For Christmas, I have a lot of gifts planned for others.  For my friends at school, I’m giving them gum. For my mom, I’m getting her clothes. My sister is getting scrunchies. My grandma is getting some brownies that I make.

For Christmas I want clothes. I would also like a turtle. I think they are super cool and I would like one so I could name it. I would name my turtle Shaniqua. It would be a girl.

I also would like a new backpack because I lost my other one. I left it at my friend’s house and I can’t ever get it back. She lives in Missouri. I would also like to spend time with my family and friends. Happy holidays 🙂

One of my favorite parts about Christmas is the few traditions we do every year. These traditions always get me in the mood for the holidays. Traditions can bring your family together, every year. Some of the times I only see certain family members on the holidays. This usually is only the case when they live far away or have a busy schedule. Still, it is always nice to see them this time of year.

One of the traditions we do every year is making a gingerbread house. We usually do this when there are only 10 days left but it depends on the year. The best part of making the houses is sneakily picking the candy off throughout the year. By Christmas, the decorations are all off. Another is Christmas lights. We put them up in our rooms and outside our house!

My family is full of Italians. On Christmas day we don’t eat a normal meal like others would. Instead, we make shells. They are by far my favorite food and I only have them once a year. It makes it much more special. I can’t wait to have some this Christmas.

 

It’s starting to be that time of year again. Now that I’m in high school, I haven’t really spent much time celebrating Christmas. With finals and grades to focus on, the feeling can be kind of down. School gets out on the 21st. That only leaves a few days to celebrate

As a kid, I had a lot more time to focus on the season. I was always baking cookies and eating sweets. I would go outside the first time it would snow every year. Every Christmas Eve we would have a snowball fight.  Christmas was full of fun.

Another thing I still do every year is on Christmas may seem weird to others. We always go to a Chinese restaurant on the way home. They are the only restaurant open. It’s something only my close family does and something I will pass down. Christmas is full of traditions and memories.

For today’s post, I thought I would write about some Christmas Traditions that I and my family have. The first thing my family does is on Christmas Eve, we sit and eat together and then in the evening we open one present from under the tree. It’s something we’ve always done, and I love that we still do this because waiting is so hard. Another thing I’ve started doing is buying my dogs Christmas presents. I just feel like they deserve something for being such good dogs.

On Christmas day, of course, we start by opening the presents in the stockings. There is almost always some kind of gift card. Then we just have breakfast when we normally have breakfast, and get ready for the day. Depending on where we are having our Christmas meal, which in the past couple of years has been at our house, my parents will get started on the cooking. Of course, when the family comes over we eat together and chat and it’s always really fun.

Normally, we will open the rest of the presents from under the tree at some point in the morning before the rest of the family comes over. We do it at this point just because I’m part of a family of four, so it saves a lot of time.

After this, we have the main event: the present giving. I think this is always loads of fun, because we are always so busy so it’s nice to just sit together and chat and have a catch up because we really don’t see that much of each other during the year. The past few years it hasn’t snowed on Christmas, but if it does, we always go outside. Hopefully this year we can do it again!

There are many things you can do to make a difference. During the holiday season, many families are in need. As it gets colder out, more clothes and food are needed. If you can, it’s a really good opportunity. Here are a few ways you can help.

The salvation army is at almost every grocery store. They have donation bins that go to Adult rehab. During the holiday season, you will easily be able to see them. It helps people in crisis. People that face a financial disaster or hunger are helped every year by the donations from the salvation army.

If you are wanting to donate to something even more local, this Saturday at PHHS, there will be a teddy bear donation during halftime. Throw you teddy bears in the middle of the court and they will be donated to kids in need of Christmas presents. You can donate food to multiple local organizations. Just try to give back this Christmas season!

Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays in America. Why? It’s all about food. Whether you’re a picky eater or a food lover, you will find something to enjoy. While some may like the savory foods, others may love the sweet side. Overall, there is something for everyone.

Here are my top 10 favorite foods. For number 10, it has to be turkey. Personally, I’m not a big fan of Turkey because it can easily go wrong. However, it’s Thanksgiving so I think it deserves a spot on the list. For number 9, I’d say it goes to sweet potatoes because no matter how they are cooked, they have a good flavor but not the best. For number 8, I’d say any kind of corn because it is almost at every Thanksgiving and almost everyone can eat it. For number 7 I have to go with shells. Not a lot of people have stuffed shells at Thanksgiving but since I have Italian family members, it has always been a top memory. Number 6 would be deviled eggs because they are quick and kid-friendly.

For the top 5, Number 5 would have to go to pumpkin pie because it’s a staple piece in every Thanksgiving meal. For number 4, it would be stuffing only if it is made good. Number 3 would have to be macaroni and cheese. Number 2 would be rolls because they are amazing with other foods and are delicious. The number one food on Thanksgiving would have to be mashed potatoes and many would agree.

 

Pippin becomes a soldier for his father’s army. He is upset by the killings. He decides to murder his father to stop the war. Things changed when he became King. He is even more lost and unsure about what he wants in life. He turns away from everything, including love, before discovering that what he has been searching for has been there the whole time.

Pippin has been recommended to me by a lot of people. Pippin is very well known. Today I am going to see it with my choir. We are going to see it at IU Bloomington.

Next week I will post about my experience. It includes songs like Magic to Do and Glory. It also includes With You and Spread a Little Sunshine. Its first opening night was in 1972. It is directed by Bob Fosse. Hopefully, it’s a great show.

The month of October is filled with dark nights, a ton of candy, and funny costumes. To make it even better, you could grab some popcorn and watch one of these musicals. Whether it’s light-hearted or full of gore, it will be the perfect thing to watch this time of year. These musicals are good for all ages. Here are some of the top musicals to watch this month.

Sweeney Todd is one of my top picks. Starring Johnny Depp, this musical follows a man convicted of a crime he did not commit. He decides to seek revenge by killing many people and selling them in a nearby meat shop. He won’t stop until he kills the man who jailed him. Overall, it’s very creepy and full of suspense.

Along with Sweeney Todd, you definitely should watch The Rocky Horror Show. Brad and Janet stumble across an eerie mansion. It is owned by Dr. Frank-N-Furter and all of their innocence is lost. You also should check out the Phantom of the Opera. Both of these musicals are full of action and comedy.  All of these are definitely a must see around this time of year.

Hair is a well known musical. It first was performed in October 1967. It is a rock musical. Starring Treat Williams and John Savage, this musical is also a movie. It is classified as a Drama/Comedy.

The musical shows a group of hippies who celebrate peace and love in the shadow of the Vietnam War. The plot centers on Berger, the charismatic leader of the “tribe,”.Claude, a sweet-natured guy from Queens who’s about to be drafted. They face conflict throughout the musical.

It won many awards. Some include Tony awards! It includes songs like songs “The Bed”, “Dead End”, “Oh Great God of Power”. It is definitely worth seeing. If you ever have a chance to you should!

Chicago is known by many. It is starring Catherine-Zeta Jones and Renee Zellweger. Another star that is very known is Queen Latifah. It was released in December of 1975. They also created a movie based on the play. Chicago! has played in multiple areas and still is!

Velma is a nightclub sensation who murders her husband. Billy Flynn is set to defend her. Another girl named Roxie ends u in prison and Bily is supposed to defend her as well. The media is obsessed with these cases. The two girls fight over fame and compete with each other.

Some of Chicago’s best songs were Nowadays I Can’t Do It Alone, and Cell Block Tango. Cell Block Tango has been a source of inspiration for many art forms. Chicago has won 6 Academy Awards. Along with this, it has won 3 Golden Globes. I definitely recommend this!