English Essay
We have an essay every week for my English class. This week's essay topic was: "Holiday traditions reflect the heritage of each family. Write an essay reflecting upon a tradition or memory that is significant to you."
This is my essay. It's pretty long. But I really like it.
A Holiday Essay
It started in 1996 when Aunt Linda brought a craft for the family to do on Christmas Eve. This had never been done before and many were apprehensive about what eventually became our family’s Christmas Eve tradition. Over the years, the infamous craft has almost taken on a life of its own. We have established rules for being able to participate in the craft and there have been times when throughout the duration of the present craft there had been discussions about the one we will do next year. Some might call it crazy but I just call them my family.
So what exactly is the craft? To put it simply, we paint. The objects we paint have ranged from mugs, to plates, to the original ornament that has since been dubbed “the ball that started it all”. It is quite a painstaking event actually. Since there are two families we paint two identical objects. But it is not as simple as normal people might think. My family has to take a good twenty minutes to decide what symbol will go next to their name. Oh, the many symbols we have had. There is the obvious Christmas stocking that has made its appearance on many crafts. There is also the creative string of Christmas lights that went around the inside of a bowl one year. And of course my father always has to put a Yankee symbol next to his name while my Uncle Greg without fail writes Uncle Feziwig. This is our tradition.
Once everyone has chosen their respective symbol, they make sure that everyone else knows their symbol so that it will not be stolen. Arguments have broken out over stolen symbols and confrontations had to be settled by looking back upon past crafts to see which person has previously used which symbol. And then the assembly line forms. The craft slowly makes its way around the table and since only two people can paint at one time, the others practice. Yes, we practice drawing our symbols prior to putting it on the craft. This is our tradition.
One year, as we were in the midst of doing the craft, my grandmother intensely pondered creating rules for the craft. She premeditated my cousin Gregory marrying his current girlfriend Amy, and proposed the question of whether or not she would be allowed to be on the craft. After much discussion about this topic, we decided that any newly related family member had to endure a three year waiting period prior to participating in the craft. As absurd as it was, we stood by this ridiculous decree until it was eventually abolished once Gregory and Amy actually got married. She was part of our family and this was our tradition.
However, there is one perpetual rule regarding the craft that will never be eradicated: “If you are not there on Christmas Eve, you will not be on the craft.” This regulation was created the year Gregory and Amy spent Christmas Eve with her family. My other cousin Allison and my sister wanted to put their names on the bottom of the craft as a punishment for not being there, but that would be going against the rules. However, I saw them sneaking Gregory and Amy’s names on the bottom of the craft. I didn’t say anything because the way I saw it, whether they were physically there or not, Gregory and Amy were still a part of our family. And this was our tradition.
Many years have gone by since the original ball that started it all in 1996. Numerous memories were formed and we all often reminisce about past craft antics such as those who have smudged someone else’s symbol while trying to write their own name and the one year my grandmother signed her name G Ma. And every year as I put up the Christmas tree and take out the countless boxes of Christmas decorations, I come across that one special ornament that makes me think of every single Christmas Eve since then. They all run through my head like a home video, one that I can rewind and play back as often as I like. To me, Christmas Eve is so much more than just doing the craft. It is being with the people I love most as we laugh and make memories that we will recall for years to come. This is our tradition.
This is my essay. It's pretty long. But I really like it.
A Holiday Essay
It started in 1996 when Aunt Linda brought a craft for the family to do on Christmas Eve. This had never been done before and many were apprehensive about what eventually became our family’s Christmas Eve tradition. Over the years, the infamous craft has almost taken on a life of its own. We have established rules for being able to participate in the craft and there have been times when throughout the duration of the present craft there had been discussions about the one we will do next year. Some might call it crazy but I just call them my family.
So what exactly is the craft? To put it simply, we paint. The objects we paint have ranged from mugs, to plates, to the original ornament that has since been dubbed “the ball that started it all”. It is quite a painstaking event actually. Since there are two families we paint two identical objects. But it is not as simple as normal people might think. My family has to take a good twenty minutes to decide what symbol will go next to their name. Oh, the many symbols we have had. There is the obvious Christmas stocking that has made its appearance on many crafts. There is also the creative string of Christmas lights that went around the inside of a bowl one year. And of course my father always has to put a Yankee symbol next to his name while my Uncle Greg without fail writes Uncle Feziwig. This is our tradition.
Once everyone has chosen their respective symbol, they make sure that everyone else knows their symbol so that it will not be stolen. Arguments have broken out over stolen symbols and confrontations had to be settled by looking back upon past crafts to see which person has previously used which symbol. And then the assembly line forms. The craft slowly makes its way around the table and since only two people can paint at one time, the others practice. Yes, we practice drawing our symbols prior to putting it on the craft. This is our tradition.
One year, as we were in the midst of doing the craft, my grandmother intensely pondered creating rules for the craft. She premeditated my cousin Gregory marrying his current girlfriend Amy, and proposed the question of whether or not she would be allowed to be on the craft. After much discussion about this topic, we decided that any newly related family member had to endure a three year waiting period prior to participating in the craft. As absurd as it was, we stood by this ridiculous decree until it was eventually abolished once Gregory and Amy actually got married. She was part of our family and this was our tradition.
However, there is one perpetual rule regarding the craft that will never be eradicated: “If you are not there on Christmas Eve, you will not be on the craft.” This regulation was created the year Gregory and Amy spent Christmas Eve with her family. My other cousin Allison and my sister wanted to put their names on the bottom of the craft as a punishment for not being there, but that would be going against the rules. However, I saw them sneaking Gregory and Amy’s names on the bottom of the craft. I didn’t say anything because the way I saw it, whether they were physically there or not, Gregory and Amy were still a part of our family. And this was our tradition.
Many years have gone by since the original ball that started it all in 1996. Numerous memories were formed and we all often reminisce about past craft antics such as those who have smudged someone else’s symbol while trying to write their own name and the one year my grandmother signed her name G Ma. And every year as I put up the Christmas tree and take out the countless boxes of Christmas decorations, I come across that one special ornament that makes me think of every single Christmas Eve since then. They all run through my head like a home video, one that I can rewind and play back as often as I like. To me, Christmas Eve is so much more than just doing the craft. It is being with the people I love most as we laugh and make memories that we will recall for years to come. This is our tradition.