... be the same place; a big lot with a bunch of green trees never really looked any different. It only took me ten seconds to decide what tree I wanted to get, but my parents were looking for the right height, the right fullness, and everything else that I was not interested in. For ... in my dad's hometown of Washington, Pennsylvania. Since I were born, until around the age of thirteen, we would travel every other year to the cold, white state of Pennsylvania to visit my dad's parents, and spend Christmas with them. Those I would have to say were my favorite of all Christmases ... see all...

• Word Count: 1385
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... unhit for over a minute was lucky, due to the chaos of bullets, bombs, and shrapnel. There was a spot half way down the slope that was marked by a tree. This place was called "The Danger Tree." This spot where a lot of the German's shrapnel hit. Its skeletal frame still stands, and marks the spot where many men lost their lives on that grim ... impossible for tanks to cross. The last phase of the battle took place on November the 13th. The British soldiers ended it by capturing the Beaument Hamel. On this day, cold rain poured down and froze making the field a frozen sea of mud. Even th...

• Word Count: 1223
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... to every house. Everything was so dull, so lifeless; no souls ventured beyond the warm security of their homes; no creature stirred in the cold, vacant streets. Then quietly, almost unnoticeably, snowflakes, large and fluffy like, began falling, transforming the bleak and dreary landscape and the mood. ... Like a delicate smooth fabric, it draped the ugly angular limbs of the trees, converting them into a rather pretty sight. Only the stately pine tree had resisted the change in seasons. Standing tall and erect, its sturdy branches bristled with bundles of stiff needles, each covered in ...

• Word Count: 514
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The Trip The night was December 6, 1994, it was cold, dark, and their wasn't a single cloud in the sky. The temperature was -4 degrees Celsius, and the winds were blowing at seven miles per hour. It was a night ... will never forget. As I stood in the open doorway that night, with the reflection of the moonlight shining in my eyes and the wind blowing making me so cold that it caused me to shiver. Goosebumps ran down my spine. I slowly raised my shivering hands to shoulder level. I leaned slightly forward, placing my hands against the ice ... cold steel frame of the doorway. I felt breathles...

• Word Count: 456
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... carols consistently ring through your years along with overplayed songs blaring over radios. Soon enough it is December 25th and you run excitedly down the stairs, nearly crashing into the tree; ripping and crumpling the wrapping paper apart to discover your new belongings. As you wait for the delicious Christmas dinner to be complete you play with your new toys. While ... mesmerizing gleam. Mistletoe delicately hangs from door frames and entryways anticipating its next set of victims who will be forced to plant a kiss. The fresh smell of your new evergreen tree that you just chopped do...

• Word Count: 666
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... they might have. The next step in having the perfect Christmas would be to pick the tree. In picking the tree one should be sure to decide whether to have a big bushy tree, a tall skinny tree, or a little," mini tree", that can purchased at most outlet stores. To be sure the bushy tree is right for a specific house there should be enough space to accommodate the ... be perfect for a home with tall ceilings and lots of open room, like in an oversized living room, or den. The,"mini tree", would be perfect for a small studio apartment, or if the party is in an office. Anyhow for all of the...

• Word Count: 1026
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... top where I saw a rather ugly fairy, I was disappoint they didn't have a big yellow golden star but that only made me more determined to make my tree even better. I helped my dad pick out a tree, "this one, this one", I shouted. He thought it was a bit big but I begged him for it. We already had some decorations at home so ... pick it up my dad stopped me and told me we would have to come back to it. I felt a bit sad, but I remembered that I had to decorate the tree when I got home so I wouldn't have time to play with the car anyway. When we got home I helped my sister wrap the presents....

• Word Count: 872
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... to please him. The symbol is not universal because Christmas trees usually symbolize the birth of Christ. Rather, the tree is a contextual symbol that relates to the Helmers" relationship. The symbolism of the Christmas tree is carefully developed by Ibsen through parallelism. In the play, Nora does not allow Torvald to see her in her ... gown before she dances the tarantella, just as the children are not allowed to see the tree before it is properly decorated. The symbol is once again reapplied towards the end of the play when it dies; the stage directions indicate that the ... tree is...

• Word Count: 257
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... more than I understand men. I believe that was my destiny, and no one can beat it. During my childhood I remember that during Christmas, the only toys that I always found under the tree were war trucks, planes, toy soldiers, plastic guns that seemed real. Sure, it was very obvious that my father wanted me to be a soldier, as he had been years ago ... jobs, I decided it was time to reconcile with my father. I called him and said, "Papa, I'm going to do something that will make you feel very proud of me." It was a cold winter morning in 1998; I enlisted in the US Navy where I would spend ...

• Word Count: 1452
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... this holiday even existed. Since his change of heart that warmed his personality he has celebrated Christmas and enjoyed all the special things at that time of the year, the tree, lights, and presents. He has even accepted offers to have a Christmas dinner at the home of his nephew. Although it seems strange people can change in dramatic ways. An example ... of this is Ebenezer Scrooge. He went from being a cold-hearted, careless, idle hag to a wonderful, loving man. This proves that even Ebenezer Scrooge can change in many ways that are unexpected....

• Word Count: 423
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... over one hundred years. It was brought over from my mother's great grandmother, who is from Germany. The tradition says that who ever finds the pickle in the tree first would get to pick which present they wanted. Every year, as my family would try to find the pickle I would always see my mom start to cry. ... I never realized on how much this tradition meant to her and to our family. I always thought of it as just finding a pickle hidden in a tree, but then I saw how many people have been around the pickle and, all the tradition behind it. To my family the pickle is something very spec...

• Word Count: 410
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• Grade Level: High School

... contagious, that I found myself in his image. Around Christmas, our club went Christmas caroling at a nursing home for elderly women. After singing, I overheard one elder woman mention that their Christmas tree was stolen from their storage. I was so moved that I gathered a committee the next week at school to collect donations. In three days we collected enough money to purchase the ... tree. When I went to the Christmas tree emporium, the tree dealer was so touched by our doings that he donated two Christmas trees to our club. So I used the remaining of the money to buy decorations an...

• Word Count: 677
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... upstairs, you could overlook the foyer, or the living room. Her ceilings were enormous so in her living room stood at least a 12 foot Christmas tree, decorated with the most beautiful lights and ornaments. Underneath the tree lay countless amounts of presents for everyone in the house that night. For dinner, there was so much food you could feed an army. Still ... one Santa, we had two. My Uncle Tony and Uncle Jack would dress up in Santa suits and sit in a giant chair. They would pick up gifts from underneath the tree and call out names. The kids were not the only ones who got gifts, b...

• Word Count: 829
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... atrociously tacky garb complete with decorative bows and ribbons and placed them under our precisely decorated and perfectly matching silver, gold and purple (pomegranate as my mother called it) Christmas Tree. The first person to experience my violation was my mother. To begin with, she is very straight and narrow and the epitome of a conventionalist. She already thinks I"m a little too eccentric ... hostile toward much of my family. They all just seemed to be so caught up in what was proper for the holidays according to society and what matched the Christmas tree that they couldn't se...

• Word Count: 1182
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Imagine walking through an average family's Christmas celebration one might see, opening of presents around the Christmas tree, family dinner, engaging in friendly conversation. Some of the things you might smell fresh pine from the pine tree, the smell of peppermint from the candy canes dangling from the tree. In my family we tend to do everything a little different. While other families are having ... ...

• Word Count: 737
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... , after returning from dinner at my relatives I looked around our living room. I nearly burst out laughing. Usually our ten foot tree was freshly cut down by my father's axe, but this year was different. Standing at only six feet tall our tree made our "borrowed" ornaments look awkward hanging on the weak limbs. Decorations which were newly bought had been sporadically spread ... deep down inside I was happy that my parents continued such a heartfelt ritual. Laughter was also heard throughout the rental as we casually joked about the condition of our "Charlie Brown" tree and commented on...

• Word Count: 847
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• Grade Level: High School

... 90's and the present is not as fun as it us to be. Now it's just my mother and I making tamales. I am the one that decorates the house and our tree. My extended cousins have grown up and have family's of their own. Now that they have their own families it's hard for all of us to get together, because they ... have not changed. For instance the food we eat has remained the same. Tamales are a must in my culture. I still have family, but it's immediate one now. I still have a Christmas tree and decorations. My religion and beliefs haven't changed either. But only minor things have remaine...

• Word Count: 700
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... her to eat because they will rot her teeth. The play takes place at Christmas time and the Christmas tree is symbolic of Nora and her role in the household. In the beginning the tree is beautiful and so is Nora, and as the tree becomes ragged and stripped of its ornaments so does Nora's marriage to Torvald. In the early years of ... ...

• Word Count: 495
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... Christmas is my favorite holiday. When I was little around the time of Christmas, usually in early December, my dad and I would start to put up the Christmas tree. As we put up the Christmas tree, we would also listen to some music. Back then, I had this CD by Kidz PoP, a famous company producing music for young kids. The CD had a lot of ... ...

• Word Count: 1156
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... what they have initially dialed. They can test this out by hitting the breaks and lifting the throttle. Modern drag races are started electronically by a lighting system known as a Christmas tree. This lighting system is commonly thought to be the driver's worst enemy, other than his or herself, because the starting line is the place where the most mistakes are made ... . The driver must focus on these lights because they could be the a deciding factor whether a foul or break out will occur. The top of the tree holds 2 sets of double yellow bulbs for each lane. This is referred to as the...

• Word Count: 1281
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... ones, dancing colors of green, red, yellow and blue from an expensive lantern rule the night. Human-sized Santa Clauses projected the best smiles as they sit under a humongous Christmas tree bejeweled with gaudy Christmas balls. On the barrio setting, branches of real trees will have been placed in the living room by the people dangled with candies making it the ... sweetest Christmas tree ever and they will have hanged the hand-made paper decors before December. Happy tunes of Christmas songs have been playing on local radio stations. The streets have been being ... ...

• Word Count: 1413
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... , we see a baby in the manger in the window of a local courthouse? It's a big deal to many people. In our hometown, there was much debate over calling the Christmas tree a "Holiday" tree" this past season. Some people thought it was ridiculous, but I felt like it was a way to be accepting of everyone's beliefs and culture. Not everyone believes that Christmas is the ... ...

• Word Count: 1121
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Less is more. A Christmas tree decorated with a few memorable handmade ornaments is more interesting than those decorated with numerous store-bought baubles. When one gazes on these ornaments it brings about questions of their origin, ... is, if they have ever met, and if he ever tells her how he feels are the questions that are brought to the readers mind. Antiques or handmade ornaments on a tree cause you to ask questions of where they have been and who has created them. The questions brought up by these mysterious objects make them more interesting by their owner ... ...

• Word Count: 706
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• Grade Level: High School

... there in my old bedroom brought back many memories from my childhood. I will never forget that old bed that was handed down through the family, and all the cold nights I slept in it. I can almost see myself shining dad's Sunday shoes or sharpening his knife there on the bedroom floor that dad and I replaced. I ... deep impressions. The bed was full size, and it sat up against the west wall under windows since the room was so small. I slept many a cold night under homemade quilts made from scraps of multicolored cloth saved by grandma. Grandma made all of us grandchildren a quilt from di...

• Word Count: 1589
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• Grade Level: High School

... busy playing in the snow as they anxiously await Christmas Day to reveal what is in those beautifully wrapped packages under the tree. Families rush here and there, buying presents for one another and picking out the perfect Christmas tree together. Shopping centers are jam-packed with people because of all the great deals and sales they have to offer. Whoa! Take ... ...

• Word Count: 277
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School