Monthly Archives: December 2011

By Linda Olivas

Rough Draft

As the tall-tale has been told to every child in history, the so called Santa Claus would climb down the chimney of your house, eat the cookies and milk that had been left on the table, and leave the presents that you asked for.  After doing so, he would climb back up and ride off on his sleigh that was getting pulled from his reindeer.  For a small child, this story is very believable since they have enough imagination to believe that pigs can fly!

On Christmas Eve, my family would all get together with a big dinner, and exchange presents.  Throughout all my years, this was always very enjoyable.  This would be our way to surpass the time until Christmas, when I was little, it was for me anyways.  I would go around and play with the other kids or try and hold a conversation with the adults to stay up until 12 o’clock in the morning to start opening the presents that our parents had gotten for us.

Being a little girl, this mission seemed to be physically and mentally impossible!  When the clock finally struck 12, we rushed towards the presents with excitement to see how much money our parents and family members spent on us this year.  Although this didn’t matter much at the time, all that mattered was that we got new things.  Like all kids, they right away want to use their new things right away, so I would at least stay up an hour more to play with what I got. Then I would fall asleep.  In the morning, I would rush into the living room where the Christmas tree is usually placed and see what Santa brought for me this year.

Now that I actually think back to when I believed in Santa, my routine didn’t exactly fit the tale about Santa Claus.  Either way, I still enjoyed the thought that he existed or that he would bring me the toys that I wanted.

By: Luis Samarripa

          Christmas can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people; to some it doesn’t even mean anything it is just another day of their lives, but to most people it means getting presents and lots of them too.  On Christmas people just love receiving presents.  People are really greedy about their presents on this day, if one doesn’t like it they want the receipt so they can take it back or they take it, but don’t appreciate it.  And then I think why this is. 

This is possibly because as the years go on technology is getting more advanced and people expect to get those things that are more advanced or at least get something better each year.  So what I’m trying to say is GET PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT FOR CHRISTMAS!  Trust me, it will make things a lot easier for everyone.  You won’t have angry people at your Christmas party if you give the people what they want.  Even if it does cost some money, the person you give it to should and will appreciate it. 

Also if the person does not want a present in a box, give them what they want.  If the person just wants to spend time with their family then gather up your family and be happy together.  Because that is what Christmas is about, being with your family and being happy.  You can’t go wrong with the family if that is what one wants, but if you plan on getting a present be very careful.

By Bryan Benitez

Rough Draft

Christmas is the time of year were your mom stays up late baking food for the next day and are ready to have a big celebration with your chill family.  I’m Mexican and we celebrate Christmas by eating a special meal like tamales, and pozole.  If you don’t know what it is, tamales, are a Latin American dish made of masa. Tamales, can be filled with beef, chicken, cheese, vegetables ,chilies and other stuff whatever you want to put there, that you enjoy.

Christmas is a holiday, it only comes once a year and you have to take advantage of that.  It’s the day each person is waiting for, everybody is so eager to unwrap there special gift they were waiting for.  Every time Christmas comes we wait till twelve a.m. to unwrap the presents.  After you open your presents you are so happy you got what you wanted and you always give your mom and dad a big, luscious, juicy high-quality hug.  After that you don’t care if is Christmas or not because you’re so excited with what you got, then you go to wear out your Christmas gift in order to enjoy it.

This is a special holiday because it’s the day you have peace, and a good time with your family, and eat a special meal. For little kids when they think of Christmas they think of toys, but when you get older, Christmas actually is not about the stuff you get, it is to share love with your family. So everybody have and wonderful             Feliz Navidad!

By: Jose Camargo

Rough Draft

            Christmas is the holiday that only comes once a year every year.  Christmas can be thought of in many ways.  For starters it can be thought of the day you get presents or the day that families get together and rejoice.  A lot of people take it for granted; they don’t value the meaning of Christmas as much as others do.  The day of Christmas to me has no specific meaning. In my opinion Christmas is the day that my family shares. It is the day we have a wonderful dinner all together as one happy family.

            Many different people celebrate it in other ways, there isn’t just one way to celebrate it but the most common is with the Christmas tree, and the giving of presents.  I don’t know any other way to celebrate it but the way I know how to celebrate.  In some cases people don’t celebrate Christmas for their religion so they don’t get to have the fun that others get to have. That doesn’t matter to them as long as they are with their families and love and care for each other.  This holiday only comes once a year and it’s the only time that you see the joy of many people come out and shine.  

            During this holiday lots of meals come to households just for this special occasion. From all over the place delicious meals come and invade your homes for those days of Christmas. There are religions that have certain dishes for the time of year that is most very significant to all. There is one thing that you must know about Christmas, and that is that if you don’t celebrate it with your family there is no point in saying that you celebrate it.  It isn’t only about the material stuff that you will get on Christmas; it’s so much more than that, it all about being with your family.

            This article is about the holiday known as Christmas with the aim of it to be celebrated with your beloved family that will be there for you no matter what. So remember that on the day of Christmas will only mean something if you’re with your family as one happy group that will live on inseparable.  Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

By Jordan Smith

Rough Draft

Around the holiday season, the cities are filled with obsessed shoppers looking for the right gift, endless amounts of sales promoting the next big thing, and people forgetting the real meaning of this holiday.  Yet, in this small town of Meeker, Christmas is more than just gifts, or whether you were on the naughty or nice list. Christmas in this small, one horse town is about family, and giving instead of getting.

Many people in the cities, or even just towns a smudge bigger than Meeker, are too preoccupied with what they are going to write on their wish list to Santa instead of giving to those less fortunate.  Thankfully, folks in Meeker are willing to bend over backwards for others. Several churches open up to the town of Meeker and are enthusiastic about helping those that need it the most around this time of year.

The Meeker United Methodist Church puts on the Giving Tree every year, and supplies many families with the gifts they can’t afford, the clothes they need to stay warm and even providing food so they can have a feast to celebrate the holidays with.

The Giving Tree is a great opportunity for several individuals to give their time to the people that need it the most.  The Meeker United Methodist Church Youth Group helps hand out baskets of food and supply possessions o hand out to everyone in the community. This goes to show that not all teenagers are as uninvolved in the community as they are labeled to be. Not only are these teenagers helping give others a wonderful Christmas, but they are taking time from their own break and time out of their schedule to make Christmas just as special to everyone else as it is for them.

Along with the Giving Tree, there are boxes fun of brand new presents at this church that are shipped overseas to kids that barely have enough to eat each day. This is another opportunity that people in the town of Meeker have to be selfless and give back to those that deserve, especially around this time of year. Christmas is a special time, not only because of the presents and being able to take a few weeks off of school, but this is the time that many can show the side of them that is not shown all the time.

This year for Christmas should be just as special as every other year and everyone can make it that way with just one selfless act of kindness.

By Emily Cardile

Rough Draft

Twenty Years Ago

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Chloe who wanted more than anything to be a missionary.  She dreamed of all the places she would go and people she would help.  She had light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, but all her childhood she also wanted something else.  She wanted blue eyes. And not just the pale, lifeless blue, either.  She wanted the bright, exciting blue eyes.  She knew this could never happen, so as she got older she learned to accept her brown eyes, even though she secretly longed for her blue ones……

Present Day

Chloe grew up into a beautiful young woman, and was finally old enough to become the missionary she always wanted to be.  Christmas time came around, and Chloe was preparing to take a trip to India with presents for some of the women and children.  Many people gave her gifts to take with her, and she became more and more excited to take them to India.  The time finally came for her to leave, and she couldn’t have been more thrilled.  She was able to take hundreds of presents with her to give the people there a good Christmas.  Bunches of people donated clothes and shoes, toys and crafts for her to take with her.  The plane ride half way around the world seemed to take over a lifetime.  When Chloe got to India, she was given the clothes that were the appropriate thing for women to wear.  She had to wear the head covering, where all you could see was her eyes, and the skirt, where all you could see was her feet.  This didn’t really bother her much, as long as she could do what she came for.                                                         

She went to several different villages and towns handing out gifts to the families in need.  It made her heart melt to see all their faces light up with excitement, appreciation and happiness.  The whole village was bursting at the seams.  They all exchanged gifts, and had a big Christmas dinner feast with all they could find and cook up.  Everyone danced and sang and played instruments and had a great time together.  All the children played together while the adults talked.                        Chloe was over in India for about a week when the government realized how many Americans and other visitors were in the country, and this frightened them with a fear of being overtaken.  So, they started driving out and arresting everyone who wasn’t Indian.  Chloe heard about this, and realized she was supposed to be one of the ones to leave, and she felt that her job there was not finished yet.  She tried to make sure she didn’t get worried over it, even though she was a little scared.  She told herself that everything was going to be ok, and to remain calm.                                                    

 Then, a group of guards and police interrupted their Christmas party, having everyone come out side and stand in a line.  They looked at everyone, and searched all the houses.  They knew they could recognize the people to be arrested by having blue or green eyes, because Indian people only have brown eyes, or by the clothes they wore.  One of the guards came down the line of people, with a gun at his hip, and eyes piercing like a knife.  It was almost Chloe’s turn.  Her heart was racing in her chest, a bead of sweat on her forehead.  The guard was coming, getting closer and closer, going by person after person, coming towards her.  This was it.  It was her turn.  All the other people in the village knew she wasn’t Indian, and they were as scared as she was.  The guard came up to her.  All he could see was her eyes.  The clothes she wore hid her heavy breathing and the look of pure terror on her face.  Remain calm, she thought to herself, although not really helping, it’s going to be alright.  She prayed a silent prayer for help.  The man looked into her eyes for only a second or two, but to her it felt like hours.  They locked eyes for only a moment, then he moved on to the next person in line.  Chloe, along with the whole village, let out a sigh of relief with a breath they didn’t realize they were holding in.  The guard walked down the rest of the line, not finding anything, then signaled to the other men, and they all got back into their cars and left.  Everyone waited until they were a safe distance away before letting out a cheer of joy and thankfulness. Everyone went back to singing and dancing, and everybody thanked God for keeping Chloe safe. Although blue eyes were one of her lifelong dreams, her brown eyes had just saved her life.                                   

A few days later, Chloe returned to her home town.  She went to her house and her church and told everyone what had happened and what God had done.  The whole congregation celebrated and came up to her asking for details, and what it was like. Chloe now has a great story to be able to tell generations to come about the goodness of God, and what he had done for her.  This was a Christmas she would never forget.

By Ava Ward

Rough Draft
            In the festivities of Christmas, we hang stockings above the fire place and pretend there is a man named Saint Nicholas, but how was this all started?  Why do we do all these strange things in celebration of Christmas?  In the 4th century, Saint Nicholas was known for his generosity and his devotion to children. In 340 A.D. he died and was buried in Myra, an area in present day Turkey. Italian soldiers stole his remains and took them back to Italy, making him famous in Europe. 

His reputation of kindness and generosity led people to believe he could create miracles and he soon became the patron saint of Russia, known for his red cape and flowing white beard.  In Greece, he is the patron saint of sailors, in France he was the patron of lawyers, and in Belgium the patron of children and travelers.  Thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated to him and around the 12th century an official church holiday was created in his honor.  The Dutch where the ones who kept this belief alive.  Dutch children would leave their wooden shoes above the fire place, good kids were rewarded with goods in their shoes and the bad children were given coal.  This tradition was soon picked up by Americans in the 17th century.
        This still doesn’t answer the question, where did the hanging of stockings come from?  As I stated before the idea of stockings started with the Dutch with their shoes placed above the fire place in hopes of having goods in the morning. Legend has it; a kindly nobleman became extremely depressed after the passing of his beloved wife and foolishly squandered his fortune. Leaving his three young daughters without dowries.  The legendary Saint Nicholas heard about the girls’ sad dilemma, and set forth to help them.  Wishing to remain anonymous he rode to the young ladies house and placed three things of gold above the fire place, where by chance a woman hung her stockings up to dry.  In the morning the girls found a surprising fortune.  Ever since that shocking morning, as tradition, we hang stockings above the fire place. Isn’t it odd how we do all these things but never ask where they came from?