We live in an age in which it is hard to spend time together as a family. Many families today wonder if having quality time together is a thing of the past. We are inordinately busy, for one thing, whether household breadwinners or college students. Also, the definition of family has changed. Some people choose to live their lives alone, but may still be close enough to some friends to consider them family. Just as each family has a kind of world in which reign norms, traditions and spiritual values, I have a special momentous event: the celebration of the Christmas in my parents’ house.
Christmas Eve is a quiet day compared to rest of the season. We have finished the shopping, wrapping, decorating, and baking. The house is a festive sight! We always spend a few hours every Christmas Eve, on our way home from church, driving around and gazing at our neighbors’ holiday displays, their lights like distant stars in the dark night. My favorite visit is to a neighborhood not too far from my house where every house puts out luminaries and nothing else. It is an amazing view. After Christmas has arrived, the gifts are neatly stashed under the tree and goose is basting in the oven. Our home is aglow with excitement.
The house quickly fills with family members coming for the festivities. I have many brothers and sisters and have been convinced over the years that the first activity on the day’s agenda should be exchanging gifts. It is the moment they have been waiting for. The younger ones are bouncing off the walls with excitement and anticipation. Their eyes are as wide as saucers at the sight of their bounty. To see the looks on their faces means the world to me. There is no feeling better than seeing children’s eyes light up with excitement, their voices ringing with laughter and dreams are realized.
The Essay on A Doll House Christmas Tree
Imagery symbolically guides the process of self-emancipation for Nora, the protagonist of A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. Objects like the macaroons, the lamp, the Christmas tree, and costumes represent the movement towards freedom of a woman who was a victim of society. Ibsen painted Nora as a youthful and lovely creature who was brought through life treated as a plaything by both her father and ...
We dive into the presents with wrapping paper, bows and fancy ribbons flying everywhere in an unheeded mess. Time and traditions change somewhat from year to year but the elated looks on faces stay the same, they are passed down from generation to generation. Finally, after the first star has appeared in the frosty sky, we descend on the dining room and gather around the table for a scrumptious Christmas feast. From year to year, there are few surprises in our traditional holiday menu. The most important ingredient is a special porridge called kutya. It is made of wheatberries or other
grains which symbolize hope and immortality, and honey and poppy seeds which ensure happiness, success, and untroubled rest. There are always baked goose with apples, mushroom soup, Lenten bread, grated garlic, bowl of honey, fresh apricots, oranges, figs, boiled new potatoes with chopped parsley and margarine. It is a feast as appealing to the eye as it is to the pallet. The tantalizing smell, a combination of the cranberries, apples, hot baked breads, sweet pies, goose, pork, gingerbread, makes you eager to devour whatever is set before you. It makes your mouth water.
It is the wonderful smell of Christmas! Of all the traditions my family celebrates, the gathering together of relatives is the most important to me. It is a time to share with everyone that is special to me. Knowing that each one will support the others whenever they are needed is an outpouring of love. As the family gets larger and some move away, it seems that it is more difficult to get together but each one realizes the importance of Christmas and the family bond. The true meaning of Christmas is love and family. In the end, love is the greatest tradition of all!
