Past and Present:Students Share Their Favorite Things about the Holidays—the second set

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Lorena Hernandez,11,Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy,East Oakland
A holiday is a time to be happy.Sometimes families are mad with each other.A holiday means so much.It is like part of my heart because my family is with me.I like holidays!My favorite day is Christmas because you get to be with your family all of nike dunk shoes.Then you say“Happy Christmas”to everyone.I like New Year’s because my mother always says to eat 12 grapes.Youhave only ZO seconds to eat the grapes and make a wish that will come true each month.
I aksed my mother,“What do the holidays mean?”She said that is a special day,and you don’t work.Holidays are important to me.
Sara Kaiser,11,Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School,Moraga
Like many kids,my favorite holiday is Christmas.I enjoy every bit of it,even the suspense.The holidays are great,for they are exciting and different from typical daily life.
Christmas morning is magnificent.Running out to the living room,I smile and open the blinds,so specks of light spot the colorful presents.The wonderful fragrance of pine and some hidden aroma of lv handbags.My stocking is building,and below all the stocking is a bag of popcorn or chips,which has been a tradition of ours for nearly a decade.Finally,the other family members awake,and the warm aroma of pancakes and sausages drifts through the house.The crimson tablecloth fits in perfectly,standing out in the gray morning light.
After the friendly breakfast,everyone dashes to the living room,and we raid our stockings.I always find CDs and books and,of course,popcorn.I think stockings are the best part.We spend about five minutes cleaning up and playing with oakley sunglasses.Then we move on to the Christmas tree.Usually my younger brother opens his first present,and we go youngest to oldest.I like to leave my biggest presents for last,but sometimes I open the interesting ones first.
The holidays seem to be a time to spend time away from our obsessions,notice new items,appreciate them and share excitement.It’s a time to relax and have fun.
Wes Guergah,11,Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School,Morage
My favorite holiday is Christmas.I love this holiday because it’s fun to receive gifts and it feels good to give gifts to others.Everyone decorates their houses with bright lights and it’s exciting to see all of the decorations around town.My mom makes great tasting cookies,and I look forward to them all year long.My favorite part is waking on Christmas morning and running down the steps to see what is under the tree.
My dad is Algerian,and his religion is Islam.Since he’s Muslim,he celebrates different holidays.One of those holidays is Ramadan.Remadan is a month where Muslims don’t eat from sunup to sundown.This can be exhausting,but it is rewarding when you do it and you celebrate with a big feast when you break the fast.At the end of Ramadan,people dress in nice clothes,give presents to friends,and have tons of nike men shoes.
Holidays are all different from each other and different in other religious and places.What they all seem to have in common is that they give us the chance to spend time with friends and family in celebration,share gifts.and wonderful meals and treats.
Joey Tu,11,Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School
Songkran means Thai New Year in English.Songkran is on April 13.Songkran is to celebrate a whole new year.When that special event comes in Thailand,food is brought out to eat.There are festivals and beauty contests.Donations of food are brought to the temples for the monks.The monks will also pary to the giver.
They believe that the people who passed away will have good things happen to them in their afterlife.People will party and they will versace handbag.Theu also dance their traditional dance.Since it is hot,people put flowers or perfume in some water and then they sprinkle it on each other,Kids are the ones who mostly play with dior men shoes.The kids wouldn’t sprinkle iwater on the elders becauee that would be disrespectful.They sprinkle water on their elder’s palms,and the elders rub it around their face,wishing the little ones a good year.We all help cook some food,so at the end we can have a family meal.
Kids wish their parents or relatives a good year.And the elders wish the youngsters a good year,too.Elders talk to each other of what they do for a living;everybody is enjoying talking to each other till the end of the day while children run,play or sprinkle water on each other.Afer Songkran,everybody wishes a good year until the next time,when they will meet again.