Tree climbing

There are a lot of mundane tasks or activities that we participate in on a regular basis that use hidden rules that we do not even acknowledge. Theodore Caplow wrote an article that examined the cultural norms surrounding Christmas and the conformity surrounding them, this helped inspire me to investigate the concealed principles that are present during the most simple of tasks. I went to the Drayer Physical Therapy Institute in Hummelstown and observed the behaviour taking place in the waiting…

Last year I went to go see the Singing Christmas Trees at First Baptist Church of Orlando. Seeing this production is one of my favorite things to do around Christmas, because it is the perfect mixture of singing, dancing, and acting to get me into the holiday spirit. The show had a strong opening number as the orchestra and chorus started playing and singing ‘Joy to the World’ at strongly at forte with many harmonies. Throughout the rest of the show the orchestra played countless other…

father. It's about our not losing sight of what is important in life. Not letting the busy work of life blind us to what's important. Sound familiar? A lot of us come into the Advent season unwillingly because all we can see is the busy work. The Tree, gifts, shopping coking baking. Oh yeah, and if we can we'll sprinkle a little Jesus in…

Each tree is dressed generously in silver and gold like the Burl Ives song from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer commands because I solemnly and sincerely agree and trust an animated snowman with the voice of an angel. They also each have ornaments chosen carefully and lovingly each year of my life- representing to me not material things- but hours of time spent with my family. All of this comes to an end at home, next to our personal tree, as we each anticipate dad's reading…

Since childhood, I waited all year for December to arrive, because I was free from school, and family would come over to my house. My aunts and mom would cook together and prepared the grandest dinner of the year. One bite of that Christmas meal filled me with joy. December 24th of 2010 was the last Christmas Eve dinner that I celebrated with my entire family in the Dominican Republic before I moved permanently to the United States. I remember it like it was today. The sweet and sour aroma from…

to always-present, all trees need a seasonal inspection to ensure the safety of your trees and guests. “Without routine inspections, your cemetery visitors and guests are in danger. Large tree limbs or even the entire tree can fail and fall,” shared Brian Borkowicz, a regional sales director at The Davey Tree Expert Company. “The other risk of neglected trees…

The Christmas Tree After all the feasting on turkey, dressing, giblet gravy, macaroni and cheese, potatoes, and so many desserts we get fat just from looking at them, we came home and put up a Christmas Tree. This is a pretty common occurrence around the country, but for me it is the first Christmas tree that has been in my house in forty-three years and the very first for my children. One of my favorite photos in my mother’s collection shows a tiny me sitting in a red rocking chair under the…

it is during Christmas and New Years which symbolizes rebirth, which many characters go through in the play, like Nora when she leaves Torvald. The Christmas Tree symbolizes Nora because in Torvalds’s eyes she a decoration and useless. In the beginning the tree is fresh and festive but the stage directions tell us that towards the end the tree begins to die. A Streetcar Named Desire has symbols as well; they are not as clear as A Doll’s House but they have just as much meaning. The first is The…

After Santa asked what they each wanted for Christmas, he took two wrapped presents from under the tree. Both of their faces lite up and they kept repeating thank you. They urgently ran back to our table and ripped the paper off of the gifts. David got a Star Wars action figure and Gmeralda got a purse making craft kit. As they were in awe looking…

Peacefulness sauntered throughout the house. I woke up thinking I would race down the stairs to discover my brightly lit, ten-foot cedar tree, with an array of presents and stockings; nonetheless, I took the short walk from my makeshift bed to the living room to find that tiny, tattered Christmas tree. Snow fell serenely, providing a charming backdrop for that little tree with the K-Mart gifts nuzzled up around it. I looked around at my blissful family; my grandfathers face, although weary from…