1-16-22

G3 wants to go back to real school. I’m torn by his decision. Yes, I completely agree that he needs to return in order to be with peers. He needs friends. I can’t argue that point. He will also benefit from having a science teacher who will hopefully know a great deal more than I do about physics and biology. As for math, he’d probably be better off in school, I hope, considering every time Kati does math with him I feel like I’m transported to Antietam, a bloody battle in which both sides pummeled each other with little advancement. Rarely is there peace between them when numbers and equations are involved.  My apprehension about G3 going to school is rooted in the fact that Middlesex is not a good school district. After all the time and effort I put into educating him, I wonder how much will be lost when he goes back. In the ideal world, I’d be able to send him to school for everything except English and Social Studies because the education he’d get with me would be far superior. But public school doesn’t work that way. I am concerned about his transition into doing the humanities in a school setting. I fear they will be too easy, that he will not be challenged, and that boredom will make him lazy. In the pandemic world, most students — according to studies and statistics — have lost up to a half a year of instruction and teachers are attempting to catch them up. How will G3 fit into this scenario?

Anyway, back in late December, when G3 was getting excited thinking about the holiday and time off from schoolwork, he decided that he wanted to do a research paper about Christmas, its origin, and how it is celebrated differently around the world. I thought it was an ambitious project, especially since Christmas was fast approaching and there would be no time to finish before the new year. He said he didn’t care. He wanted to do the research and the writing even if it took him a few months. Well, I’d be a pretty lousy teacher if I discouraged him from learning about something that interested him. And as long as he was reading and writing, it didn’t really matter what the topic was.

Taking notes and compiling the information was easy for him. His note taking skills are fantastic (I sincerely hope the skill does not whither once he returns to school) and he was able to extract the facts he found most interesting or important from the articles he read. The challenge was figuring out how he was going to organize his material and produce a cohesive essay. I asked him if he wanted help and we talked about it a little, but mostly he wanted to do it by himself. I told him I was here if he wanted me, but he didn’t. He executed a good first draft. Of course, I had to go through it as I always do and make comments, suggestions, and add a few commas. Since we are running out of time and he’ll be heading back to school — they originally told us this week but we are still waiting on an official start date — I only required him to do one revision. If we had time, I’d have had him polish it up a bit more. But I think it’s still good and I did learn a bit. 

I am worried that in school his teacher will not make him write enough and that his writing skills will get rusty. It’s sad, I’m sending my kid back to school — an institution that is supposed to education him — and I fear he will lose ground intellectually. 

Please enjoy this last essay that he wrote as my homeschool student.

Christmas

Christmas—what isn’t to love? A fat guy breaks into your house, leaves you presents, and eats your milk and cookies. But let’s allow the authorities to handle that while I talk about all of the other (none creepy) Christmas traditions. This holiday is mostly a gift hurricane for kids. Within the span of a little more than a month, this season has almost as many holidays as there are churches. To kick off my essay, I will talk about the holidays and figures in this jolly season. Then, I will talk about the legendary Christmas tree. After that, you will see worldwide traditions. And finally my own family traditions. So, lets get started 

Advent is the four weeks before Christmas. Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. Some children observe Advent by having an advent calendar, which is pretty much a calendar that you open and inside each date is a piece of chocolate. Okay, let’s get to more pressing matters. 

Around the world Santa Claus is known. In Italy, he is Babbo Natale. In France, he is Père Noël. In Russia, they have Ded Moroz. There are many other figures in different countries as well. Today, I will talk more in depth about three of them, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, and La Befana. Although Saint Nicholas was born in Myra, Turkey, Dutch children were the first people to celebrate him. Saint Nicholas is said to bring tiny toys, nuts, fruit and chocolate to children who leave their shoes outside. But what made children leave their shoes outside? Of course their parents told them to do so, but why? Legend has it that Saint Nicholas would go around his town and hand his inheritance to all the less fortunate. Then somehow, this turned from hands to smelly shoes. The holiday spread around Europe and became very popular. When European immigrants traveled to America through Ellis Island they brought with them this holiday. Soon the shoes turned to stockings that hung by the fire instead of outside, but the point stays the same. 

Next up is Santa Claus. He is the most popular gift giving burglar. Christmas Day was first celebrated around 336 AD by the Romans who called it the Feast of the Nativity. Of course Santa was not around back then. Yeah, he might be old, but he isn’t that old. The Christmas we know began in the 1800s with the gift exchange, feasting, and decorating. But there’s another paragraph for that. The jolly old fat man’s classic coat and pants come from the colors worn by bishops like Saint Nick. Santa flies around the world in a flying sled that is pulled by flying reindeer. On that sled, he has a huge sack of presents to give to good children. (The bad children get coal.) Finally, somehow, the fat man comes down the chimney to leave the presents by the Christmas tree.

The last important figure I will discuss is La Befana. This nice Italian witch flies on her broom all around the world looking for baby Jesus. She gives candy and present to the good kids and garlic to the bad kids. But why does she do this? Well, it is said that the Three Kings stopped off at her house to have some food on the way to see baby Jesus. When the Three Kings were about to depart, they asked her if she would like to come. She denied the invitation because there were a lot of chores to do. When the Wise Man had been gone a long time and she finished her chores, she regretted not going with them. So, to this day, she flies around on her broom looking for baby Jesus. 

Almost every family that celebrates Christmas has a Christmas tree. But the origins may be a little different than you thought. It is said, when St. Boniface was a missionary, he saw pagans around a tree about to make a sacrifice to the god Thor. When the sacrifice was done, Boniface took an ax to the tree and cut it down. Then pagans saw a fir or evergreen tree grow in its place. Somehow, the new tree became the tree we know today. In 1605, only apples were hung on the tree. But in 1611, Martin Luther came up with the great idea of putting lit candles on wood. Well, some people have great ideas that in hindsight were quite stupid. I wonder how many trees caught fire? Today we have actual ornaments meant for trees. Germany became known for its beautiful wood and glass ornaments.

Now it is time for some homeless but cool facts. Every kid, at least once, must have had a candy cane at some point. But some may not know the story behind it. I do :). In the 1670s, a German choirmaster would bend sugar sticks into the shape of a cane (to represent a Shepards staff) and give them to young singers to keep them well behaved. Carols for a long time have been part of Christmas. The first recorded one was written by Saint Hillary Poiters in the 4th century and was called “Jesus Light of all Nations.” Future song writers, like Issac Watts, who wrote “Joy to the World” in 1719, and George Handel, who wrote “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” in 1739, may have been influenced by Poiters. Later authors also wrote tunes that get stuck in our heads, like Joseph Moirer who wrote “Silent Night” in 1854. One of the most common ballets to watch or listen to was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is called The Nutcracker and it first premiered in 1892. The famous poem, “T’was the Night Before Christmas” was written by Clement Clarke Moore.

Next, I will talk about world-wide traditions. Many countries have their own way of saying Christmas. In France, they say Noël. In Mexico, they say Navidad. In Italy, they say Natale. In Australia, locals celebrate Christmas at the beach and Santa wears a white beard and red swim trunks. In India, people decorate by putting up Bamboo or Mango trees. Brazilians have picnics and fireworks. Men in Italy dress up as La Befana. Did you know that the common person in the US will spend almost 1000 dollars during Christmas time? All this so little Billy could have his “wittle tycicl.” Or did you know that kids in Syria get presents, not from Santa, but from the three Wise Men? Before the 1400s, no one gave presents. I am happy I live in the 2000s.

In my family, Saint Nick comes on December 6, but I have to wait until the end of the day to open presents because my mother leaves for work early in the morning. Throughout the month, until December 24, I have an advent calendar (which my moms forgot this year). The Christmas Angel, who my grandmother created, brings me a piece of candy each day during advent while I am sleeping. She puts it in the stocking I hang on my bedroom door. When December 23 comes around, we have a Christmas picnic. This is when we have hor d’oeuvres for dinner and watch A Miracle on 34st Street. On December 24, I go to my Italian Grandmother’s house and she gives me presents for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. On December 25, we celebrate Christmas with my Grandfather. Finally, on the first day of the year, I have my birthday and get more presents. In all, it is a Present Bonanza.

So, that’s it. I hope you learned a thing or two. Thank you. Without further ado “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

Bibliography

“How Christmas is Celebrated Around the World. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-christmas-celebrated-around-world.

“Christmas,” Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christmas.

“How Did The Tradition of The Christmas Tree Start,” Encyclopedia Britannica.https://www.britannica.com/story/how-did-the-tradition-of-christmas-trees-start.

Stalcup, Ann. “Christmas Markets.” Faces: People, Places, and Cultures, vol. 16, no. 7, Mar. 2000, p. 32.

Stalcup, Ann. “Christmas Markets.” Faces: People, Places, and Cultures, vol. 16, no. 7, Mar. 2000, p. 32.

“Christmas.” Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Holidays, edited by Robert H. Griffin and Ann H. Shurgin, vol. 1, UXL, 2000, pp. 69-90.