elements of family that i realize my family does also. Christmas Day in my family is a time for eating and celebrating and sharing what gifts who got. In the depiction of the Christmas story, the family celebrates as any classical family should from that era. I also like how Ralphie and his little brother go to visit santa and have a bad experience with mall crowds. I think the movie is overall hilarious and an excellent family time movie for the holidays.
I have to agree! The Christmas Story is definitely one of those 'must see' films, both for nostalgic purposes as well as it's a classic! One of my favorie scenes from that movie was also the pole scene, but I also found the leg lamp scene to be quite humorous.
Started flipping through channels this afternoon and came across one of my favorite shows called, "Bar Rescue." The host Jon Taffer goes around the country and helps struggling bar owners fixed their systems and methods to improve the experience their customers will have. He has been doing this for almost 38 years and has helped transform hundreds of bars nationwide.
This got me thinking, how often does anyone have that dream? I'm sure just about every guy in college, myself included thought to them self or with a friend, "Hey man why don't we try opening a bar?" It sounds easy, make some drinks, cook some food, make a good environment and we'll rake in almost millions. But after seeing dozens of episodes of this show it's a lot harder than what I thought. You gotta think of how much profit the market brings in, what demographic are you hosting, what theme you should use, what placement settings, etc. The list goes on and on.
I myself I have worked in a bar environment as a Bar Back. My job was to keep the bar staff stocked with all their supplies. And let me tell you there is NO half stepping in the bar business I left each night I worked drenched in sweat because not only was I constantly moving, but I was constantly moving for 3 BARS!!! There was an inside, an outside and an upstairs bar that I was responsible for and man I didn't think people drank that much.
So to any and all working in the bar industry I tip my hat to you all.
There aren't too many Christmas movies I've seen in all fairness... The ones I can think of when I was younger and watched were definitely the first claymation movie, along with Santa Claus is Coming to Town. I loved those movies and absolutely idolized the people that created them. I find claymation to be very creative and phenomenal. I respect those that have created films by stop motion- having to do something like that must take a long while.
Some movies I have to wonder if people have also seen that I don't think normally got itself a fair screen time. One of the movies I had gotten on VHS as little kid was a movie called "Annabelle's Wish." It followed the story of a young cow who befriends the farmer's grandson, who is mute. The grandson is mute because he was involved in a home fire that took the life of his parents. Annabelle is a newborn calf, who after befriending the boy they become inseparable.
The story is pretty cliche, in terms of some plot development that happens along the way, but it is a good movie and its message is very selfless, and family important. It's a movie that's stuck with me, maybe because at a point it was a favorite of mine and held values that I still uphold today. If you ever want to check out an old animated Christmas film, I'd definitely say "Annabelle's Wish" is a good one.
Taking an online class can be such a pain when I'm at home. There are so many distractions. TV, family, friends. It's all so much! I feel so much better when I'm doing work at school. It's not that there are no distractions there but I just feel more focused. That's what you do in a school setting... you study and you get work done. At least for the most part. At home, all I want to do is relax and watch an unhealthy amount of TV. And eat. A lot. I just really wish I could focus better here. My work would get done with much more ease.
I agree with you. Taing an online class is definitely harder than I thought it would be. My sister and boyfriend are home from school and I am working, and whenever I want to make plans I have to remember that I actually have work to get done. Even with all of the holiday parties and such, we have to schedule time in to do our work.
I guess I would have to say The Grinch Stole Christmas is my favorite Christmas movie. Only because it is a family tradition/ritual and I supposedly looked like Cindy Lou Who when I was a toddler. I don't really know or like many other Christmas themed movies. I do like the episode of Big Bang Theory when Sheldon is plagued with the burden of reciprocity. This episode shows how gift giving complicates relationships and fuels our consumeristic society.
free write Dec. 23rd. My favorite Christmas movie is Elf. Every year since I can remember, my family has gone to the movies the night before Thanksgiving. The year that Elf came out, my entire family could be there at the movie, so it made it extra special. Every year since we have all watched that movie together. I really enjoy getting into the spirit of Christmas. I am a very positive person, which is why I think I like the movie Elf so much. It is filled with humor and smiles. I like a lot of Christmas movies but my favorite is definitely Elf.
To me Christmas should be about family and friends and all the holiday cheer that you get during this time. But Christmas is slowly but surely becoming more and more commercialed. Now when you hear people talk about the holidays they say things like, ohh i still need yo do my Christmas shopping. With a focus on presents not the people and family that they are spending the season with. It has gone so far that I recently saw 8 year-old kids on a commercial asking for real cars. That is crazy, whatever happened to asking for toy trucks and simple things that kids enjoy. To ask for a car when you aren't even allowed to get license for another 7 or 8 years is ludicrous. When need to get back to the old traditions of Christmas with more focus on family and friends and less focus on consumerism.
11:10- 11:18 December 14, 2014
ReplyDeleteI recently followed Mari Madsen on Twitter. After reading through the syllabus I decided I needed to follow more people who are spreading important information so that I can not only use twitter as a place to catch up with what my friends are doing, but also to be able to learn about new discoveries. Mari Madsen followed me the other day, and I had no idea who she was. She had favorited a tweet that I put out that read “Mom’s last day of chemo!!!!! @mommahuff #kickingcancersbutt #pink #STRONG” so naturally, I was curious who she was. Her account says that she is a doctor based out of Los Angeles. She is double board certified in general surgery and colorectal surgery. After visiting her page and reading some of her tweets, I decided I would follow her back. She sends out many articles for people to read and discover new things as well as health tips and videos. I think that it is amazing how we can connect with people and learn things every day just because a social media site such as twitter has been created.
That's a great story. Twitter is a great tool for connecting people!
DeleteMy culture is one that continues to change as I age and as I develop a safe space for my children to think and to live and to learn. It includes a range of rituals and unique ways of doing things. It includes manners and table protocol. It certainly includes our family's belief systems - what we value and why it's important. I constantly question how I do things with my family because of my own strange family upbringings. This, in turn affects my ambivalence to what's important so that, I find that I often default to what my wife has taught my children. As a result, my children will be mixed up or they will have a richer and deeper sense of their own culture. It also means that my own ideas of culture are changeable and will continue to evolve throughout my life.
ReplyDeleteI agree strongly with the first line of your comment. ALWAYS changING! evident in the fact that your children are experiencing a mixed or new culture. There in itself, is a new culture forming.
DeleteWhat is my culture? December 15th, 2014
ReplyDeleteTo me, culture is something that I was raised with. I have noticed it more recently with being in a relationship with my boyfriend, seeing the traditions his family holds and how they are different from my own. For example, when we have dinner we both have family dinners where everyone sits down for a meal at the table. I was taught to stop eating when I am full, but my boyfriend was taught that no matter how big the portion size, you do not get up from the table unless you have cleared your plate. Another thing that is different between our traditions around christmas time is that when my family decorates the tree we turn on christmas music and just enjoy our time. When we were younger we created different ornaments in school and they are in the box full of ornaments. We don't really bother checking whose is whose, we jsut hang any ornament we grab. My boyfriend's family separates the ornaments so that each person hangs their own individually. They also have a pickle ornament and on Christmas morning whoever finds the pickle gets an extra gift. My family never did that. This just shows that even though we grew up and went to the same school together and everything, out culture is still different just because of the family that we are in and how we were raised. His family is mennonite and my family is catholic, which may also have to do with our upbringings and how we differ. I have always found that Christmas is the biggest holiday celebration for my family. I have a large family (29 cousins) and we always get together once a month to celebrate whoever has a birthday that month. Also, on major holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter we always get together either at my parents house or at one of my aunt or uncle's house. We love celebrating each other and catching up whenever we can, which is why we choose to celebrate together at least once a month.
I completely agree with you that tradition is a big part of our culture and it is intereting to learn someone else's culture by just being around them. We have similar traditions around Christmas time that you do, we don't find a pickle but my mom hides envelopes deep in the Christmas tree and when we find them we get to keep whatever is inside them. Family is a big part of culture and influences most of our lives. The fact that family can get together at least once out of the year is awesome and that is because of culture. Families value different holidays but I would have to agree with you, Christmas is also the biggest holiday in my house as well.
DeleteI agree very strongly with a lot of what you say. What you grow up with in your life definitely influences your own culture. There are a lot of things you have said that relates to what I have seen and also begun. My family mostly consists of just myself and my parents. Our relatives are all in New York, so we really only get to see them once every year (mostly for Christmas). The way that we have our meals and how we celebrate with one another is definitely different.
DeleteWith me, though we have close knit meals we are rather reserved and quiet. When I was visiting my boyfriend's family, we also had our meal (this was for Thanksgiving). We ate, listened to music in the background, talked, and afterward we played some boardgames and such. To me, it was amazing and more close knit. It's not that my family is not, we just experience things differently.
To not babble on, I'm glad to hear you enjoy celebrating with your big family, and it's good to see them for the holidays. :)
I really like the way that you start your free write, that it is how you were raised which ties into how traditions were brought up. I found it to be interesting the stories you shared and how they differed. I think it goes to show that each family has their own culture depending on how they were raised too and the traditions and beliefs that they carry on for their family.
DeleteWhat is culture. We defined what culture is with words that relate to it. Food, Values, Language, and so on. It's funny that you don't normally think about culture until you're being asked about it. Maybe that can be said for any kind of topic, really. You may think about it, but you don't really delve into the matter unless you really want to. Cultures all over the world are different, that we know. A lot though hold the same values and traditions that we do. For example, we are a state that takes pride in sports (particularly football). This can be the same for other countries such as Sweden, or even Italy. We also hold traditions such as celebrating holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and so on. It may not be those specific holidays for other countries, but we still hold them during the specific month.
ReplyDeleteLike I had said earlier, I found it funny that any Asian restaurant mostly keeps themselves open during New Years, while other restaurants would normally be closed- or at least close early. This was because for them, our New Years is not something to celebrate because it is not their culture- like Chinese New Years (which in some ways is definitely different in terms of meaning and such).
The one thing that I enjoy telling people, or find it humorous when other people find out- is that I am adopted. I am Chinese, born in Changsha, but adopted as a twelve month old baby. I was raised in New York but I have grown up in Pennsylvania all my life. My parents, as I like to tell people, are Italian New Yorkers. So in a sense, my culture has been of Italian upbringing. We are a rather loud family at points, and we love food. Whenever we have celebrations together with our relatives in New York, there is always a feast to be had, warm drinks, and lots of loud talking.
I do not know how it could have been if I were still in China. I know that my upbringing, my culture, and my values would be very different. It's hard to think about sometimes, but I know that if I weren't adopted, I would probably be working in a cotton field somewhere. Who knows where I would go from there, would I even be successful? Something that, while it isn't culture based, valued is that I am lucky to be where I am. I want to be able to utilize the chance I've been given and make a good, successful life for myself.
Parts of me have to wonder though, how different would I be? Would I still have the same personality? Could I still change things for myself? If I have been given a destined plan by the greater good above, would things still eventually map out the way that they will for me now? I probably look too far into these kinds of things for my own good, as my thoughts tend to trail off afterward.
This entire topic even kind of had its own trailing off... Admittedly I still have a part of nervousness in me with these kinds of writings. I hope I do not bore anyone, and also don't sound completely stupid or off my rocker. Thoughts written versus an actual topic paper address different audiences as we all know, and for the most part I know that I normally want mine to be something that people take interest in.
With this I conclude to be finished. End thought.
I felt the same way. You never really think about it till it is presented to you. I myself, found my mind wondering to so many avenues. Thanks for sharing.
Deleteculture can be analyzed by
ReplyDeletemood, place, people, food and drink, rituals etc.
Through a social psychological aspect the culture frames the event.
culture can be grouped with race, SES, income, gender, sex, etc.
Institutions of business, religion, government and many more come into play.
Culture is always changing.
Each day we see new emergence of culture. Culture cannot just be defined by the borders of race. For example, because you are of one race does not mean you participate in the culture. Not all Asian-Americans celebrate the chinese new year, an otherwise Asian tradition. Culture can be defined by the dress you choose to wear, the transportation you arrive in, any element of your person. In my Celebrations class with Dr. Orrh, we analyzed the celebrations of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and more. We looked at the Cultural elements of dress, food/drink, music, mood, rituals, activities present and more. We social psychologically analyzed the cognitive, emotional and attitudinal aspects of the culture forming the celebration. for example the mental framework and significance of events, i think these aspects come hand in hand with culture.
Culture can be a stigma or stereotype
labeled blue as a boys color-what do we define as gender? changing?
I agree that culture can be analyzed by many different aspects, and among those it is always changing like you had mentioned. I think it is neat that we see new aspects of culture every day. I also agree that culture can be a stigma or stereotype...for better or for worse.
DeleteIt's interesting that you mentioned that culture can be a stigma or a stereotype. I completely agree. Being black, many non-blacks that I have encountered assume that I am a certain way, that I like certain foods, and like certain music. I don't like rap or fried chicken. And many other things that it is assumed that blacks like. Culture is not always as applicable as people may think.
DeleteWhat is culture?
ReplyDeleteCulture is the beliefs and values that people hold in different places all over the world and within our own country. Culture encompasses who we are and what we do as human beings. When I think of culture I think about the traditions that different people have. For example, the Christmas season is upon us and my traditions have already begun. They start on thanksgiving and they continue through the New Year. My family traditions are to have Christmas Eve dinner at my Grammy's house and then every Christmas my entire family comes to my house for dinner. Traditions are not permanent though and are subject to change. it was unfortunate that my grandfather pass away days before Christmas my freshman year. Because of this, Christmas Eve dinner could not be held at my Grammy's. As a family we had to decide what we would do with the tradtion and how we would change it around. We decided that my sister would now host Christmas Eve dinner. It might seem like a small change (because my family lives relatively close to one another) however, it was a big change to my family. Traditions are hard to change, in fact change is hard in general. We all adapt and make the best of it, though. When I think culture I think about ethnicity and all of the different barriers there are around the world. Culture to me is how people dress and act. Think about our culture as Americans. Culture can be as simple as our daily routine to as complex as the hand gestures and ways we interact with other people. Culture is not something that should be pushed under the rug. Culture is something that is all around us and that we might not even know is there. Think about the very mundane tasks we do everyday and the simple conversations that we have with friends and family. If we spoke the way we do with each other (very informally as if through text) to people outside of our culture, we might offend them. But we don't think about these things because they are what we consider to be correct and socially acceptable. Culture is something that is overlooked because of the fact that it is something that occurs in our everyday lives.
I like how you worded this. I agrre
DeleteIt's funny because I have a friend from Wales, and the other day I told him I "picked up a shift" at work. He had absolutely no idea what I meant! I don't think we realize some of the things that our culture says, another culture has no clue, even if we think it's obvious. We ALWAYS need to be aware of other's culture as well as ours as to not offend others.
DeleteWhat is Culture?
ReplyDeleteWhat is my culture?
When you are thinking culture in the broad sense it’s hard to narrow on one thought, but when I think about my culture, it brings a whole new sense of the meaning.
My culture, the things that define who I am is the history of me. The experiences I share with the world I come into contact with. Some may say I am culturally bound. I find that as long as you take every day and moment and do not take it for granted, make it useful to your life, big or small, that can add to the culture of you.
My culture is local. I grew up in various towns in the Pennsylvanian region. I come from the traditional German Irish heritage, where food and family is where its at. I did not realize in my younger years that I had things that made me culturally unique. I have a friend from Missouri, where she has never tried red beet eggs, shoofly pie, and all the fixings of local Dutch cuisine. I come from a non-denominational Christian background, where there are cultural beliefs, rituals, and traditions.
Another thought. Culture can be defined in various aspects. Education has its own culture (its values and beliefs). As I have moved through my courses and got to that point where most of my classmates were in the same major, I would look around in my classroom and simply observe the people around me. I started to notice similar thinking, style, and tendencies. We also share similar philosophies.
I like how you say that culture defines me. And that is such a strong point because although you could come from a common area, your outlook on many things could appear in one sense and your next door neighbor even could have an entirely different perspective.
DeleteKasey, I like your point about Education having it's own culture. It is very true and it is an important observation.
DeleteCulture is something that I have always admired because it blows my mind that it can be so different in so many places. I watch the amazing race at home and that is something that shows how different the culture can be. They players travel trough many countries and the tasks that they are assigned to do in each leg of the race they are in relate to the culture of that country. I also do admire music in different cultures. A fan of mine is music from africa because of the african drums. I play the drums myself so I think it would be incredible to have the chance to actually sit in a play these drums with the culture itself. Food is also another aspect of culture I wish i could experience. Tv shows show people travel the world tasting different foods. We have different types of food here that are from different cultures but I believe that it is completely different if you tried the same food in the country it originated from. Hopefully one day I get to experience that!
ReplyDeleteI've also seen Amazing Race and think it's really cool how it shows so many different countries and their cultures. It's also interesting to see how much the contestants struggle to complete tasks that are so simple to those people who live there.
DeleteWhat is culture? Culture is something that involves your proximity that includes similar ideas, beliefs, traditions and norms. It helps us identify ourselves and ourself within our community. I think culture could take place in many settings just a few being school, work and home. Being in the different places you will see norm behaviors which will help you to understand how people act in your culture.It also helps us to see any taboos that are going on and what is accepted and what is not. I think our culture is a place that is very work dependent. We either get a higher degree or have to work longer hours making less in order to have the things we need. On another aspect I think that we are technology based. So many of us have these social media sites which is just one way that it can interfere with interacting with others. Many times my previous teachers would ask the class if they would go without their phone for a day. A lot of the time there are many students who say they couldn't.
ReplyDeleteWhat is culture? I think culture is an individual’s shared beliefs and values that help connect them to others who also share those opinions. Culture is something that I have always loved learning about and have always been interested in. In high school, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be able to travel to Italy and Greece for two weeks with my teacher and classmates. From this experience, I was able to first hand see the different ways the people from these countries lived their daily lives. Some of the differences included food, clothes, music, money, and language. Since this opportunity, I have been more intrigued about learning about cultures different from my own. I love learning about the different ways people live their daily lives and how differently they approach everyday tasks from how I would. In the future, I hope to be able to learn more about different and also be able to experience them first hand.
ReplyDeleteI am intriqued with other cultures too, what I cool experience that must have been I would like to visit Europe one day.
DeleteWhen we think about culture, we typically think of how different foreign foods are and the music and language. We see differences in clothing, traditions, rituals and religions, but these things are only the tip of the iceberg. Culture is much more than these obvious external differences, it can be about how people solve problems, what direct eye contact or other gestures mean, or it can be how they define the self. Culture also includes how family units are structured, social norms, gender roles, and whether or not the young or old are valued more. Cultural differences are prevalent within populations too. For instance, we are the generation of Millennials and people like to assume that we are all incredibly talented with technology. This is an untrue generalization. Many of us are more technically inclined than our elders, but due to cultural differences within our generation, there are many cases where it is just not true. Even though we say “American culture” there are a lot of regional cultural differences between Americans. There are cities, suburbs, and rural areas. There are mountainous areas, farmlands, and beaches. So geography is another factor determining the variety of “American cultures” as well as a variety of cultures within other nations too.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with your analysis of culture. It is true that narrowing culture down to foreign foods, music and language is a common misconception of the definition. Those are definitely part of it but there is so much more to it. I even saw a regional culture difference just from my area to Millersville. It's truly amazing how broad of a spectrum the definition of culture covers.
DeleteCulture to me is something that is ingrained into us from the time we are born. Culture is the environment around, the manner in which our parents raise us, the era in which we our raised, the trends of the society you grow up in, and the make up of your community. While many people may share similarities in their respective cultures, I believe that not one person's culture is identical. Culture seems to be how one perceives the world they live in and how the people they know, or come across, interact with each other. Culture is simply a means in which humans can relate or differentiate with other human beings, it is an identifier. I think what must people hope to get out of culture is to value what they take from their surroundings, hopefully pass some of that on to future generations, and attempt to learn something from the culture of others. While culture may sometimes separate us, I think it can be an important tool in bringing people together as well.
ReplyDeleteHow would you describe your culture, Ryan?
DeleteTo me culture is a mixture of beliefs, ideas, tradition, ethnicity, religion and much more. Culture is what makes you you. It is most of the time passed down through the family and the society you grow up in, however it can very easily end up being a blended culture. My mother’s family came to America from Germany and some of the German traditions we still follow. My husband’s family is Pennsylvania Dutch and still follow many of the Dutch traditions. We all live with in the same area, so our traditions start to blend. You can see this in many different places. People marry others out of their own culture or they live in a neighborhood that has a different culture then their own. These cultures start to blend in certain areas. However, most of the time a person’s values and beliefs are those of their culture.
ReplyDeleteI love how you brought up the fact that many times culture gets blended in families. I love seeing interracial marriages that bring in various parts of culture. It is also great to raise kids in such a diverse environment, because in today's world it seems that people are so close minded and want nothing to do with people who may be different from them. If these people only knew all of the amazing things you can learn from people who come from some place unfamiliar to you!
DeleteCulture is the defining arts, beliefs, and customs of a certain society. My culture is illustrated with Christianity, family dinners and laughter. My world revolves around my parents, sister, and grandparents. There is never a dull moment with my family, considering each night grandpa drinks too much and dances on the table..! My culture is something I am truly proud of. I love to share my religious beliefs and tell people how God has positively changed my life. My culture can be described with lake parties, corn mazes, horse rides, hunting, fishing, and a bountiful of food! My culture is inspiring, encouraging, and even critical. Each person in my family pushes the others to be their best self. I probably sound like a true ‘leave it to beaver’ family but it was how I was raised and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to be proud of what makes you you. And it is wonderful that you are not afraid to tell others about God, so many people are afraid to bring up God while talking to others even though they are a Christian. I too bring up God quite a bit.
DeleteI agree with many of the posts about culture. Last spring I took the class pluralism in the classroom with Dr. Hossain. In this class we discussed culture and the importance of culture in our lives. I came into the class with my idea of what culture is, but I left with a much better understanding of my own culture. Culture is constantly changing. A certain points of your life you have a different culture. Culture is not just your background, but it is events, places, and things that hold a large impact on your life. As of now my culture consists of being from Lancaster county, being a college student, my religion, and work. Family is important to me, but right now I am so focused on school and working that I don't have a lot of time for family events. It was interesting to share our cultures with the class and see the similarities/differences between myself, my professor, and my classmates.
ReplyDeleteI posted this earlier during class today, but when I hit “Publish” all the seven minutes I wrote was erased. I wrote about culture shocks since our optional prompt was about culture. I never really thought culture shock was real. I just thought that people were overacting and would adjust quickly when they went to another country. I was wrong. The first time I traveled out of the country was my freshman year of college. I was lucky enough to get the most amazing Dutch roommate ever. We became best friend’s immediately and she invited me to stay with her in her country over New Years. At first, I laughed at her. There was no way I could afford that. Every night I would tease myself by looking up airfare to the Netherlands over winter break. One night I saw roundtrip plane tickets for $700. Without thinking, I bought them. I couldn’t believe I did something so impulsive. Months went by and it was finally time for me to fly. I flew by myself to England first. I landed in one airport in England and had to make it to another airport in the matter of three hours. I felt like I was on another planet. Everyone was driving on the wrong side of the road! Somehow, I made it on the right bus and made my flight to Amsterdam successfully. When I arrived in Amsterdam I experienced a whole new type of culture shock. Everyone spoke Dutch. I knew they would speak Dutch in Holland, but I was so used to my friend speaking English that I assumed everyone did. I was wrong. I found out later that even if the Dutch knew English, they preferred to speak Dutch because it was more natural to them. The rest of my trip I was a little less shocked because I had my friend there to guide me. Now I can truly understand what the phrase “culture shock” means.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat is culture? Culture defines who we are as human beings. Everyone has different cultural aspects in their life such as customs, religion, economics, family and community life, sports, foods, etc. My interpretation of culture is relating it to my family and my town. My culture is much different from other cultures I have encountered. College for me was a complete culture shock to say the least. As I have mentioned in another post, I live in the country next to a town of 500 people. It is a very tight-knit community where everyone knows each other and would help someone out at the drop of a hat. My father grew up a farmer and my mother became a teacher, and their family before that were factory workers, farmers, and coal miners. Because of my family, being taught to live simply and appreciating small things was always drilled into me. We have lived in this area since my ancestors came from Ireland. My family is Catholic and I was born and raised that way, so religion has always been a huge part of my life. Hunting, fishing, four wheeling, and working with your hands defines my family. The dominating sports I grew up with were Baseball, Football, and NASCAR and it seemed none ever paid any mind to any other sport. In my town, our culture is still old fashioned in a sense. People graduate school, some get a college degree, most marry someone from high school or from a neighboring town, get a blue-collar job close by, and stay where they grew up. My culture a simple culture but it’s what I grew up with and what I’m proud of.
ReplyDeleteOur culture is what makes us who we are, we all need to be proud ouf it... :)))
DeleteI travelled to Europe with my grandma when I was 17. We went backpacking in Spain and stayed in hostels and B&Bs. We hiked along the coast from Catalonia to Cadaqués. I experienced quite a culture shock our first night at dinner because there was a huge street party after a futball victory. I couldn't believe how wild they were about it. While we were in Catalonia, we had to be careful not to call the citizens of Catalonia, Spanish. Although they speak spanish and catalan, Catalonians take offense to being mistaken for Spaniards because historically, the Spaniards denied the Catalonians independence and the two groups are still hostile today. Later on this trip, I actually hike for several miles on a nude beach with my grandma. It was much to cold to swim and was the hardest hiking I've ever done because of the sand and the wind. When we got closer to Cadaqués, my grandmother and I encountered 2 prostitutes walking the roads near a traffic circle. Of course I was embarassed and briskly walked ahead and my curious grandma insisted on asking them for directions. I'll never forget it. On our way home, Grandma and I got lost in Barcelona, which is very similar to NYC. At dinner, I ordered a beer and they served it to me at room temperature. As you can imagine, I was pretty disappointed. We actually got stuck in Barcelona because of the British Airline strike. I was stoked that I got to miss school because I was stuck in Europe. That trip was an experience and a half. Culture shock? Definitely.
ReplyDeleteWow! What an awesome, unforgettable experience you now always will have. That is so special that you went backpacking in Europe with your grandma and experienced another part of the world together. It's crazy how people live so differently from you, but in new places it is neat to find the similarities.
DeleteThat is quite interesting about the conflict between the Catalonians and the Spaniards. When going to a new country, it is very important to be aware of relationships struggles like that. Thank you for sharing that history!
And I can completely relate to you as far as culture shock but slightly in a different way. I've been to a few impoverished countries and I have seen the poorest of the poor. Places where there is no grocery store to get food, but live off the land and also places where people call a tin hut their home. After all of my trips, I experienced much heart-breaking culture shock, that truly made me realize how fortunate I am to have been given the life I have!
An African woman's head dress, a festive, Latino tune, a shake of a hand, and a peaceful nation are all aspects of culture. Culture is portrayed through a peoples way of life, but also through their interactions with others. Their are invisible parts of a culture in which normally are only displayed through interactions with others and their are visual parts of a culture in which are shown through dress, food, lifestyle, etc.
ReplyDeleteMy first experience in another culture was when I went on a mission's trip to Honduras. Never in my life could I have thought that learning about another way of life could be so life-changing and inspiring. I was encouraged by their friendly hellos, never hesitant to share a smile. Here in America, it is odd if you say hello to a stranger at times. In Arizona, I was able to experience a dose of Native American culture. Their ritualistic ceremonies, beautiful bead work, and simple mud homes opened my eyes at their unique, but simple way of life. But then again, my way of life may seem very complex and different to them. In the Dominican Republic this past March, I learned about the music of this Hispanic group of people and also the importance they place on their family and friends. In Dominican culture, it is known that they put their value in relationships rather than in jobs or money. How cool is that? I wish it was more like that in fast paced, career focused America.
Culture is a beautiful thing. It opens your eyes to the fact that their are other ways to live happily. It is neat to embrace differences, but it also is comforting to know that all people can relate in a few ways: we all want to be loved and hold a special place in this world.
I really enjoyed reading your post! I agree completely that culture is beautiful thing and it's really cool to learn about and experience different ones.
DeleteCulrure is a huge part of one's life; it is what makes us who we are today.Culture is our beliefs, values, langauge, religion, etc. I am Turkish, buy I was born and grew up in Russia.I mived to U.S.A. in 2005 due to discrimination. My culture is majorly Turkish, but I have incorporated little bit of Russian and American aspects to my culture. Oour culture keeps evolving with our experiences and age.
ReplyDeleteWe have discussed that culture is a set of values, traditions, and what we have grown up with that result in what our own culture is. For us, it becomes something that is a norm. In terms of youth and in terms of schooling, culture is also that. It is a social norm, and what kids believe themselves. Unfortunately, a lot of school norms can be negative. For example, many young boys have grown up to believe that it's socially normal to lift a girl's skirt and not have to deal with getting in trouble. Young girls have come to think that they either have to dress less or more to either protect themselves from judgement or to make a statement. It isn't just the students, though, that have come to these norms. Though not entirely youth but still a part of the school body, some teachers have come to make it a norm that dress coding for girls should be more strict, and that it is the girls fault for what she wears. While this isn't just all black and white, to me it's something that should not be blamed on any child- especially if they are very young (compared to something that a high school student would wear). I know my thoughts right now are a bit scatterbrained, but hopefully some of it makes sense. From what I've grown up with in high school myself compared to what is happening now that has become a social norm to the next generations, it unfortunately makes me a bit worried for the future generations.
ReplyDeleteAnd while I know that this doesn't happen everywhere, it does still happen.
Being in the field of education helps me to see ideas from a different view point. I am constantly trying to see things from my student's perspectives and trying to put my own biases out of the way. Schools bring about the most culturally different environment that you will see all over the world, but especially here in America. I had the fortunate opportunity to be placed into the York City District, this past fall, where different cultures bled from the walls. It was interesting to be placed into such a culturally different environment, it was not one I had experienced before. I could tell, however, that the children's culture affected how they learned/if they learned. A lot of the students were ELL's (english language learners) and therefore had a more difficult time deciphering lessons than the other children. It was quite evident that the teachers did not know how to fully overcome these differences with their students, either. One of the things I had discussed with my fellow classmates this past fall semester was how do we incorporate different cultures into our classroom setting? What we concluded was that it would be a good idea to open the children up to every culture that they might encounter. Maybe holding a culture fair where they can experience different music, food, dress, etc. that other cultures might be using. As a future educator I am constantly looking for ways to improve my classroom community. I want nothing more than to be able to have a classroom of committed and knowledgeable students. This starts from the teacher. The teacher needs to facilitate the learning of culture and explain to the students about the similarities and differences they may encounter. I also believe it is good to have the students celebrate their differences and similarities amongst each other. We all bring something different to the table when it comes to culture and it is important to note that it is not a bad thing to be different, but rather something that should be celebrated. Culture amongst students affects everything from the minute they leave their house to the minute they leave school at 3 o'clock. Culture can affect their mood and how they act on a particular day. It can also affect the vibes they give out to other classmates. If the class is not aware of the cultural differences that are taking place, then the learning environment is not one that facilitates the best possible learning.
ReplyDeleteWe can write about any topic here, so I am going talk about my dreams and goals and try to be positive...(I need it:)))) My goal is to finish my Bachelors, take 1 year brake, get my Master's and start working as an advanced practitioner nurse.
ReplyDeleteI am planning to have 2 more kids, but not in the near future:)) I want to raise my children in the best way i can, and be able to spend enough time with them. Later in life, after they are grown, I would like to visit multiple places in world. I love different cultures and people each with a different story. If i make enough money, i would like to use it to help poor countries with food and water, and improve healthcare.
I have a big family in Kentucky, and I am planning to go there for this new year. I am very exited bout that...
Wow, two more kids. Good for you. I am older, and two is enough for me. If I started when I was younger maybe I would feel different. Spending time with them is important. I have six years between my girls. I was able to spend a lot of time with my first one and by the time my second child was the oldest was in school, so I had time with the little one.
DeleteMy Welsh friend has helped me define my culture. As a guy who has lived in Wales his whole life, having another set of eyes on my ways and beliefs is not only clarifying for me, honestly kind of amusing as well. He pokes fun at my "typical American life" but I have also cleared up some stigmas with him as well. We do have some speech barriers with his accent where he tells me he has to "slow down" his way of talking for me, otherwise I can barely even understand him. They have certain phrases over there that I had to get used to... And the other day I told him I "picked up a shift at work" and he had absolutely no idea what I meant! It was too funny to me that something we say regularly in our culture, he has no clue what I meant. I have discovered that our cultures are not simply defined by what we surround ourselves with, but also by with whom. I love that we can talk about things with completely different viewpoints which opens my eyes to things I never would have thought. He has definitely changed my culture for the better.
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool you have another perspective with your friend from Wales! People see things from all different perspectives and it's interesting to see different cultures collide and merge to form new unique cultures. Typically we associate with friends that hold the same values and beliefs as us and define our culture. I agree that the people we surround ourselves with define our culture.
DeleteI completely agree! I think it is so interesting to hear about other cultures and see how similar and different they are. It is amazing how different everyone is.
DeleteBefore I begin, this is not a rant, simply observations. My culture is misunderstood and dying. I see the black culture slowly falling apart. I see my culture being overlooked and ignored because of all of the current events taking place. Violence and hate are spreading, music is getting more graphic, and our youth are being misguided. Our values and beliefs that our ancestors showed us are slowly going down the drain. Our fathers are absent, whether it being their own personal choice or they are being killed and imprisoned, leaving our single mothers to raise us. Schools in black communities are not funded properly and many shut down, leaving our children to be uneducated and out on the streets. It is an endless cycle and it is hard for me to watch what is happening in the US currently. It's like we're slowly stepping back further back in time. I don't agree with what is happening in our communities and I don't like where my culture is headed. I hope that the few of us who still have good values and the will to succeed and stop this cycle will spread this positivity to the communities that need it. My culture is lost and it is dying.
ReplyDeleteAs a future educator myself, I TRULY support you with your beliefs and will help assist in the goals of creating a better future for all. The first step is awareness and hopefully people are starting to get what is going on.
DeleteGood for you for speaking your mind. I agree with you. If you haven't already, you should read Dr. Ben Carson sometime I think you would enjoy him.
DeleteDr. Ben Carson is phenomenal. I think the problems you speak of is the fault of all aspects of society. Respectfully, I see some in white community as possibly playing down certain problems in the black community, while some in the black community are to quick to blame and fail to see possible internal causes. My only hope is the majority of us are able to step back and see these issues and come together, instead of fighting and causes greater racial divisions. I am also glad people are able to discuss problems like these freely, I think that is truly a sign that is not all doom on the horizon.
DeleteI started to think about our culture, here in the United States, and how it relates to schooling and growing up. It is quite obvious, over recent history, that there a cultural pressure has grown on American youth to go to college and get a degree. Many children are taught throughout the country these days that one must get a college degree to be successful in life, or that a college degree today is as important as a high school diploma was for our parents. While obtaining a college degree is most definitely an important part of success in some careers, I think it could be very important for us, as a culture, to value other forms of education as well, such as vocational or technical training. We have begun to see the consequences of this massive push for college education for all. As many of us will surely soon experience, with so many college graduates there is much higher competition for jobs, which leads to higher unemployment. I feel it would be beneficial to push vocational occupations just as hard as college degrees, with the result being a broader workforce and possibly a much higher chance of obtaining a job in your chosen field.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion of valuing vocational and technical occupations just as much as those that require college degrees. In today's society, those occupations are almost looked down upon but they are jobs that are needed daily! Hopefully in the future we can learn to value these positions much more than what we do now.
DeleteI read the article on the Australian hostage situation and was amazed at how the Australians have banded together! By creating the #IllRideWithYou hashtag on Twitter, Australians have showed that they care for their fellow people and I think that it is inspiring. This hashtag has quickly spread over Twitter, and people on public transportation are letting those who may fear being attacked that they are safe and they support them. This is a very positive act that has come from such a sad and unfortunate occurrence, it is very motivating to read about and see take action. People’s attitudes and actions could have very easily taken a very dark and negative turn after this event, but instead it has turned around and become something to be inspired from. It’s nice seeing people take this route after all of the negative events our country and world has seen recently, for example what happened in Ferguson earlier this year. This act is a lesson our country can learn from, instead of getting a bunch of rage from the result of one person’s actions. Overall, I thought this was an enlightening article and movement that has shown us a good example to hopefully follow in the future.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you! Good things can come from terrible situations...thank goodness! It is awesome to know that their response to the event did not make the situation worse, but instead made the incident motivational. It also is very nice to see these people respond in the right manner, instead of the recent events with Ferguson like you mentioned. That is definitely a difficult, controversial topic, however I hope that good will come out of it just like what it is happening in Australia.
DeleteIt's amazing what social media can accomplish when you have enough support, especially when everyone starts to spread the word. I also agree that good things can come out of the bad, it's really up to us to turn it around compared to what could possibly make things worse.
DeleteI think we, in a sense, become our parents. Our parents institute beliefs and values that we in turn teach our children. E.B. White talks about his experience with taking his son to the lake for the first time. He sees himself in his son through their adventures. I see aspects of my mom in me everyday. Each generation has something to offer future generations. More present now, teen mothers rely on their family as a support system, both financially and physically. Parents institute the things they hold close to their heart and in turn hope you value these things also. I think there is a shift in life when you start to mature to the point where you start to decide that your parents beliefs are not the same as yours. You individualize yourself as a distinct human being, but also acknowledging the teachings your parents have instituted into your life. I know I learn from my parents everyday, but I don't believe in the same religious practices as my parents. I am glad my parents allow it to be that way. I realize in other countries, cultures and traditions are held very highly, arranged marriages are a key example of this.
ReplyDeleteI see where you are coming from saying that we become our parents but at the same time I wonder if thats the case if you do not agree with your parents ways of life you refrain from becoming like that yourself. So yes I think to an extent we become our parents but based off our ideas and beliefs of them we identify our own self.
DeleteBeing that I am an Education major, I am very concerned for our schools. I have children in the public schools and sometimes I wish I could afford to put them in private. It is not always the teacher, there are wonderful teachers out there. However, their hands are tied, they can no longer teach the way they should. My daughter has however had two teachers that I wonder why they are teachers, and it was those years I really wanted to pull her out. It seems every time I turn around my daughter is taking a pre PSSA test or some sort of assessment to know how to prepare her for the PSSA. What happened to teaching the students for them to gain knowledge? Now we teach to test. Will this help them in the real world?
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine how difficult that must be for you as a mother! This area of education frustrates me to pieces and it makes no sense. Why have tests become more important than the needs of children? I am also an education major and I pray when we will officially hold the role of a teacher we can make a stand and make a difference and also find ways to TEACH our students not just test them!
DeleteIn my Foundations classes our professor challenged us as future educators to teach how we see fit, no matter the circumstances put in place by the schools. It's not right the current systems and if we band together to make a change, it will come. Especially with the pressure of standardized testing... Things need to change.
DeleteI think this is absolutely a great point. It seems, even since when i was going through the school system, there is a huge emphasis on standardized testing. It really takes away from education because teachers begin to essentially teach only how to past tests instead of to actually teach the subjects. Also, it generalized education and holds some students back, while others are not quite at that level yet.
Delete• I am sitting in a black, rolly desk chair obviously too big for my figure. I am taking attendance and giving students their work for the period. They have to ask for my permission to use to bathroom or go to their locker. Funny, not too long ago (around 3 years) was I forced to do the same. They call me Miss Schmidt. Some call me Mrs. Schmidt, which makes me cringe. I am too young to be married. Walking through the hallway is my favorite part. Some teachers ask to see my hall pass. I flash them my badge and alert them of my statue as a substitute teacher. I've been told I should take it as a compliment. Regardless, this is my future and I couldn't be any more excited and assured I am in the right field. I love these little booger brains!
ReplyDeleteAlexis, that's an awesome experience. Getting that experience before you even graduate is very valuable. Have fun!
DeleteI just read the article about the Islamic attack in Australia. The people of Australia truly could not have responded better to the incident. Their hash tag of #illridewithyou displays their confidence in each other as a country. They are showing terrorists that they are standing for what is right and not allowing the act of evil to penetrate their fears, but rather come together as a group of people promoting truth. I hope that this will be an example for the American people, but also other countries as well. I'm so glad to see that there are still people in the world who will look out for the greater good of others.
ReplyDeleteI love that hashtag. I like how you brought up the American people. This incident also made me think of how Americans should react. This could have easily happened at any American store so we should show more concern.
DeleteI think Education is very cultural based. Each classroom has their own culture. Within that classroom the teacher has a set of rules which help the students follow the norms and typically most of the time the same behaviors are being displayed whether they all are reading a book silently, watching the teacher lecture, or working on a workbook. These behaviors form there classroom and anything out of the ordinary, a child running with scissors would be a taboo because it is something they are told not to do. The organization and structure of each classroom is distinct to the kids and is essiential to their learning. If there is a reward system that could be the traditions of the classroom or their normal routines.
ReplyDeleteI was going to write about the Sydney Siege because there has been so much news about it. However, since I am now home for the winter I have been watching a lot of news. The Sydney Siege was dropped as a headline because of all the terror happening around Pennsylvania. A former marine went on a murder spree killing his ex-wife and her family. The news, that was so close to home, was made onto national headlines. Having both of these stories happening on the same day was discouraging and scary. The two incidents were similar in their violent nature, but it is hard to determine which was scarier. One story is about a “mentally unstable” Iranian refugee who was trying to spread his religious message and the other was former marine seeking revenge on his ex-wife and her family. As I continued to watch the news it continued to be upsetting. The news ended with a forced happy story about the best video clips from the year. The instant change of mood from those two stories to the ending story was off-putting. I think I will just get my news from websites and the newspaper.
ReplyDeleteI was reading an article and it made me realize how connected our generation is. I mean, this is something that we normally don't think about. Today, texting or Skyping someone across the world is nothing new. The world seems so small. Fifty years ago, it would be pretty rare to have friends on each of the seven continents, unless well traveled. But today, everyone seems to be only a mouse click away. I wonder, with this somewhat new found and convenient connectedness, will we in the future feel less of a need to travel. Will meeting new people lose its appeal if we have already "met" them online?
ReplyDeleteI can see your point about how technology could diminish our desire to travel, but we can also look at it another way, that if we can reach across the world with a click of the mouse that could inspire us to meet our new friends face to face someday.
DeleteAs I was reading Alexis's post about her dream career becoming a reality it hit me. It is amazing how fast time is moving and that in one more year I will be graduating and entering "the real world". As scary as it sounds it is also very exciting. I can not believe that three years ago I was entering my freshman year at Millersville University. I also can not believe that in one month I will be twenty-one years old. It definitely makes me realize that you only have so much time to do what you want because everything is moving at a fast pace. The feeling of excitement that I get when I am thinking about the day when I am a teacher is so motivating.
ReplyDeleteAfter realizing what the date was today, I cant believe it is this close to Christmas. It feels like it was just last christmas. I have no idea where the time goes or what happens to it. It is kind of scary when you think of it, like you cant get that time back or change anything that has happened. I just distracted myself because my phone says I have 10% battery left because I am using it as a timer. I should probably get my charger but I need to finish this freewrite first. Wow so I get distracted way to easily. I wonder if other people get distracted like me or procrastinate as bad as I do. I really want to fix it. I said I was going to be more organized this semester but that never happened. Hopefully I can start now. It is weird being home and still having a class. I like it but I don't. I espcially doing like it because I have a second online class to take. I only like Dr. Sheas classes that are online haha. I just want Christmas, it needs to be here but it will feel like forever.
ReplyDeleteWinter: It's a love/hate Relationship
ReplyDeleteI hate the cold of winter. I hate when you run all the way to your car, and you realize it’s frozen. I hate scraping off my windshield. I hate how it gets dark so early. I hate how all my flowers go dormant or die. I hate how I am constantly ill. I hate how the sandy beaches I love are now covered in snow. I hate how ghastly pale I become. I hate how snow keeps you from going anywhere. I hate when I go blind from looking at snow. I hate getting windburn. I hate how I feel depressed.
I love the warmth inside buildings. I love when you are impervious to cold from your warm jacket. I love cracking fireplaces. I love burning yummy candles that smell of cookies. I love fuzzy socks. I love cuddling with soft blankets in bed. I love wearing scarves every day. I love how snow shines when it covers a hill. I love going snowboarding… Or skiing. I love watching my dog prance around in the snow. I love making resolutions I know I can keep. I love welcoming in the New Year.
I agree all the way! I too am not a fan of the cold. Though it's funny, when I was younger I always enjoyed it. Perhaps that is mostly due because when we were children we didn't have anything to worry about. Our parents would bundle us in three layers of clothing and hats and mittens, and we'd go out and play in the snow and enjoy hot chocolate afterwards without having to worry about ice on the roads, or having to scrape our cars, or even getting sick. I've grown to dislike the winter season, but still kind of like it due to some of the better reasons you've mentioned too.
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ReplyDeleteBaby Hands
ReplyDeleteHave you ever looked closely at a baby’s hands? I mean yea, they’re cute because they are tiny little replicas of your hand, but when I look into baby hands, all of a sudden past, present, and future come into focus. I find it so wondrous. I see ten fingers, five on each hand, just like you and me, but I find myself full of questions. What will these hands do, create, or build? Who will they help? There is so much potential in those tiny, little, delicate hands. Hands that are fearless, and full of promise.
Next questions, have you ever looked closely at a baby’s feet…?
Kasey, this is a very insightful free-write. I have never looked at baby hands and wondered about the future, but now the next time I do that's probably all I will think of.
DeleteWhat a sweet, precious post. I am also so amazed at the little blessing babies are. Their tiny hands and feet show the wonders of Gods creation. Their are so fragile but full of so much possibility! Thanks for sharing :)
DeleteThis was so cute! That's such a positive thing to think about when you see a baby...what will they grow up to do and be?
DeleteMy freewrite today I want to take the time to talk about work. Even in the textbook chapter about schooling it said that today more and more students are having to work while going to school. To me I only haven’t worked in highschool and my first year of college when I was away at school. Work is definitely an important thing to me even though it can be very stressful working with kids and the staff at my daycare sometimes. But it being around the holidays I just love it when the kids have off school. Last year we would dress up in our ugly sweaters and had a “Santa” come in and deliver presents to the kids. All the kids love this day and I think it is a very different kind of bonding we do with the kids on that day. Another day that I went into work when school was cancelled due to the snow I decided to take clothes to play in the snow. Me being not very fond of the snow found it to be a lot of fun with the kids who did bring stuff to go out. We made a huge snowman and had a lot of fun throwing snowballs at each other. Work around Christmas time is also great because we have a work party and last year we saw a comedian and had a buffet and that was lots of fun. I am looking forward to working again during the holidays this year!
ReplyDeleteKayla, that sounds like such a fun job! Working with children can be very challenging, but it sounds like you find joy out of the little things that they do. Way to stay positive!
DeleteI am not asking for anything for Christmas this year. My parents were both laid off from their jobs earlier this year. I’m not going to ask them for anything because I would rather them just save their money because there is nothing I really need. Even though they are both unemployed around the holidays, I like having them around. It’s weird that they are home all day, but they have worked their whole life and they need the break. If I could ask for anything for Christmas I would ask that everything works out for them because they deserve it.
ReplyDeleteFor my Christmas gifts this year I am making all my gifts off of the Do-It-Yourself crafts I find on Pinterest. The gifts take a lot of time and effort. However, they are much cheaper than other gifts and they are much more thoughtful than a lot of other gifts that can be bought. The problem is, I am not crafty whatsoever. So I need to find crafts with the simplest instructions and with a lot of pictures to help me. I am just hoping the end products will be decent so I can make my friends and family happy this Christmas.
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DeleteI can really relate to this post. Not in the same situation but my mom is struggling with 3 low paying jobs to get by. The fact of it is Christmas is not ment for gifts but TIME spent with your family and people you love!
DeleteI was just browsing Facebook today, casually seeing what people are up to and all that jazz. I stumbled on a post written by my friend who was having difficulties with someone from autozone. She works on cars, and apparently she had an argument with a man about her radio having a relay. Now she has to take the manual in because apparently from what I gather the man doesn't believe what she had to say. This same kind of thing happened to my boyfriend's mother, who knows plenty about cars and had to take hers in earlier this year. She told them that there was something wrong with her car, that the noise it was making was not a noise that related to whatever they said was wrong with it. Because she was a woman though, they did not believe her. They "poo-poo"ed her and when they finally realized what the problem was (which was EXACTLY what she told them from the start) they completely shrugged her off and "forgot" that was what she said in the first place.
ReplyDeleteIt angers me when this kind of thing happens. It's as if we are incapable of knowing a "man's" field. A part of me wishes I knew more about cars so I can one up the ignorant people who do this to my friends and other women in general. My dad even told me that when looking for cars, if you aren't a man good luck with trying to find something that the people won't rip you off of.
I don't think I have ever wanted a break more than this one. This past semester was very difficult. I had a rough start due to a surprise tumor that was found in my nose/sinus area in which had to me removed the second week of school. Apart from my surgery and the scares that went along with that, my course work was very strenuous in which left very little time for me to just "breath" on a weekly basis.
ReplyDeleteSo what do I want for Christmas over this winter break? I want time with my family and friends. I want to embrace and marvel in this wonderful time of the year and bake Christmas cookies with my grandma. I want to give and bring a smile across someones face. I want a Christmas that is focused on the true reason for the season and sit back in gratitude for everything that I have. This Christmas I want everything that you can't buy.
I am sorry to hear about this past semester for you. I hope that this break is exactly what you need to keep moving on. Hopefully it will be relaxing and stress free! I love what you said about wanting to put smiles on everyone's face. That is a wonderful gift to give at any time of the year, and you made me smile reading your post! Thank you!
DeleteI hope you have a wonderful time with your friends and family.
The Death of Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeletePeople call me a Grinch because I am not the biggest fan of Chirstmas, but how can I be when it is the longest and most greedy season ever. I work at Park City Mall and everywhere in the mall by November 1st there are decorations up and Christmas music is playing everywhere. NOVEMBER 1ST. Personally, I think that the Christmas should start by the beginning of December. Because of Christmas starting so early, people are beginning to forget Thanksgiving.
The biggest cause of people beginning to forget about Thanksgiving is Black Friday. Last year, stores opened at 8 pm on Thanksgiving. This year, the mall opened at 6pm on Thanksgiving. I had to open for Black Friday this year and there were tons of people in the mall hours before we actually opened. I remember when I was in high school and Black Friday started at midnight and people would line up outside the stores but they were able to enjoy their Thanksgiving and then go shopping. People need to remember the importance of family. There weren't even any good deals this Friday purely because since places opened so early, they knew that customers would buy stuff regardless of the price because it's Black Friday. Now thats just pathetic. People are way to predictable around this time of year and its ridiculous.
I don't know about anyone else but family is incredibly important to me. And I was beyond pissed when I had to open on Black Friday and miss half of my Thanksgiving day. And I am sure anyone else would have been as well.
Freewrite December 17th
ReplyDeleteWhat do I want for Christmas?
This year is a special Christmas for my family and I. My mom just went in for her last radiation treatment yesterday, and she got to ring the bell, which is what all patients who have completed treatment get to do. This Christmas, the thing I most want is to help celebrate my mom and my family, and to put this past year behind us (I know my mom wants nothing more). Now that she is cancer free, she wants it to be the new year, and I am right there with her. So what I want for Christmas is to make sure my mom gets what she wants. It means so much to me how she always takes care of the family and cleans the house and makes sure everyone else is alright, but I want to be able to do that for her. When she was sick the past couple of months, it was hard to see her that way because I am used to her being like "super mom" status, going above and beyond for every member of the family except for herself. This Christmas my sister and dad and I are surprising her with a trip to Mexico. I really want her to be able to look forward to it in the upcoming months, and I hope it helps her forget about the last year of her being sick. She deserves this getaway.
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DeleteThat is amazing. Congratulations to your mom! That is such a special christmas gift!
DeleteWhat do I want for Christmas?
ReplyDeleteI had an early Christmas present, I will be traveling to Ireland with Dr. Scott Richardson this summer. I have always wanted to study abroad but was never able to. This was an opportunity I could not give up. I was so excited when my parents said that I could go and would help me get there. I have never been to Ireland so I am very excited to see how beautiful it is. I am very grateful for this experience.
This is awesome! Great way to Seize the Opportunity. I've always wanted to travel and hopefully one day I will. Enjoy Ireland!
DeleteI am not asking for anything for Christmas this year either. My dad is still employed, but my mother has slowly been working less and less and the lack of income really stresses my dad out. We're not even having a hard time financially, but my dad's anxiety makes it seem that way. He keeps saying, "we're too poor for that!" We are not poor, we have everything we need. My dad has been saving for his retirement since he was my age. Sometimes I get the feeling of middle-class guilt. My parents have always given me everything I need and the majority of everything I want. All I want for Christmas is a bottle of wine and a meal to share with my family :) and I want my dogs to stop getting injured so often and I want them to stop barking at the wind and the rain.
ReplyDeleteWhen my parents or other people ask me what I would like for Christmas my response has been the same for the last six years, nothing or surprise me. If somebody is giving me a gift I always find it much more pleasurable to not have any idea what the gift may be, no matter what it is. I always found it difficult, even as a kid, to make a list of things I wanted for Christmas because I am not really much of a planner and kind of see things and then I want them. Plus I dont really even buy things for myself, other than food and clothes when needed, so I guess I really dont put much value in material things? Im not sure. But really I think if you are planning on getting someone a Christmas gift you should never ask what that person wants before hand because it is the thought that counts, or so were told, and if you asked a person what it is they want then you are not really putting much thought into the gift at all.
ReplyDeleteI never made list until I met my husband. His family are big at wanting list. It would drive me crazy. Now with the kids I would make list to give so people didn't get them the same things. Which seems to happen even though I give list.
DeleteThat is a good point I didnt really consider. With big families its probably hard to manage and decide what everyone is gettting everyone else.
DeleteWhat do I want for Christmas? I want it to be as normal as possible for my daughters. Their Mommom, my mother just passed away very unexpectedly two weeks ago. She was the one who made Christmas for my children. We would go down to her house Christmas Eve and have dinner than go to church. Christmas morning she and my brother would come to our house to watch the kids open their presents and have breakfast. Later in the day we do go to my in laws, but the special times were spent with my mother. We are having her Memorial service this Saturday and with it being so close to Christmas I hope it doesn't take all the joy out of holiday. I have found the few presents she was able to get for the girls. I plan to wrap them and try and make them special. So all I want for Christmas is the joy to be there.
ReplyDeleteI am very sorry for your families loss during this holiday season. I think as long as her remembrance is a positive experience, that your daughters will see it as her looking over them and celebrating the christmas spirit. I know singing christmas carols is always a way to bring christmas cheer, in hopes she can listen to the beautiful voices of her granddaughters. I think with her absence your children will find a way to value you and the rest of the family during the holiday season.
DeleteI am so very sorry for your loss. My Poppop passed away a few weeks before Christmas as well, in 2011. It was very hard for my family, but we started a tradition of having a moment of silence before our Christmas meal to pray and remember all the good times we were able to have with him. It always feels like something is missing but we are always thankful for what we still have. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts this holiday season.
DeleteSaw a commercial for the new chapter of the Hobbit that came out and started thinking, when was the last time I went on an adventure? Now I'm not suggesting that I pack up and travel the world, but an adventure could be anything that can be classified as a new experience you go through. I'm sure that everyone has had at least one journey or another that they wish they could relive. For me it was when I went to Europe when I was 18 I had so much fun I traveled from Italy to the Vatican City, to Monaco, France and finished in Spain. My favorite places on that trip were Italy and Monaco. Both were places I had never been to before and one of them, Italy, is a country that I have heritage from. Just being in that different environment made me feel like I was in a new element. In some ways it didn't even feel like I left home. And all the rumors that people have saying that Europeans are always rude to Americans.....well I found out that that isn't true. As long as you respect their cultural norms and make some effort to speak their language they'll love you for it, but if you go around expecting everyone to know English or expect people to cater to you that's when you're called the ugly American. So looking back on that, that was one of my favorite adventures that I wish I could relive and I do have hopes to go back one day and maybe even visit some new places. That way I would have even more stories to tell about all that I've done in the time I've been given.
ReplyDeleteFor christmas this year i found it hard to think of things i wanted. My mom, aunt, grandmother, etc all would ask me what i wanted and i had no clue. I am starting to find through growing up that i care more about the gift giving then the gift recieving. It will be nice to recieve a few gifts but there is a greater feeling of joy when you give a gift and get to see the reaction of the recepiant. If anything for christmas i asked for winter gear, being that i hate the cold, it is a necessity i have the correct winter parka and boots. My mother would never want her daughter to come home from winter session an ice pop. I enjoy spending the time i have off of school with my family. At my grandmothers house we always have a christmas meal and game to exchange gifts. We create a saying such as "Jingle Bells" and from that saying you can scramble any of the letters to form another word which would be your gift, all gifts have to be under five dollars. So for example if Jingle Bells was the phrase, i would buy a bell for under five dollars, wrap it and put in under my grandmother's tree. There is also a fun game that goes along with the exchange, involving stealing of presents from family members, ha ha. I hope everyone has a joyous holiday!
ReplyDeleteChristmas time is an interesting time for me. I'm not really into it like I used to be. As the years went by, my family stopped doing certain Christmas traditions like we used too like, putting up lights, putting up a tree, and even having dinner some years. So usually during Christmas, I would visit my dad's side of the family in New Jersey, where they were more festive about the holiday. Although I do not celebrate Christmas like everyone else, I do recognize the purpose of it which is the birth of Jesus, which I celebrate in my heart. Although I do have questions of how do we even know Jesus was born on this day, I still recognize it as his birthday. I feel like I have a lot of mixed emotions about Christmas. I do not like how the focus for some is getting lots of presents, but I do like to see families enjoy each other and come together. Even though my family stopped certain traditions, that never stopped the love we have for each other. People celebrate Christmas differently and that's perfectly fine. Maybe one day when I have children of my own, I'll start my own traditions to keep in my family.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, all I want for Christmas is to see my cousins, Veronica and Maurice. They are 9 and 6. They grew up by my side 24/7, but when their parents got a divorce 2 years ago, their mother moved to Canada where her family lives. Unfortunately, my uncle did not fight for custody because he didn't want his kids to endure that. Now I am only able to see my cousins 3 times a year when they are in the states for 4 weeks at a time. My uncle moved for financial reasons and now he lives 2 hours from my house. For Christmas I want to be able to fly. Or the snowball that Charley is able to shake when he misses his dad in Santa Claus the Movie.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I never need anything for Christmas, but my mom always goes above and beyond for my brother and I. This year he wants a new laptop, and she always keeps things even between us, so she has some things she has bought already but the rest she will probably just save and help me buy books for next semester or something like that. My brother and I are both in college and paying our way through, so she helps us out any way she can. I would really like to someday repay her for all she has done for us.
ReplyDeleteI hear you, but you are never to old for presents no matter how big or small they are!
DeleteThis year for Christmas all I want to do is sleep. That's all. It's been a pretty long time since I've actually felt well rested. It's just so much going on. I feel like I'm always moving. Always on the go. Always in class. Always at work. Always studying. Never sleeping. The only other thing I would ask for is time to read. In my bed of course. It's the next best thing to sleep. There's something just so peaceful about bundling up in bed with a good book and no disturbances. It's so stress free. Unless the book is super intense. But I would consider that eustress. but sleep reins over all. If I could sleep all day on Christmas, which is highly unlikely, I would be one happy camper.
ReplyDeleteI can really understand what you mean, same probably here:(( If i add up the total hours of sleep i got in the past 4 days, it would add up to 15. School, work, homework, and a family with 2 toddlers is very hard...
DeleteWhat do I want for Christmas this year? Well, if i had to be honest I would have to say I want the magic back that Christmas once held. I'm positive it is because we are growing up, but it saddens me that Christmas is so commercialized . Although I am happy, I am not all that excited for Christmas. I am excited to watch the magic come to life with me nieces and nephew, however. I can remember sitting at the top of the steps waiting for the clock to hit 7 o'clock AM and racing down the stairs to see all of the gifts under the tree. Now I rush over to my sisters house to see them open up their presents. Now, I am a girl and I of course always have something that I want. This year I asked for a good digital camera because I will be traveling abroad this summer and I will be going on a cruise and I want to document everything! I asked for little things here and there, like a pair of good snow boots because, lets face it, you can't Millersville without them. Other than that though, I really just want to have a good time on Christmas. I am excited to be "of age" now and being able to enjoy Christmas with the adults (even though I am still stuck sitting at the kids table)...All in all I am just hoping to have a good time celebrating with my family.
ReplyDeleteMe and y family we do not celebrate Christmas, so i cannot ask the for anything, but we celebrate New Years, it is a big deal for us. As a gift for New Year, I would've loved to get summer tickets to Turkey.Although it is my country, i have never been there yet. I would love to go and visit, being able to talk with everyone in your own language, being in my country where everyone is sharing the same culture, beliefs and traditions, having the pride of saying"This is my country", these things are so precious to me.
ReplyDeleteWhat I want for Christmas? Well, to be truthful I've never really wanted anything. As cliche and super cheesy as this sounds, I've always just enjoyed being with my family around the holidays. I don't need presents. Heck, if anything I always just love splurging on my friends and loved ones because to me this is where I can truly give back and say how thankful I am to have each and every one of them in my life. Friendship and family are something that have always come first to me. I know that without the people in my life that have helped me grow and keep moving forward, I would not be here today. I've always told myself that it takes two to tango when it comes to any friendship, and I'm very blessed to have been able to keep friendships that have lasted all throughout my younger years from 3rd grade up, to friendships I've kept since my highschool freshman days. Not only that, but a friendship lasting for three years due to meeting on an internet website where art has been shared. It's truly an amazing feeling to know that you've known these people so long in your life, and yet it's only felt like it's been for less than that and your friendship is still just as strong!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite winter activity is having a snow day. I love being able to stay inside my house and relax all day while drinking coffee. It is so nice to wake up and have emails from Millersville saying that the campus is closed. I always feel like a child in a candy store! I feel as if everyone is constantly on the go, so when there is snow and we are stuck inside it allows us to actually enjoy the day instead of worrying about checking things off our to-do lists. As much as I dislike cleaning off my snow covered car, or shoveling snow, it looks so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite winter activity is spending the day with my nieces and nephew. I am NOT a winter person at all. I don't understand how I could grow up in Pennsylvania and not like snow, but I despise it. I will go out and play in the snow and go sledding, but that's only when other people suggest it. I love cuddling in front of the TV to a good movie and drinking hot chocolate. I also enjoy baking so in the winter I find myself doing a lot of cookie making. Especially this time of year. I am making baked goods every other day at home trying to prepare for Christmas. I think I don't like the winter, more as I have grown up, but most because I cannot get anywhere when it snows. I hate having to clean off my car and scrape the ice off. I do not like driving in the snowy weather, period. I had a traumatic experience last winter and now I am more than terrified to drive in the snow. Although snow is beautiful, before the world gets a chance to touch it, it does not please me like the summer does. I would much rather be laying out in the sun able to wear whatever I wish and being able to jump from place to place because there are no barriers. I can honestly say winter is my least favorite time of the year, and it is unfortunate that we spend our spring semester in the winter...
ReplyDeleteMy favorite winter activity? I guess I would have to say watching movies. I'm a big movie person and for some reason, movies always seem better in the winter. I think it's because I get so cozy. I like to bundle up with a fuzzy blanket and a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. It's so relaxing and peaceful. I usually watch movies alone but they're definitely better with family and friends. Especially if they're classic, cheesy holiday movies. It's a great way to bond. And movies are the greatest distractions for me. Besides books.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite winter activity is to stay inside all warm because I hate the cold! When it is snowing, I love to be cozy on the couch with a huge blanket and a cup of hot chocolate and watch movies with my mom and sister or read a book. I do love the snow and think it is pretty, but not when I have somewhere to go that requires cleaning it off my car. I also love baking, so in the winter I am always in the kitchen baking a ton of cookies and other treats. I also love the thrill and excitement that comes along with a snow day, and the unexpected day off when nobody has any expectations or anything to do. Overall, I do like the winter season and the activities and holidays that come with it, but not the fact that it is freezing and dreadful outside!
ReplyDeleteI love snow. I really have most of life but three years ago, when I got my Jeep, I love it even more. So now that I have four-wheel drive and don't have to shovel my driveway I really don't have many complaints, plus I love ripping it around in the snow when no one else can be out driving.I just think it looks cool, especially when its heavy snow and lines the tree branches. I will however admit that it gets old pretty fast, like a day or so, and after that it really is just a slushy mess. I don't think slush should be considered snow, it is just the remnants. So for all of you who hate the snow because of the after effects, you are respectively wrong.
ReplyDeleteI love snow too!! That is awesome that you have a jeep, I have always wanted one. I also agree that snow is great at first, but it does get old after a few days. I don't like slush! The best is when there is fresh snow and no one has walked across it yet.
DeleteI miss my Jeep. Ok it was my husbands, but it was the whole reason I started dating him, for his Jeep. We no longer have it. I still love the snow no matter what I drive.
DeleteWhat is culture?
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in Philadelphia, I have been immersed in culture all my life. Philadelphia is the birthplace of our nation with many historical sites, like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. There are many theatres where you can see ballets, operas, and plays. We have sports arenas and many different restaurants serving all different ethnic foods. Just taking the bus or the subway will open your eyes to many different people and how unique everyone can be. In my middle school, my classmates came from all different places. In seventh grade I was invited to a bar mitzvah and got to experience a little bit of the Jewish culture. Even though it is a big city, each neighborhood is like a small town where people know each other and help each other when needed.
Speaking of culture, a long standing tradition in South Philadelphia is the Mummers parade on New Year's Day. Like all parades there were a lot of street venders selling hats, glasses, and noise makers. When I was 15 I wanted to get in on the action. So in September I went to dollar store and bought four cases of silly string. On January 1, I went to the parade and set up my stand. I don't want to talk exact figures but I did really well and sold out within a few hours.
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool. I went to the Mummers parade for the first time last year. That's a great idea to sell silly string, I'm curious how much you made, but I'm sure you did great there.
DeleteMy favorite winter activity is going downtown. I love the lights and activities there are to do downtown in the winter. When I say downtown I mean downtown Philly and downtown Lancaster. About two years ago, I went to Lancaster City for their December First Friday. The whole city was lit up and there were tons of Santa’s and elves walking around. The December First Friday has to be my favorite yet.
ReplyDeleteIn Philly, I love to go to Love Park, which is transformed into Christmas Village around Christmas time. I always get a picture by the Christmas tree and shop at all the little huts that are set up. One year my cousin performed at Christmas village and a man came up to me and hugged me. I thought he was just being nice, but then he started squeezing really hard and I thought he was seriously going to hurt me. My friend pulled him off. Even that scary experience has not put a damper on my Christmas Philly adventures. This year it is my goal to go ice skating at Penns Landing. Hopefully I actually do it this year.
I love going to Philly during the holiday season also, it's so pretty seeing all the lights and decorations! It's also my goal to go ice skating at Penn's Landing, hopefully we both can accomplish it this year!
DeleteLights are definitely something I love looking at during the holiday year! I don't exactly know why but they just fascinate me. I hope you get to go ice skating this year!
DeleteI love going to downtown Lancaster when they have the tree lighting and all of the Christmas lights up! It is so beautiful!
DeleteDecember 18th
ReplyDeleteMy favorite winter activity is looking at all of the holiday decorations. Sometimes I go into Lancaster City with my family and we walk around and look in all of the shops to see the beautiful decorations. So many of the stores are decorated with beautiful trees and lights.
I also like to go to the Prince street cafe and get hot chocolate for while we walk around looking at all of the decorations. My favorite place to go is a small store right across from the Isaacs on Queen street, I cannot remember the name of it, but they sell decorations and small gifts to gice to people throughout the holiday season. they also have a section of the store devoted to making cards in nicely printed font.
So Christmas is in less than a week and I am very excited for it. I know im 20 years old but honestly i still feel like a kid with christmas. I get very excited before I go to bed on christmas eve where sometimes i cant sleep. Usually noadays im always so exhausted I just sleep like a rock but when I was younger I could never sleep. I hate being older because I feel like what I want for christmas is either clothes, money, or things that are all too expensive. Like upgrades for my mustang, a new Mac, an iPhone 6, a new xbox. Just anything like that is so expensive. It is very annoying. My upgrade for my phone is January 4th so I am hoping I can at least get a new phone since mine is being very buggy. I want to focus on things that can progress me in my career with either drumming or video in commmunications. I love editing and I know Macs have awesome programs and are just great computers to do that on. I know I have no chance of getting one. It is a big thing to ask for and I would never expect my parents to get me something like that. This year was actually a hard year to think of things to get for christmas. I feel like that is a very sad thing to say haha but it doesnt matter. I am just happy to spend time with my family and have laughs. We need more laughs, laughs are what keep the body going so I hope this year that happens.
ReplyDeleteAnother day as a substitute teacher and I find myself becoming more bothered by girl’s outfits each minute. It is almost disturbing to see what these students’ parents let them leave the house in. When I was in middle school, 8th grade to be exact, I was still wearing my hair in scrunchies and sporting the ever so fashionable jean jacket and jean pants. Girls today are getting away with wearing mini shirts and Uggs! This generation shift is not something I am going to easily adjust to. I am sitting here thinking of how I will never let me children (when I actually have children) leave the house looking like that—and in the winter might I add. Now I feel like an old grandma waving her cane on the front porch, telling those crazy kids to get off my lawn.
ReplyDeleteThere's one thing I feel can never be replaced, and that is the time spent with good friends. Two guys who are not only my closest friends, but I consider them to be my brothers. This is ironic because they themselves are twin brothers. Their names are Jerry and Josh Diaz. When I first met them, I was 11 years old and they were my new neighbors. Since grade school we always could be found hanging out at each other's house playing video games or watching cartoons. Now here it is 11 years later, and still they thought to come to my door and spend time with me to catch up on everything we've been doing with our lives. I remember all the good and bad times we shared with each other. They would sometimes get responsibility lectures from my mom and I would sometimes get tips on life from their dad. Before I met them I didn't know what it felt like to have a brother, but after getting to know them I started remembering a quote that I hold true to this day. "If you're in a friendship that has lasted more than 5 years, you're lucky because that's a friendship that will last a lifetime." And looking back at the impact we had on each other's lives I believe we are equally blessed to be a part of one another's lives.
ReplyDeleteI love winter and I love snow. There are so many activities I love doing. Just going out with my kids and making snow angels or a snowman. We mix water and food color in spray bottles and decorate the snow. About 16 years ago I wanted to learn to snowboard and that was one of the first things my husband and I did when we first started dating. We did it for several years but never invested money in to our own equipment. I wish we did because I would love to be able to still snowboard, but with kids and me in school and not working we don’t have time or the money. We have this great hill just across the park from us at the local high school that all the kids love to sled on, so we take the girls over with big inner tubes. We have a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I'm a summer type of girl. Even though I was born in December, I prefer being warm. I do however enjoy some winter activities. My favorite winter activity of all time is sledding! The home I grew up in was on an acre of land, and the house sat on a pretty steep hill, perfect and safe for sledding. Every year, my friends from the neighborhood and I would anticipate the snow fall so we could all come to my house and sled. Even when I didn't feel like sledding, I would still let my friends use my hill and just watch. I also enjoy ice skating, though it is very challenging, it's tons of fun and a great work out. I also recently tried out snow tubing, which was also pretty fun, even though I wiped out a few times.
ReplyDeleteI too grew up in a perfect home for sledding, with just a short walk to a treacherous hill. I enjoy sledding and surprisingly no other winter sports. Going to the community hill was always the winter thing to do, and its cool that you could provide the place to provide fun for the community's children.
DeleteEven though the summer is my favorite time of the year, there are many things that I like to do in the winter time. Sledding is one of my favorites. There is a huge hill near my house that sadly gets smaller and smaller each year because I just keep getting older and older each year. My neighbors and I would sled on it every time it snows and we still do to this day. I would also make jumps that would have me fly into the air and crash to the ground usually leaving myself with bruises. I also like seeing the lights on everyones houses. Lights fascinate me alot. I dont have an exact reason but I just love looking at them. Thats about lights in general not just christmas lights haha. While im in a car, I will usually rate peoples lights on their houses with my friends. Usually either with an oooo thats cool or ewww thats not good haha. Another thing I love doing is getting and decorating the christmas tree. I love having it inside. Sadly my parents got the tree before I got home from school but it was still fun decorating it!
ReplyDeleteI feel you with the whole sledding and the hill getting smaller thing, I thought it was just me.
DeleteWith our paper being due tomorrow this is my free write for tomorrow Friday. I didn't realize how hard this week was going to be on me being away all day everyday and trying to do homework assignments and papers for my two online classes. I have not gotten as much done as I wanted and now its either I stay up all night to finish it so I can go out with my friends tomorrow night or I stay in and finish it then. I really hate having to make this decisions either way and look forward to a break next week where my schedule is a lot easier. It was interesting because today I was at a work training and we talked about school a little bit and one of the other employers said how in her perspective taking a few classes at a time really was to benefit and I then started to think how that would have been a lot easier for me and I wouldn't be as stressed and been in the overwork mode. Then my trainer was talking a little and she was just telling me how important it is to get enough sleep and to not be doing too much work while being in school which she is right, I probably should stop working so much and focus more on school.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite winter activity would be baking cookies with my family, and overall spending time with my family. Being a college student, i spend part of my time working. I have worked and lived up at school during the summer time, and cannot wait to spend a whole week off during the holidays with my family. I think snow is a magical thing. My favorite thing about snow is the quiet it provides. When it snows, i like to go outside and just lay in the white powder. Then, i listen. Most of the time, there is nothing but silence to be found, which is what i enjoy. No a thing can be heard all around. Then needless to say my mom is preparing cookies as i take off all my winter gear and get ready to cozy up by the fire. Typically my family has a day where we bake all the christmas cookies. This year i had to miss the cookie baking day, and felt sort of left out by the family. I am very excited for the Christmas week to begin!
ReplyDeleteI pretty much hate winter. Warm weather makes everything so much easier. I don't have to shovel snow or dig out the cars. I wear less clothes, do less laundry, and can dry my clothes on the line. I can say a few good things about winter though. I love to cook and eat creamy soups on cold winter days, especially cream of crab! In my house, we typically have fires in the wood-stove everyday. Outside, I like to take my horses out for snowy rides. I like to go sledding too. When my sisters and I were smaller, my dad would tow us on sleds with the four-wheeler. We called it "extreme sledding" because it was actually pretty dangerous. It was like the kids version of the Jackass Movie. But otherwise, I really hate winter and am already so eager for it to pass. Summertime is better because it means crabs and swimming and driving with the windows down! Ughhh, I won't come soon enough...
ReplyDeleteWhat I want for Christmas
ReplyDeleteI look forward to spending Christmas with my whole family. Even though I am not a little kid anymore it is still fun to partake in all of my family traditions during the holidays. It brings back nice childhood memories. Like when my father, my brother and I, walk to get the tree every year and carry it home (Which has been getting easier each year). This year someone made a comment that we should get a small (Charlie Brown) tree since no one ever wants them. So I came up with the idea of getting two small trees so we can have a small forest in the house. No one has backed we with this idea yet, but I still have a few days to convince everyone.
Favorite winter activity
ReplyDeleteSince I love the winter and when it snows, I have a lot of favorite activities to do. Of course I enjoy a good snowball fight (unsuspecting neighbors aren't even safe). Sledding down snowy hills and playing tackle football in the snow with friends. One practular winter my family went to Quebec to see the Ice Hotel. It was amazing, like the song, it was a winter wonderland. When I think of Canada I think of a lot of snow and ice. It didn't disappoint, in some parts I was waist deep in snow. The Ice Hotel was really cool (pun intended) literally everything was made of ice. From your chairs to your walls, to the beds. There was even a bar where the drinks came in a glass that was made of ice. The hotel melts after every winter and they build a new one the following winter. Before we left we made sure to have one good snowball fight in Canada.
I have lots of things I like to do in the winter! My favorite thing to do in the winter time is cuddle up with a warm blanket by the fire place and read a good book. I rarely get the chance to do so but I am hoping that one day this break I will be able to. I also love to crochet and watch a good Christmas movie.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy spending time with family and preparing for Christmas. It is such a special time of year! I love baking Christmas cookies, wrapping presents, family get togethers, and simply just being at home with the ones I love.
The Chapstick Philosophy
ReplyDeleteIt all started with an ice breaker in my one class. A teacher had asked us to select one object we had with us and to share why we chose it. Sitting there I had my pencil, books, and notebook. Other than that, there was my keys, purse, and book bag.
I chose Chapstick.
Chapstick like pens, end up getting lost all the time. Me on the other hand, has this weird little goal of never losing a tube of chapstick. I get the stupidest high after finishing a tube. It is like I won a marathon or climbed the highest mountain. So the philosophy is, if you can finish a tube of chapstick you can get through anything in life, if you dedicate and focus enough on it. Even the tubes that are not my favorite flavors I still make it a goal to use them the whole way. Its nice when you get a tube you like. Of course it makes the task easier, but nonetheless its an interesting goal. My friends and I joke about it. Some of us have made up Chapstick wars, where we start a tube at the same time, see who can finish or who will lose it.
This was honestly really fun to read haha. I never would have thought about Chapstick like that before haha. This is mostly because I'm not a user of it, but maybe I should start to really think about it! Though since there's so many different brands of it and flavors and stuff, it makes me think it's pretty much like anything else you find victory in finding the 'right one' when it comes down to it :)
DeleteIt's kind of crazy to think that Christmas is literally next week. The days of dreading being stuck in the mall with thousands of people crammed into one space are coming to a hopeful end. It boggles my mind that Christmas still is rather very... plain. What used to be the ideal Christmas consisting of snow and fluffy white layers has drifted into a hopeful 'please don't let it snow so much I can't scrape it off of my car.' Sometimes I wish I could go back to those days of not having to care about responsibilities... heck even now sometimes I have to wonder when I'll actually have to 'grow up.' I'll start having actual conversations that aren't based on the random norm in my life, or maybe that's just what I'm making myself believe. Either way, thoughts about the future and where I've come from get to be both nostalgic and also kind of nerve wracking... or maybe that's just me?
ReplyDeleteWhat I like to do in winter depends on my moos. I enjoy sitting in my chair, watching a movie while I drink my coffee. Sometimes though, I rememmber my childhood and want to spend time outside playing with snow. I like making different thongs out of the snow. Or playing snowball with my husband. Sometimes I just prefer to walk in the anow and enjoy the beaty of it.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time everyone in the house is stuck at home, so we get a chance to spend more time together, which I really enjoy...
I like how the snow sometimes forces us to stay home and reconnect with our family. I love walking in the snow as well. This is this nice serenity of peace and silence with the white blanket of snow all around.
DeleteHow does the media depict Christmas? I think the media puts a lot of pressure on the holiday season and takes away from the true meaning of Christmas. You see the commercials for name brand items and reality television shows celebrities having dozens of wrapped boxes under their trees. Is that what Christmas is all about? The name on the tag, the amount of boxes under the trees, what new gadget you get, or how many gifts you received? No. For me Christmas is about spending time with my family, going to church, and being thankful for everything we have. I get so angry when I see all of the talk about the presents all over the television. Instead, we should focus on the true meaning of Christmas and how we can make sure that everyone has a blessed holiday. However, I also enjoy hearing about the people who go into stores and pay for everyones purchases. It shows the generosity of the holiday season.
ReplyDeleteI so agree. Name brands, the hottest toy. I have been so lucky that my 9 year old daughter never wanted the hottest gadget and my 3 year old would be happy with the box a toy came in. My daughter this year wants a Bow and Arrow so some day she can hunt with grandpa and dad and me. That is time with family. And you are right, that is part of what Christmas should be.
DeleteMedia’s idea of what Christmas and mine are totally different. First of all Christmas enters the stores and TV before Halloween now. And it is all about what the hottest toy or gadget is this year. You must get it for your kids or they will not be happy and isn’t that what Christmas is all about making sure the kids are happy? No! Let’s not mention going out on a day of thanksgiving and time with family to get the best price for that gadget. Even the movies and TV shows take the real meaning out of Christmas. They are the same thing, someone trying to get the hottest gadget or toy for someone. To me Christmas is about a birth, the birth of my savior Jesus Christ. Ok, my daughter is watching a Christmas movie and they just said Christmas is for kids. No, it is for everyone. Sorry if I upset anyone, but Christmas is a celebration of life, not just Jesus’ but ours. If we accept him we have eternal life, and that is what I celebrate. Yes, my kids go see Santa and we have presents, but I don’t think they believe in Santa and they know the real reason we celebrate Christmas. The media has taken Christ out of everything. Christmas now is about shopping and I want, I want, I want. And that is what the media shows.
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DeleteI loathe seeing "Christmas Sales" commercials around Halloween time... And then when I walk into Walmart and see displays for Christmas decorations right after the Halloween ones come down, I cringe.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, of course I was always a big fan of Christmas. My parents ALWAYS went above and beyond to give me mostly everything I asked for, and of course I took it for granted. Now that I'm older, I'm getting annoyed with my family. We spend way too much on each other for Christmas and lose the value of what Christmas really means. I'm not trying to point blame at the pressure put on by the media, because my family is a very giving family. But my family also can't pass up a good deal. So they buy more for less and feel great about it. But everything is so overpriced to begin with that are they actually really getting a good deal? Who knows. It's now frustrating for me, as I am becoming an independent adult and am now starting to feel the pressure of buying everyone in my family gifts... I value the time I spend with my family since I only see them a few times a year, and sometimes I feel that for them, it is lost.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely empathize, that I why Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. Its like Christmas but with out the pressure. Just family, friends, and food!
DeleteMy husbands parents are divorced, so we get together so many times not just with his parents, but extended family and it is the same way. Everyone buys for the kids, well for the longest time I only had one child, but everyone else had three. The adults would pull names, but they would still buy a little something for every adult. It drove me crazy. However last year his Aunt went in to a nursing home and that ended on that side, but we still have his moms side. I always said if we could just get together and have a meal and spend time together that would be enough.
DeleteI can hardly believe that Christmas is arriving in three days! I remember as a kid the whole thing seemed to last a lot longer. Now it feels as though it is all over in an instant. I now understand the clichés and antics about how “time flies”. This year I feel like a Scrooge. Not that I am all “bah-hum-bug”, just that I have not literally had a real moment to even think about Christmas. Between work and trying to finish up my last year at school, my time has been devoted elsewhere. Truthfully that saddens me. I never thought that I could be that person. I now realize the importance and inspiration for Charles Dickenson’s great classic A Christmas Carol. It is to challenge us to evaluate the meaning of life and the holidays and to remember WHY we celebrate them.
ReplyDeleteThe media throughout history has had major influence in our customs and traditions. I read a book for my one class last semester that dealt with the consumerism of our holidays. The book references Christmas, Easter, Mother's day and other holidays that have been ruined by the institution of the economy. When I think about this i think about how in the past, Thanksgiving was a holiday celebrated all about giving and sharing thanks. More recently, I noticed Thanksgiving is now termed "Grey Thursday" as it being the day before Black Friday, a day to purchase deals on gifts for the upcoming holiday early. The commercialization of the holiday of Christmas has become centered around the gift giving process. There are feelings of disappointment if the desired gift is not received. I feel like our youth are very representative of this, being brought up in such a technically advanced society. I agree that we should focus more on the element of family. Celebrate with those lucky enough to be able to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteI know this may sound like what is getting to be an old and tired argument, but
ReplyDeleteI believe the overall theme, being pushed by the media, etc., at this time of year is more of a generalized "holiday" theme, rather than how it used to be just Christmas. And that is not to say that is a bad thing. I think its wonderful that as a society we now recognize the broader and various amounts of cultural and religious holidays which occurs at this time of year. Another theme I think is prominent at this type of the year is the discounts and sales all around. There seems to be such a focus on the consumer, which is understandable. Its hard for me to say this is different than before as I think it has been like this around Christmas time for really as long as I remember. I think overall, during the holiday season, there is generally a sense of caring and family that still exists among our culture, but I do see underlying societal norms that are beginning to take hold. Whether that is a good or bad thing remains to be seen.
I also think the "holiday" theme has been increasing more and more every year. I think schools are doing a better job of educating that Christmas is not the only holiday in December and January that people can celebrate.
Deletethe way that media depicts Christmas I feel is a mesh of things. It ranges from the hottest items, to clothing, food utensils, and even holiday decorations. Everyone competes with one another in terms of where it is better to buy something, which place has the best discounts and which has the best items. I think the media's main focus on what to sell or what to focus on depends where you're located. Some people focus on nostalgia, like the Hess toys that they continue to make models out of to keep tradition a foot. Others focus on clothing and personal items. I have found that throughout the years, the ideals of family and just spending time with one another has shifted to personal materials and who has the better whatever. It's just like with Thanksgiving and how we were smacked with a wave of crazies during Gray Thursday and Black Friday. How much more are we going to make things 'early' so that they actually run into Thanksgiving completely? Is the holiday going to be even celebrated or given two thoughts about anymore? Or are we going to be completely outrun by possessions down the road.
ReplyDeleteMedia has changed the entire view that civilization has on Christmas. Christmas has become such a commercialized holiday , in America, that a lot of people do not even celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas has become more than a season of giving, but also a season of expectations. The repetitive theme of needing the newest thing, is how Christmas has become. The neediness and the "I want this, I want that" attitude has taken away from the true spirit of Christmas. Christmas is supposed to be the season of giving without any thought of something in return. It is the time of year when we should begin to think about others less fortunate than us. I would like to say that I have always done this, but this year I started to go through my clothes to give away because I know at this time of the year there are many people who have much less than I do. I also make a point of donating at least 1 dollar to any Salvation Army deposit box that I see. It makes me feel good that I can give to those who have less because I know I would want the same kindness in return. Christmas has become less about "Christ" and more about "mas" or more and more things. It's a shame, but if we all take the time to give back to those less fortunate, we could truly make a differences in people's lives this holiday season.
ReplyDeleteThe media depicts Christmas as "the best time of year." In the middle of the coldest and unenjoyable time of year, consumers are pressured, convinced, manipulated to cope with the unfavorable conditions by spending $$$ on the ones we love. Christmas especially, but actually all holidays, are recognized as times for indulgence and gluttony and greed too. We say Christmas is the time for giving and we may throw a dollar or two in the charity jar or maybe some socks, mittens, or nonperishable foods, but then we pat ourselves on the back and say, "I did good today, now its time to treat myself!" We like to be able to feel comfortable, physically and emotionally. Most holiday generosity is fueled by our middle class guilt and selfish desires. Personally, I celebrate Christmas just as I do Thanksgiving and Easter. I use that day to recognize how much I cherish what I have received in my life. Its not about gifts, decorations, Christmas music, Jesus' birth, or sugar cookies. For me Christmas is about being thankful. Food and family and a fire in the living room come to mind and its nice to have unlimited amounts of all of them at the same time. But how does unlimited amounts of food and drink, love, and warmth help me celebrate being thankful? It doesn't. That is greed. I recognize it. I enjoy it. One day, maybe I will stop celebrating silly holidays designed for me consume. consume. consume. Why should I celebrate my privileged life on only a few days of the year. Everyday that I get by without worrying about survival is a day for celebration.
ReplyDeleteYou can see how the media depicts Christmas by seeing how stores and commercials sell their products. Even on the radio. Companies see it as the time of the year where they can sell alot more of their products than other times of the year. Black Friday is an example of that. The day of the year that is all about focusing on sales to buy for christmas time. It is true some of the sales are great! It is crazy but not when people get trampled and killed just so someone can buy the hottest thing at Wal-Mart. Once christmas time gets closer you see alot of jewelry commercials. I feel as if these commercials play more because they know people are more willing to buy something expensive during christmas. I don't agree fully with the depiction of christmas nowadays. I believe there should definitely be sales, which there are. Companies should not make workers work on christmas eve or christmas day unles there is some type of benefit that is worth it. Same with retail stores that are open 24 hours or anything that is crazy. People need and deserve to spend time with their loved ones, families, and friends.
ReplyDeleteThe media depicts Christmas to be a holiday all about getting presents and materials. Christmas has lost its true meaning through the media, and the constant television, radio, and online advertisements. Before Thanksgiving, Christmas is being advertised and constantly in your face. I do love the holiday season, but I believe companies have gone a little overboard with the commercialization of the holiday. In the media, Christmas is all about the image, having the perfect decorated tree and giving your children the best gifts and practically everything they asked for. The media portrays it as just an excuse to go shopping and spoil your family, not a time to spend with loved ones and reflecting on the true meaning. With this, children are now becoming greedy and only view the holiday as a time when they get everything they want.
ReplyDeleteThe media has had a huge impact on Christmas and its influence seems to be increasing every year. This year. Christmas seemed to start the day after Halloween. All the Halloween specials ended on TV and suddenly there was a Christmas tree placed at the Park City Mall. Last year, I could remember having a couple days of normalcy before I smelled a hint of evergreen. The media has such a great impact on Christmas for good reasons, but also bad reasons. Christmas is great for the economy. Days like black Friday and everyone constantly consuming puts a lot of money into our economy. The government and media support this spending and I honestly do not think it is a bad thing either. However, giving gifts was supposed to be a symbol of the gifts Jesus received when he was born. Instead it has turned more into a stressful experience, trying to get everyone gifts to be happy, instead of giving thoughtful gifts to people you love. Media also fills the TV and Radio with snowmen and Santa, even more of a distraction from the original meaning of Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThe media does portray positive images and messages of Christmas. A lot of Christmas specials and photos promote family during Christmas. This is an important factor of Christmas and I do think the media does touch on this aspect of Christmas.
The media depicts Christmas as such a cheery, family-oriented holiday. Everyone's sitting around the fire, sipping hot cocoa. But I feel like it isn't anymore, if it has ever been. Christmas is a money-driven holiday. Nowadays, it's all about gifts, gifts, and more gift! As soon as Halloween ends, the Christmas gifts are put out before the Thanksgiving turkeys can go on sale. Santa Claus decorations go up. All commercials are in red and white while the customer service representative dress like elves. Everywhere you look the media is asking if you bought your Christmas gifts yet. Advertising gets super heavy and intense. Sales! So is this what Christmas is about now? The media makes it seem as though there is no Christmas without presents under the tree.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more! Media has ruined the true meaning of Christmas. I hate how it is so focused on gifts! Christmas is so much more than that. And it is negatively influencing children as well.
DeleteIt seems that Christmas is mostly depicted by the media. During the holiday season, many commercials, movies, news programs, and even department stores have a high focus on Christmas. I enjoy the Christmas-filled media on television. It helps you get into the mood of the Christmas spirit. There is nothing like cuddling up on the couch and watching your favorite Christmas movie. However, I do not like how media brings attention to the gift part of Christmas. Many commercials and magazines are sparking the eyes of children, emphasizing the importance of gifts. Although gifts are a wonderful part, children need to be taught the importance of giving and family because there are many people who are less fortunate than you are during this time of the year.
ReplyDeleteFreewrite December 22nd:
ReplyDeleteHow Christmas is depicted in the media.
It seems as though every business has a commercial in leu of their regularly advertised commercial especially centered around Christmas. I believe that companies do this to encourage you to buy gifts from them for your friends and famliy. I also believe they make their advertisements Christmas themed in order to put you in a good mood and make you feel happy, which will make you more willing to listen to what they are advertising and hopefully buy their product.
during the holiday season, whenever you turn on the radio it is christmas music, on every channel there are Christmas movies and shows that are having Christmas specials. I personally love this time of the year because everyone in the media and in general seem to focus on more positive things. The "miracles of Christmas" if you will. I enjoy when there are uplifting stories shared on the news of people who help donate food to those in need, and coat drives, as well as people donating toys. I just wish people would made the spirit of giving a year-round event instead of saving it for one month out of the year.
Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year, but once Christmas and New Years are over winter can go away and summer can come back. My all time favorite holiday movie would be the Polar Express. I have watched it every Christmas Eve right before bed, since it came out. I have always loved its cute messages and its catchy tunes. I just like the theme of "seeing is not always believing", but for this boy it most definitely is. The Christmas spirit is lost as we become older and people begin to drop the bomb about santa. However, it's movies like this that remind me of how innocent children really are. I now try to live vicariously through my nieces and nephew by anticipating them opening their gifts on Christmas other than my own. This movie is a great depiction of the holiday season and of the magic of Christmas. We are taken through a journey of getting to the North Pole and then another journey entirely while being there! Each character is given a golden ticket to ride the Polar Express to the North Pole and then their tickets are punched in such a fashion that it spells out a word of who they are or how they should act. For example, one says "leader" and another says "believe". I just love the overall spirit of this movie and it definitely put me in the Christmas Eve mindset.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely! Winter is great around Christmas time, after that spring time can roll around! My brother and I also watch The Polar Express every Christmas Eve. It has such a good message and captivates the mind of children. Children's innocence and imagination is definitely portrayed throughout this movie. I can't wait to watch it tomorrow! Merry Christmas! :)
DeleteI have several favorite Christmas movies. I love the classics, but also recent films. My favorite classics are It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story. My favorite more recent movies are Four Christmas', Christmas with the Kranks, Best Man Holiday, The Polar Express, the Santa Claus Movies and I am also a sucker for Lifetime and Hallmark movies. There is something extra special about Christmas movies, it really brings the season to life. In the next two days I hope to watch It's a Wonderful Life. I watched it when I was in high school, but I haven't seen it since. My brother and I also always try and watch The Polar Express every Christmas Eve. I find that movie to be magical and thrilling. Overall, I love Christmas movies and will hopefully be able to watch a few more in the next two days!
ReplyDeleteToday I am doing my free write for yesterday since I was too sick to get out of bed. I definitely didn't think that I would be sick for Christmas but it looks like I am gonna be. This definitely has made me not very excited for Christmas because all I want to do is sleep. I slept for about 12 hours yesterday and do not feel much better but have to go into work for six hours. Im supposed to go to my moms sometime Christmas day but if I still feel sick I won't want to drive for 45 minutes. It just sucks because I was excited for Christmas but now I feel like all I'm gonna wanna do is sleep. Now all I want for Christmas is to feel better so I can enjoy time with family!
ReplyDeleteWhat is my favorite Christmas movie? I don't think that i necessarily have a favorite one but I really like all the hallmark Christmas movies and Home Alone. At work we watch that movie a lot. It is really funny to me how this little kid is so smart and how he fools Marv and whatever the other guys name is. I love how even when they get caught on fire and bricks thrown at them they still try to go after him even though the misfortune for them doesn't stop until they are caught by the police. Even though this movie is so funny I can't help but think how much of it is acted because come on no kid would think of things like he did in order to stop the criminals. It also if funny how the family always seems to forget him when they go on vacation.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, my pastor just used Home Alone in his sermon this week. He does that a lot using movies to lead into his sermon. I was thinking I haven't seen that in years, and my 9 year old would love it. Maybe that is an idea for tomorrow when she doesn't have school. I am also a Hallmark movie girl.
DeleteHome Alone is one of my favorite Christmas Movies.Such a great Christmas Movie. I love how the setting is in New York and the beginning when his family forgets him.
DeleteI am a Christmas movie junky. I watch all the Hallmark, ION, and Family Channel Christmas movies. I am not sure I can say I have a favorite. Growing up I always loved “Miracle on 34th Street” the old version. Then they came with the new one, and I am in love with Dylan McDermott. Then I had trouble figuring out which one I wanted to watch. Of course who could forget Rudolph, great classic? I enjoy pretty much anything that has a good story to it. There was a movie my family and I saw on TV when I was in my late teens called “Three Kings”. I remember that Lou Diamond Phillips played in it. He was a patient in a mental hospital who escapes with 2 other patients while playing the parts of the kings in a play. I can’t remember too much other than they walked around town thinking they were the kings. It was funny but had a great story and ending to it. There had live camels! My mother a couple years ago googled it trying to find it just to find out that whoever owns the rights to it has it locked in a vault somewhere and won’t release it. Not sure why and it is a shame.
ReplyDeleteThe media depicts Christmas as being the happiest, magical time of the year. I feel that it focuses on gifts. You'll see non stop commercials on where you can get the best gift for the lowest prices. Also the media portrays to kids that Santa will come give them a gift and they might get a chance to see him in person. I don't really agree with how the media portrays Christmas because they make it seem very secular and make it seem like it's only about receiving presents. In the media, they display image and style by making families seem really happy during the holiday time and they're always dressed in the nicest clothes in the commercials. It's very unrealistic but I understand why they do it, to get people to buy their products. Christmas in America is all about the economy.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas movies is probably "A Christmas Story". I especially liked this movie when I was a kid because it is a funny viewpoint of a kid at Christmas who just wants one thing from his parents but they do not think he should have it. I think I liked it because it was relatable as a child because there is always the one something that you want but your parent wont get it for you. I also think this is my favorite because now it is just a classic Christmas movie and it is on every single year so when I see that its on I know that it is Christmas time again.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas movie is "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". This movie has been a favorite since I was a young girl. I am also a big fan of Christmas time so I like how festive the movie is. I feel that it spreads a good message for young viewers as well. It reminds them that it is about the holiday and not the presents underneath the tree. Today I feel that children are more focused on the number of presents they receive rather than the holiday itself.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas movie is Christmas with the Kranks. I make sure to watch it every year, even though it is very unrealistic, I still love it. Every Christmas Eve, my sister and I make an effort to watch Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, which is another, favorite. By now I have seen both a million times and can recite them word for word, but I still enjoy it, it has become a classic in our house. I love all Christmas movies because they help to get me in the holiday spirit and are usually really funny. During the holidays I always have ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas on and watch all the movies they play.
ReplyDeleteFor December 22 post: How does media depict Christmas?
ReplyDeleteMedia plays a huge role in how Christmas is viewed by the citizens, and about their plans.There are a lot of advertisements, shows and even movies that come up during Christmas. Media shows Christmas as the most important holiday we have. Most of the media part is all about presents and gifts. They are working for their own pocket trying to have people buy more things. They have posters and pictures everywhere.
I am personally not on the side of depiction, but also can not be against. There are a few positive sides to it. It keeps the traditions, and brings up the culture. Makes it more likely for people to meet and spend time together.
I think the media highlights the presents and gifts aspect of christmas too much. There needs to be a bigger focus, in my opinion, on the coming together of family and love than presents.
DeleteMy favorite Christmas movie is Jack Frost. It is the movie where the dad dies around Christmas time, but then he turns into a snowman. When I tell my friends it is my favorite Christmas movie they ask me why because they say its depressing. It definitely is a sad movie, but it is also a very touching movie. I am very close to my dad so I really like the connection the dad (snowman) and his son have throughout the movie. It has a very powerful message and the whole story is not completely centered around Christmas which is different from other Christmas movies.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to pick another movie it would be home alone. I love how the movie portrays New York City in the winter. Like Jack Frost, Home Alone also has a very powerful message about family. I have yet to see this movie this year so I might watch it tonight. These two movies are classics for me on Christmas.
I'm a huge fan of Rudolph, the classic. My mom has these stuffed animals that she puts on a ledge in our home according to how they appear in the movie. So we both sit down and watch it and she puts them in order as we watch it! It's sounds like a silly tradition, but I always find it fun because when the Island of Misfit Toys comes up she has about 10 of them so it speeds up and we get all confused and sometimes have to rewind (because it's a VHS of course) and it's just really funny. We do that the same time we decorate the tree so it's a couple hours just spent with my mom that I truly enjoy.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas movie is Rudolph (the animated version). I watched this movie almost every Christmas growing up. I really like this movie because it gives a great message that when people doubt your abilities, you can always prove them wrong. Rudolph was made fun of because of his red nose and was rejected from his peers. Santa seen his potential and his purpose and he lead the way, with the help of his blinking red nose to help deliver all the presents. It's a great movie for all ages!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize Rudolph had underlying meaning, fascinating!
DeleteIm not huge on Christmas movies. I find them corny and just plain weird in some instances, especially the clay-mation movies. But there are a few I really enjoy. My favorite would have to be National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Its hysterical and I love Chevy Chase. Its weird, sad, and funny all at the same time. It also really makes you appreciate your messed up family! Elf is another good one but it is really overplayed. I didn't grow up with a lot of those kiddy cartoon Christmas movies. I grew up with movies like "A Christmas Story" and "It's a Wonderful Life." I've only seen movies like Rudolph and Frosty once in my whole life and I wasn't a huge fan. But that's just me. Im weird :P
ReplyDeleteI agree with the clay-mation. As good as the storyline is to Polar Express, I can't get past the weird animation!
DeletePost from 12/22:
ReplyDeleteThe media depicts Christmas as a wonderful, magical holiday season. However, there are several children and adults who do not experience the magnificent Christmas the media illustrates. The middle school where I substitute teach puts together toys for children in foster care. Several students who attend the school bring in gentle used and new toys for children who may not receive any toys from Santa. Through Christmas specials, holiday commercials, store sales etc., the media draws a picture of a happy and cheery season. That might not be the case for some children, however. I think it is appropriate for the media to exemplify Christmas this way, but I think large corporations and groups should do a better job of reaching out to families and children who will not be able to give or get anything for the holiday.
Post from 12/23:
Today, I am substitute teaching for an aid in a special education classroom. Through experiencing a world different than my own, I am able to understand the mind of those who sometimes have trouble expressing themselves. Today, I am following a student with autism. This student uses a ‘talker’ that helps him communicate. He is able to push buttons with pictures to state what he needs, wants, or thinks. In the beginning of the day, he hesitated to talk to me because he didn’t know me. He loooves routine, and I was not part of this daily plan. After a few periods, he warmed up to me and was holding my hand while walking to class. I’m beginning to consider his culture and how he perceives images. This student can recognize and understand just about everything you are saying, but has a difficult time to convey what he wants to say.
My favorite Christmas movie is The Christmas story. The tell old tale of ralphie. One of my favorite parts of the movie is when the boy gets his tongue stuck to the frozen pole, and when the dogs eat the whole christmas ham that was prepared for dinner. I think this movie is my favorite because i always remember watching it with my family every year. It was a 24 hour Christmas marathon of the movie, you had to watch it at least once. The movie itself focuses on elements of family that i realize my family does also. Christmas Day in my family is a time for eating and celebrating and sharing what gifts who got. In the depiction of the Christmas story, the family celebrates as any classical family should from that era. I also like how Ralphie and his little brother go to visit santa and have a bad experience with mall crowds. I think the movie is overall hilarious and an excellent family time movie for the holidays.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree! The Christmas Story is definitely one of those 'must see' films, both for nostalgic purposes as well as it's a classic! One of my favorie scenes from that movie was also the pole scene, but I also found the leg lamp scene to be quite humorous.
DeleteStarted flipping through channels this afternoon and came across one of my favorite shows called, "Bar Rescue." The host Jon Taffer goes around the country and helps struggling bar owners fixed their systems and methods to improve the experience their customers will have. He has been doing this for almost 38 years and has helped transform hundreds of bars nationwide.
ReplyDeleteThis got me thinking, how often does anyone have that dream? I'm sure just about every guy in college, myself included thought to them self or with a friend, "Hey man why don't we try opening a bar?" It sounds easy, make some drinks, cook some food, make a good environment and we'll rake in almost millions. But after seeing dozens of episodes of this show it's a lot harder than what I thought. You gotta think of how much profit the market brings in, what demographic are you hosting, what theme you should use, what placement settings, etc. The list goes on and on.
I myself I have worked in a bar environment as a Bar Back. My job was to keep the bar staff stocked with all their supplies. And let me tell you there is NO half stepping in the bar business I left each night I worked drenched in sweat because not only was I constantly moving, but I was constantly moving for 3 BARS!!! There was an inside, an outside and an upstairs bar that I was responsible for and man I didn't think people drank that much.
So to any and all working in the bar industry I tip my hat to you all.
There aren't too many Christmas movies I've seen in all fairness... The ones I can think of when I was younger and watched were definitely the first claymation movie, along with Santa Claus is Coming to Town. I loved those movies and absolutely idolized the people that created them. I find claymation to be very creative and phenomenal. I respect those that have created films by stop motion- having to do something like that must take a long while.
ReplyDeleteSome movies I have to wonder if people have also seen that I don't think normally got itself a fair screen time. One of the movies I had gotten on VHS as little kid was a movie called "Annabelle's Wish." It followed the story of a young cow who befriends the farmer's grandson, who is mute. The grandson is mute because he was involved in a home fire that took the life of his parents. Annabelle is a newborn calf, who after befriending the boy they become inseparable.
The story is pretty cliche, in terms of some plot development that happens along the way, but it is a good movie and its message is very selfless, and family important. It's a movie that's stuck with me, maybe because at a point it was a favorite of mine and held values that I still uphold today. If you ever want to check out an old animated Christmas film, I'd definitely say "Annabelle's Wish" is a good one.
Taking an online class can be such a pain when I'm at home. There are so many distractions. TV, family, friends. It's all so much! I feel so much better when I'm doing work at school. It's not that there are no distractions there but I just feel more focused. That's what you do in a school setting... you study and you get work done. At least for the most part. At home, all I want to do is relax and watch an unhealthy amount of TV. And eat. A lot. I just really wish I could focus better here. My work would get done with much more ease.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Taing an online class is definitely harder than I thought it would be. My sister and boyfriend are home from school and I am working, and whenever I want to make plans I have to remember that I actually have work to get done. Even with all of the holiday parties and such, we have to schedule time in to do our work.
DeleteI guess I would have to say The Grinch Stole Christmas is my favorite Christmas movie. Only because it is a family tradition/ritual and I supposedly looked like Cindy Lou Who when I was a toddler. I don't really know or like many other Christmas themed movies. I do like the episode of Big Bang Theory when Sheldon is plagued with the burden of reciprocity. This episode shows how gift giving complicates relationships and fuels our consumeristic society.
ReplyDeletefree write Dec. 23rd.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas movie is Elf. Every year since I can remember, my family has gone to the movies the night before Thanksgiving. The year that Elf came out, my entire family could be there at the movie, so it made it extra special. Every year since we have all watched that movie together. I really enjoy getting into the spirit of Christmas. I am a very positive person, which is why I think I like the movie Elf so much. It is filled with humor and smiles. I like a lot of Christmas movies but my favorite is definitely Elf.
To me Christmas should be about family and friends and all the holiday cheer that you get during this time. But Christmas is slowly but surely becoming more and more commercialed. Now when you hear people talk about the holidays they say things like, ohh i still need yo do my Christmas shopping. With a focus on presents not the people and family that they are spending the season with. It has gone so far that I recently saw 8 year-old kids on a commercial asking for real cars. That is crazy, whatever happened to asking for toy trucks and simple things that kids enjoy. To ask for a car when you aren't even allowed to get license for another 7 or 8 years is ludicrous. When need to get back to the old traditions of Christmas with more focus on family and friends and less focus on consumerism.
ReplyDelete