Edition 6 - Special Christmas Edition
Post date: Dec 15, 2016 2:17:20 PM
Invasion of the Christmas Movies
By: Ian S. Isaac R. & Duncan S.
Multiple people have favorite Christmas movies. There are a bunch of Christmas movies to choose from. Most people like to watch Christmas movies at Christmas time, but some watch them any time. Some people have a tradition of watching Christmas movies.
Home Alone is some people's favorite movie. The first movie was made in 1990 in New York. In the Home Alone series there are five movies. Most of the Home Alone movies are good according to many people. Home Alone is about a boy that gets lost in New York City. The movie Home Alone is one hour and 55 minutes. The little boy in the movie Home Alone is Macaulay Culkin. Another movie that a lot of people like is Elf. Elf was made in 2003, and its rating is 7 out of 10. Will Ferrell is the Elf in the movie. The Elf movie is one hour and 37 minutes long. Elf is about a boy that goes in Santa's toy sack and goes to the North Pole.
Jacob H. was asked what his favorite movie was, and he said, “I like Home Alone because they beat up all the robbers.”
Brayden S. was asked what his favorite Christmas movie is, and he said, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
One of the newest Christmas movies is Almost Christmas; it was made in 2016, and it is PG-13 and it is one hour and 52 minutes long, and the director is David E. Talbert. The rating of this movie 5.4 out of 10 Another famous movie is A Christmas Carol and it was made in 1951. The rating of this movie is 9.6 out of 10. A Christmas Carol is also a book and it was written by Charles Dickens. It is a good movie according to many people. The movie is one hour and 26 minutes. Ernest Saves Christmas is another Christmas movie favorite. It has a rating of 4.5 out of 10. The movie is one hour and 35 minutes. The movies main character is Jim Varney. Another classic is How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It was made in 2000. The movie is one hour and 45 minutes. It has a rating of 5.7 out of 10. The main actor in this movie is Jim Carrey. This movie was made in 2000. The last Christmas movie on the list is Frosty the Snowman. It was made in 1969, and it has a rating of 5.9 out of 10. It is 25 minutes long.
No matter what, most people have a favorite Christmas movie.
Are You Fishin’ For a Christmas Tradition?
By: Savannah H. & Bri S.
There are many traditions celebrated in different households during Christmas. Some include putting up a Christmas tree, having a large Christmas dinner, making cookies, Elf On The Shelf, and celebrating with friends and family.
One Christmas tradition is decorating an evergreen tree. Some people buy real trees, while others buy artificial trees. Many people decorate the tree with ornaments and garland. This originated from Germany, at the time only Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Most 19th-century Americans found Christmas trees oddity. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830s by the German settlers of Pennsylvania. Although, trees had been a tradition in many German homes much earlier. Pennsylvania had community trees as early as 1747.As late as the 1840s Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols, and not accepted by most Americans.
The Elf On The Shelf is another popular Christmas tradition. This originated from a story of a tradition written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter in 2005. The theory is that an elf sits in a house and watches children all day. No one can touch the elf, and the elf will not move when a child is awake. At night when everyone falls asleep, the elf will go back to the North Pole to tell Santa how a child has acted, then it comes back to the house and goes to a new spot, ready for the child to wake up and find it again.
Another tradition many people do Christmas is a Christmas pickle tradition. A Christmas pickle tradition is when someone hangs a pickle ornament on a tree. On Christmas Eve, Santa hides the pickle somewhere different on the tree. On Christmas day, the first person to find the pickle gets to have a reward, and they have good fortune for the next year. The Christmas pickle originated from Germany.
Lily S. was questioned what her favorite Christmas tradition is, and she said, “Celebrating when Jesus was born by going to church, and having Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve.”
Malik S. was asked three questions, What his favorite Christmas tradition is, what he does for Christmas dinner, and what he looks forward to this Christmas? “Oldest to youngest opening presents with the entire family. My aunt Shelly makes Superman punch with these ingredients: fruit punch, 7-Up, and sherbet ice cream.” What he does for Christmas dinner, he said, “We have a casual dinner, but before we eat we pray. We always have mashed potatoes, cookies and pie.” Answering the last question he said, “One thing I look forward for this Christmas is seeing my family. I love seeing them happy, and love watching the smiles on their face as they open presents.”
Many people and their families celebrate Christmas with different traditions.
The Holly And The Jolly
By: Gavin W. & Nick S.
The man in the red suit was a holly, jolly man, and he still is today. In December 280 A.D. there was one particular event that started this so called Christmas, and Saint Nick was in this event.
The man who created Santa’s outfit was Thomas Nast in 1881. Some of his nicknames are Saint Nick, Saint Nicholas, Nikolaos of Myra, and Sinterklaas.
Saint Nicholas went through many transformations, and eventually Sinterklaas became Santa Claus. Instead of giving gifts on December sixth, he became a part of the Christmas holiday. He is described as a jolly, heavy man who comes down the chimney to leave presents for deserving children and drives a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer.
Saint Nick later became a bishop of a Christian church. He and his family were once rich, but then all of a sudden became very poor.
The original Saint Nick was born in Patara, Turkey. Both of his parents died from disease when he was young.
Saint Nick would go to certain people’s houses, and put bags of money by their fireplaces so they could get married. He also saved three men who were falsely imprisoned, and sentenced to death. Over a few years people started to call him the protector of children because he would give them money if they were poor. Saint Nick was later called Santa Claus because of his joy and heart for giving and not receiving.
Saint Nick always wanted to help others and save people’s lives.
Fun In The Snow
By: Landon B. & Jace C.
Snowmobiling and snowball fights are both great outdoor activities. Snowmobiles have changed a lot since the first one. Snowball fights have been happening for a long time and have been bringing joy to people.
In the Civil War the Confederate soldiers had a snowball fight, and they called it “snow balling.” Sometimes the snowball fights would last for days at a time. When snow balling the other team could capture people on your team if they were on your side of the battlefield. They could or did use this method for battle training. On January 12th 2013, 5,800 people went to build forts to protect themselves from the massive snowball fight that was in Seattle Center. To make this event possible 34 truckloads, that is equivalent to 162,000 pounds of snow, was hauled from the Washington Cascade Mountain Range to Seattle Center. The snowball fight set a new Guinness World Record for the biggest snowball fight. The largest snowball in the world was 32.94 feet in circumference. In the Civil War the Confederate soldiers had a snowball fight, and they called it “snow balling.” Sometimes the snowball fights would last for days at a time. When snow balling the other team could ca
pture people on your team if they were on your side of the battlefield. They could or did use this method for battle training.
The first man to use the name snowmobile was a man named Virgil White. In 1922, J. Armand Bombardier made a wind driven sleigh with a model T engine. Earl Eliason made the first snowmobile. It was basically a toboggan with skis powered by ropes and an endless track powered by 21/2 Horsepower Johnson Motor. On Friday September 18, 2015 a Norwegian man named Morten Blien drove his Polaris RMK 800 across 131 miles on water in four hours, and set a new world record. This man was very daring to drive his snowmobile on water and not sink it. http://unofficialnetworks.com/2015/09/new-world-record-distance-on-water-by-s
nowmobile-131-miles-in-4-hours People will find information about this world record. Also, the reader will find the 4 hour video.
The history of the snowball fights and snowmobiles is changing everyday and will always be changing for the better.
The Long Road
By: Makenna W. & Daniel S.
Who created the idea of the Christmas tree? The history of the Christmas tree was credited by Germany. It was first used in the 16th century by Germany but was adopted by Christianity. Some continents that celebrate with the Christmas tree are Europe, Germany, and the United States. The evergreen tree was first used to celebrate winter festivals for many years before it was put into homes.
During the 16th century, the evergreen tree was very scarce in Germany. People would build pyramids out of wood and decorated it with paper, apples, and candles. In 1846, Queen Victoria had her German Prince Albert decorate a fir tree with sweets, ornaments, candles, and an angel. They were the first royal couple in the Buckingham Palace to put up a Christmas tree.
Since 1931, New York has been lighting up a huge and tall Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. Rockefeller Center is two blocks from Times Square in New York. The tree was lit up on November 30th, 2016, but it will stay lit till January 7th, 2017. In 1999, the tallest Christmas tree was put up in Rockefeller Center with the height of 100 feet. There were performances from 7-9 p.m. in the square. To light the tree there are 18,000 Christmas lights that are powered by solar panels. NBC has been broadcasting the tree lighting since 1950.
Kylee B. and Gunner H. were questioned on what they put on top of their Christmas tree? Kylee answered, “A star,” as Gunner said the same. They both decorate the tree with lights, and ornaments with their families.
The Christmas tree has came a long way ever since the 16th century.
All For Christmas
By: Trevor S. & Cody S.
Jesus is a big part of Christmas. It is the day of his birth, that is why people celebrate Christmas.
Some people don't like Christmas, because they can't afford presents for other people, but if they can't afford presents, they can celebrate by spending time with their loved ones.
Christmas is a time where God can show his love for people. Some people like it, because they can spend time with their loved ones, they also like it because Jesus was born.
Zach H. was asked about what the real meaning of Christmas is and he replied, “Jesus birthday.”
Russell R. was asked the same question, “To spend time with family, and friends and to celebrate Jesus’s birthday.”
Many people think Christmas is a special time of the year and that's why people celebrate Christmas. It is also a fun time, because people get to open presents, and spend time with the family. People love this time of the year.
Christmas is a big part of this season.
Letters to the North Pole
By: Dillon P. & Michael L.
Many people have different things that they want for Christmas. Some people wrote letters to Santa about what they want for Christmas this year. Reporters asked four Junior High students to write letters to Santa about what they want for this Christmas.
“Dear Santa, For Christmas I would like a PS4 and some other things. I have been good this year so I would appreciate it.” Toby T. said in response.
Zenna B. wrote, “Dear Santa, My name is Zenna, and I go to Monroeville Junior High School and for this Christmas I want a guinea pig with a cage, food dishes, etc. This Christmas I want to spend it with my family. I also hope it’s a white Christmas because the white Christmases are lucky for me.”
Melana A. answered, “Dear Santa, I know you have been watching, but I have been very good. I can't wait to make you cookies and milk. I won’t tell Mrs. Claus! This year my list is really good. Let’s see, I want a charm bracelet, and maybe some coal! Just kidding! I also would like some Lebron James basketball shoes, and lastly, I would like room decorations. Have a merry Christmas, Santa!”
Kylee B. returned with, “Dear Mr. Santa Claus, I have been very good this year. I have listened to all of my teachers and parents. I want a new phone, a bed, a volleyball, and a bag full of candy. If you can, will you please give me everything I want. I am leaving you Christmas cookies and milk for you, so you can have a snack. There will also be carrots for each reindeer. If you can, I know you are busy, but please write back. Thank You!”
The letters that were written to Santa do have a variety of things that they want.
You Need to Start Stopping When you’re Shopping
By: Reece K. & Tori B.
Many people spend money for Christmas. Around Christmas time many people buy presents, decorations, and food for parties.
Many people spend too much on Christmas because it was a good deal or it was on sale. Many go shopping around Christmas because of giving people gifts. Some other things that they could do with there family is, go look at Christmas lights, go to a movie, go ice skating. Not all of those are free, but they are a lot cheaper than going shopping, because of being bored! Also, many people wait till last minute to go shopping which causes people to spend more than planned.
Black Friday is important to some people because most people buy all of their presents for Christmas to give to family members on Black Friday. Between 2011 and 2014, 2012 was when the most money was spent on Christmas. The total spent in the year of 2012 was 59.1 billion dollars. There was a lot of money spent in 2011 approximately 126 million dollars just on presents for each person. In 2011 spent about 398 dollars. This year an average family will spend approximately $830 on Christmas.
The holiday shopping season is crucial for the economy because around 30 percent of annual retail sales occur between Black Friday and Christmas. Between Black Friday and Christmas over 99.8 million people would shop just for presents and toys for kids and family.
Why do people spend so much on Christmas, shouldn’t it be about friends, family, and having a good time together rather than spending money on the latest gadgets?