newspaper 1.10
TRANSCRIPT
Sand Script January, 2010 John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School Volume LXXIV
Snowflakes, chestnuts, and Mickey
Mouse. There's only one thing that
all of these have in common: Christ-
mas at Hallahan! Hallahan cele-
brated the season early this year with
the ―Jingle Jam‖. The dance was
held on December 4, 2009.
Students and their dates danced to
the music in a gym that was covered
from top to bottom with snowflakes.
Popular songs were heard through-
out the gym such as "The Cupid
Shuffle" by Cupid, "I Gotta Feeling"
by Black Eyed Peas, "Fire Burnin‘'"
by Sean Kingston, and more.
The memorable night ended with
tears during the senior song,
"Remember Me This Way" by
Jordan Hill. When asked what
she thought of the dance, Terri
Larizzo said, "It was a great time
to get into the spirit of the holi-
days". "It was fun getting all
dressed up with my friends", said
Sara Sheedy.
The Jingle Jam was a memorable
dance in which everyone had fun
celebrating the Christmas season
together.
On Thursday,
November 19,
2009 8th grade
students from
around the
Archdio-
cese were ex-
cused from
school for the
day in order to
visit Hallahan.
While here, the
8th graders met
their future
classmates and
toured the
school on a fake
roster. They also walked
around the gym during an
activities fair and later participated in a
pep rally. For many, this was their first
experience at Hallahan, and for most oth-
ers 8th Grade
Day was the
deciding point that they wanted to start
high school in September at Hallahan.
Their day started as they shyly socialized
in the school cafeteria with the other 8th
graders. Then they were lead upstairs into
their homerooms to play games and re-
ceive their roster for the day. Throughout
the day the 8th graders and their Ambas-
sador leaders went around the school,
visiting classrooms and participating in
mock classes and department presenta-
tions. The majority of 8th graders said
their favorite class was the Science
presentation, which involved Hallahan
science teachers and Hallahan student
assistants executing interesting and
elaborate science experiments.
After lunch the 8th grade students
came into the gym for the activities
fair. After a few more classes they
were escorted back to homeroom and
then into the gym for a pep rally
which featured routines by the Halla-
han cheerleaders and dance team.
There was also a Hallahan trivia
game, gift prizes, and a special routine by
Mrs. Gigante.
At dismissal the 8th graders said good-
bye to the new friends they made and ex-
ited the building. Most seemed to be ex-
citedly waiting to come back as a student
in September.
The Hallahan Ambassadors,
led by the Director of the Office of
Institutional Advancement, Mrs.
Dumin-Brosious, have been working
hard all year to help spread the word
about Hallahan. The Ambassadors
have found success in the past couple
of years, nearly doubling enrollment
for the Sophomore and Freshmen
classes by telling visitors about Halla-
han and giving tours around the school.
This year the Ambassadors have been
working harder than ever to help 8th
graders choose Hallahan as their high
school.
So far they have planned and par-
ticipated in activities to promote Halla-
han such as Freshmen Orientation, 8th
Grade Day, Open House for Middle
School students, Open House for stu-
dents from Cardinal Dougherty, Cook-
ies and Carols, and even a scholarship
test. As the school year goes on the
Ambassadors will participate in a 7th
Grade Day as well as many other
events.
Everyone in this select group of
students have given up valuable time
after
school,
on
week-
ends,
and even
on days
off to
help to
keep
Halla-
han
thriving
with
students.
It's not
the volunteer
hours or the amount of time they spend
with friends that keeps the Hallahan
Ambassadors returning to promote
their school; it‘s the feeling that you
are needed and necessary to keep your
school open for future generations of
young girls.
Being an Ambassador is truly some-
thing
special
that you
should
not pass
up. If you
are inter-
ested in
becom-
ing an
Ambas-
sador
stop in
the Of-
fice of
Institu-
tional
Advancement and sign up for an up-
coming event with Mrs. Dumin-
Brosious. You won't regret it!
Students pose for a picture at the Jingle Jam
Universal Visitation Day ■ Students enjoy beloved tradition ———————–——————————— By: Angela Robb ‗10
Student Ambassadors ■ Become one today!
———————–——————————–—————————–————————————— By: Angela Robb ‗10
Jingle Jam ■ Celebrating the season ———————–——————————— By: Tiffany Cautilli ‗12
Inside This issue: Page 2: Cardinal’s Christmas Party, Mummers Parade, and more Page 3: Book and movie reviews
8th graders watch the Science Department presentation
Dominique Brennan and Jonell Bright work the Sandscript table
It was that time of the year
when every Hallahan home-
room competed and decorated
their homeroom doors. This
year‘s theme was ―Christmas
around the world.‖ Every
homeroom did a great job
decorating their door at with
Christmas spirit.
A special congratulation
goes to Mrs. Sheetz‘s home-
room (C-3) for winning first
place. Coming in second place
was Mr. Gambone‘s home-
room followed by Mrs. Lafty‘s
homeroom in third place.
Student Council generously
took the time to provide deli-
cious baked goods for the win-
ners as prizes.
Door-decorating Contest ■ Christmas around the world ———————–———————————–— By: Shelley Leung ‗12
What a joy it was for the
juniors and seniors on No-
vember 20, 2009. Twelve
students from the Class of
2011 and one from the Class
of 2010 were proudly in-
ducted into the prestigious
organization, the National
Honor Society.
The students honored
were Safiatou Dagnoko,
Sara DeSimone, Isabella
Fidanza, Madeline Lueb-
bert, Sarah Meyers, Ashley
Mosser, Katrina Murray,
Jessica Panieczko, Gina
Salvadore, Christine Sellers,
Kristen Thomas, Toni
Wagenhoffer, and Kimberly
Sahms. They have all shown
excellence in academics,
service, leadership, and
character.
The rest of the classes of
2011 and 2010 were given
the opportunity to support
and show their gratitude
towards their fellow class-
mates. Parents were also
invited to attend the prestig-
ious induction. The National
Honor Society encourages
people to improve them-
selves even more by being
studious and reaching out to
change the world.
NHS Induction ■ Honoring our Scholars
———————–——————————— By: Lena Ma ‗10
Student ambassadors assist the 8th grade visitors
The Community
Who says Santa Claus
does not exist? On Decem-
ber 17, 2009, children from
all around came to cele-
brate the joy of Christmas
at the Sheraton Hotel. Stu-
dents from surrounding
high schools were also
invited to participate in this
event by graciously volun-
teering to entertain the
guests or play the role of
Santa‘s elves. Upon arri-
val, the children sat pa-
tiently in the lobby to
await the arrival of the
cardinal before beginning
the celebration. Each group
brought bags of presents
that would soon be deliv-
ered to the children. The
students from
Hallahan and
Roman were
each assigned
a table to
which they
would deliver
presents.. The
faces of the
children were
filled with joy
when they saw
these presents
that they could
not sit still. They
were so happy that this
was a Christmas that
they would never forget.
The Mummers Parade is a tradition that
can only be found in Philadelphia. This
year marked the 110th anniversary of the
parade. People that are not from Philadel-
phia may wonder who the Mummers are.
They are groups, clubs and associations of
men and women who march or ―strut‖ up
Broad St to welcome in the New Year.
There are four divisions of Mummers: the
Comics, Fancy Division, String Bands, and
Fancy Brigades. Each division competes
for first place and the bragging rights that
come with it. From the choreographed
dances to the costumes made with sequins
and feathers each club works very hard and
spends a lot of time getting ready for the
big day.
Many of the men and women in the pa-
rade have been Mummers for most of their
lives. Bob Runowski, first year captain of
Golden Crown Fancy Brigade has been a
Mummer since 1986. His favorite part of
being a mummer is the preparation during
the month of December and the excitement
of being on 2nd street New Year's morning.
Runowski said, ―It‘s more than just a pa-
rade, it‘s about commitment and camarade-
rie.‖ Christi Anderson, Hallahan Class of
1999 is also a member of Golden Crown.
This year was Christi‘s 18th Mummers Pa-
rade. Christy likes everything
about being a Mummer from
the tradition, the creativity, the
friendships and the feeling you
get when you perform in front
of the judges. This year Golden
Crown placed fifth in the fancy
brigades.
The 2010 winning clubs in-
clude first place comics
Murray, fancy division Hog
Island and the popular South
Philadelphia Vikings in the
fancy brigades. Fralinger took
top string band honors for the
eighth straight year with
their hillbilly theme Feudin‘,
Fussin‘ and a Fightin‘. This
year‘s spectacular show of
music, make up and mum-
mery is now over. But 2011
is less than a year away so it
won‘t be long for the clubs
to start preparing for the
next parade
.
The Mummers Parade ■ The beloved Philadelphia tradition continues ———————–————————————————————————————————————————————————————
By: Morgan Calvert ‗11
Courtesy of Morgan Calvert
Texting While Driving ■ ―Ain‘t no room for the reckless‖ ———————–———————–—————— By: Katrina Murray ‗11
Cardinal’s Christmas Party ■ Delivering joy to deserving children ———————–————————–——————————————- By: Lena Ma ‗10
www.teach-ict.com Cardinal Rigali talks to children at the party Source: thebulletin.us
The art of multitask-
ing is once again
denounced by ―the
man‖, but this time
with good cause.
Texting while driv-
ing isn‘t multitask-
ing at all, it‘s just
reckless. If you beg
to differ, you might
find yourself sitting
on the side of the
road with a cell
phone in one hand
and a hefty fine in
the other. The bill to
ban texting while
driving in Pennsylvania won a unanimous
vote in November. Philadelphia
Police are now issuing $75
fines to ―distracted‖ drivers
who put themselves and others
at risk on the road. Talking on
the phone, texting, or any other
dangerous ideas you may de-
cide to try are all forbidden.
"We hope that the citizens
would abide by the law‖, says
Mayor Michael Nutter in re-
sponse to the new law. Rachel
Smith, class of 2011, says, ―It‘s
a good law…but will it be ef-
fective?‖ Good question, Ra-
chel…and we shall see.
One of the most amazing events of the
year took place on November 22, 2009 at
the Sheraton Hotel: the Pro-life Dinner.
This dinner brought together people
throughout the community, not just to feast
on the delectable cheesecake and sautéed
chicken
parme-
san, but
to engage
in mean-
ingful
conversa-
tions
with
other
oppo-
nents of
abortion.
Through-
out the
evening,
many
speakers
shared
their opinions of on abor-
tion. Each one had amazing ideas to share
and people not only listened, but they re-
joiced in them as well.
The guest speaker was Lila Rose, a 21-
year old student from UCLA who organized
a group called Live Action, a student group
that spreads the undignified message of
abortion by showing live action films of
what pregnant mothers do on a daily basis.
Lila Rose‘s message was so strong and
compelling that the audience applauded
with
every
sen-
tence
that
came
out of
her
mouth.
She
also
played
a video
made
by
Live
Action
of how
even
doctors convince women
to have abortions by giving them advice on
places to go and what to do. Every person
present there that night all believe in the
same idea: babies are meant to be treated as
gifts, not useless objects.
Pro-Life Dinner ■ Support the unborn ———————–————————–——————————————- By: Lena Ma ‗10
Source: thebulletin.us
Chess Tournament ■ Checkmate and You‘re Out! ———————–————————–——————————————- By: Lena Ma ‗10
On November 21, 2009, the members of
John W. Hallahan‘s Chess Club strolled
over to the University of the Arts, in the
freezing cold, for their chess competition
against many others schools from the sur-
rounding Philadelphia area. Arriving at
about 8:30am, registrations were just
taking place.
All of the contestants were focused on
their practice games before the bell rang
at 10:00pm to initiate the first round.
Each round was scheduled to last an
hour to allow each pair sufficient amount
of time to strategize their moves. Some
games lasted as short as five minutes
while others lasted as long as one hour
and fifteen minutes.
The members of Hallahan had competi-
tors from all around that had had personal
trainers and master teachers. Although the
Hallahan girls did not win all of the rounds,
they gave it their all and considering that it
was their first actual tournament, they had
the courage to show everyone their skills
and that they were fearless. Congratulations
Chess Club!!
—————————————— Polled by Tiffany Cautilli ‗12
What is your favorite Holiday? Valentine's Day -Laura Fabey, ‘13 Christmas -Karli Kronmiller, ‘12 Easter -Leanna Ashcom, ‘11 Halloween -Kimberly Sahms, ‘10
Arts and Entertainment
If you‘re into the traditional
vampire who sucks blood,
transforms into a bat, sleeps in
a coffin, and doesn‘t sparkle
and fall hopelessly in love, you
might not be all that interested
in the Twilight Saga. Twilight
is not of
the hor-
ror genre
like most
other
vampire
movies,
as there
is little
action
and
mostly
just ro-
mance.
There is the whole
cliché of falling in love with
someone who probably isn't
right for you or is the total op-
posite of you, so you think that
you complete each other. It's
like watching a soap opera with
cheesy lines such as ―What if
I'm not the Superhero? What if
I'm the bad guy?‖ Or ―I was
unconditionally and irrevocably
in love with him‖.
To some it's unrealistic and
cheesy but to others ridicu-
lously romantic. So if you're
into mov-
ies that
have the
same trite
ending as
all the
other
romantic
movies
do then
this is
the
movie for
you. If
you like to feel
surprised at the end and watch
something unpredictable then I
would suggest going to see a
movie other than this.
The Twilight Saga ■ Why it might not be for you ———————————————————–—————
By: Jonell Bright ‗11
TV Book and Movie Reviews Wicked ■An unforgettable theatrical experience
—————————————–——————————————————————--——— By: Angela Robb ‗10
———————————————————————-
Broadwayworld.com
editorsguild.com
The Lovely Bones ■Bestseller arrives to theaters
———————————————————–— By: Jonell Bright ‗11
animenewsnetwork.com
Sherlock Holmes ■Well worth the ticket price
blogs.oracle.com
One of the
most popular
Broadway musi-
cals of the dec-
ade, Wicked,
entertained sold-
out crowds at the
Academy of Mu-
sic from January
6, 2010 - January
24, 2010 on one
of the stops on its
second national
tour.
The show fol-
lows the story of
the Wicked
Witch of the
West, Elphaba,
and her friend-
ship with Glinda
the Good Witch
of the North.
Throughout the
show their
friendship struggles to sur-
vive their different person-
alities, rivalry over the
same love interest, and El-
phaba's reputation in Oz.
The cast of this produc-
tion includes: Marcie Dodd
(Elphaba), Helene York
(Glinda), Marilyn
Caskey (Madame Mor-
rible), Don Amendolia
(The Wizard), David
De Vries (Dr Dilla-
mond), Colin Donnell
(Fiyero), Zach Hanna
(Boq), Kristine Reese
(Nessarose).
As soon as I lis-
tened to the music and
read the plot of this
show I fell in love.
When I finally saw
the musical live it just
made my appreciation
for this show even
stronger. Between the
strong and talented
cast, the touching mu-
sic, the beautiful light-
ing, the elaborate stag-
ing, the gorgeous cos-
tumes, and everything
else about the produc-
tion, this show remains one
of my favorite shows. The
story is something we can
all relate to put into the
setting of a story that we
have loved and grown up
with since childhood.
Wicked is truly an
amazing piece of art. I
know so many people who
have walked into see the
show, hating it, and coming
out a huge fan. Even if you
say you are not a fan of
musicals in the slightest
you will, guaranteed, come
out of the theatre feeling
something that you never
felt before. Of all of the
shows I have seen in my
lifetime Wicked would be at
the top of my list for rec-
ommendations. It is truly
something that should not
be missed.
Starring: Saoirse Ronan,
Mark Wahlberg, Rachel
Weisz, Stanley Tucci,
& Susan Sarandon This movie is based on the
2002 bestseller by Alice Se-
bold. As one of the books
listed for summer reading,
some of you may have read it
already. It is about a 14 year
old girl named Susie Salmon
(Ronan) who is murdered and
watches her family for years
from heaven. The book shows
how Susie's tragedy affects the
whole family, and how her
father Jack (Wahlberg) will
not rest until he knows the
truth about his daughter's dis-
appearance, though at times it
seems to break the family
apart. This book has love,
mystery and tragedy, charac-
teristics that make for a great
movie. Another great factor is
that by the look of the trailer
the visual effects are very eye
catching. Why the Oscar
buzz? Maybe because it's di-
rected by Peter Jackson, direc-
tor on Lord of the Rings, and
known for great visual effects;
it also stars past Academy
Award winners and nomi-
nees. This is a great book and
will hopefully make a great
film.
Director Guy Ritchie brings us an
adventurous and witty new film star-
ring Robert Downy Jr., Jude Law,
and Rachel McAdams,
called Sherlock Holmes. Downey and
Law portray the legendary Detective
Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson
in London, England, 1891. This
movie comes with a supernatural
twist involving a criminal named
Lord Blackwood. Blackwood and his
followers have plans to dominate the
world through dark art rituals and
drinking potions or, as we call it,
magic! However, as Holmes and
Watson send him away to his death,
Blackwood mysteriously rises from
the dead and continuously murders
people. Holmes, bored and amusingly
envious of Watson who is set to
marry the elegant and pretty Mary,
deliberately tries to put their engage-
ment into
ruins.
Mean-
while, Irene
Adler
(Rachel
McAdams)
a beautiful,
yet trouble-
making
woman
comes back
to town for
a favor from
Homes, her
old flame.
Adler drops in from time to time to
lend a hand to Watson and Holmes in
their investigations, while the two
keep getting themselves into
sticky situations. She is there to
make sure Holmes doesn‘t do
anything reckless, or is she?
Nonetheless, Holmes, Watson
and Adler will, undoubtedly,
give you the adrenaline rush in
this never-ending humorous and
thrilling movie, and it‘s no sur-
prise as the movie winds down,
that there will be a sequel. So,
what are YOU waiting for? If
you haven‘t seen Sherlock
Holmes, see it now as it is defi-
nitely worth the ticket price.
Twitter Mania/Phobia ■To tweet or not to tweet?
——————————————————–———————————————————–— By: Stephanie Crossley ‗12
Many, if not all of us, have heard
of the up-and-coming website called
Twitter. It was created solely to tell
your friends what you are doing and
is now used by many to do just that.
Along with the fans, however, are
those who extremely dislike Twitter.
Many people use Twitter because
of its popularity while many others
dislike it because of that very fact. I
enjoy Twitter because I can express
whatever is on my mind; not just
where I am and what I am doing, but
what I want to share with the world.
It is simply a way to send a message
to everyone and to make an impact.
Those of us who are afraid of pub-
lic speaking can decide exactly what
we want the message to be, without
the awkwardness. Twitter has many
great aspects, such as keeping track
of your favorite stars. But it is under-
standable if you don't like Twitter
and it is you choice. Some people,
while trying to be original, miss out
on opportunities. Some forget that
people make you who you are and
that you shouldn't shut popular
things out without reason. We are
taught to be original, not for the sake
of originality, but so that we will feel
free to be ourselves, and not fear the
different.
Twisted is a novel by Laurie
Halse Anderson, who is most
famous for writing the novel
Speak. ' Twisted is the story of
high school senior Tyler Miller.
He is unpopular, bullied, and
has a difficult home life and
few friends. As retaliation he
puts graffiti on the side wall of
his school but is caught, ar-
rested, and sentenced to a sum-
mer of community service.
When he returns to school his
peers treat him very differently.
Tyler ignores the thoughts of
his classmates until he gets at-
tention from his crush Bethany
Millbury, and her brother, the
school bully, Chip Millbury.
With so much happening Tyler
feels like he's ready to snap, but
will he really reach the break-
ing point when a scandal at
school erupts involving Beth-
any, the police, and his name all
over the case?
If you liked Speak then you
will love Twisted.
Twisted ■A thrilling page-turner
——————————————————–—— By: Angela Robb ‗10
Winter Highlights
Most Anticipated movies of 2010 ■
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE- ―I‘m going to under promise myself for 2010 so if it
goes well I‘ll be like, ‗Oh my God! Such a surprise!‘‖
KIM KARDASHIAN- ― just to spend a little bit more time with my family and
my friends and to really kick it up in the workout department and to try to eat bet-
ter. I cannot get it together with it. I eat way too many Oreos.‖
MILEY CYRUS - ― I need to stop talk-
ing about things I want to do, and just
get out there and do it. That‘s been
my biggest goal recently, especially
while I‘m on the road.‖
BRITNEY SPEARS - ― I
would like to stop worrying so much
because I worry all the time. And to
learn how to be happier, just in gen-
eral. And to stop biting my nails.‖
FERGIE -― It‘s always the same; to work out more and eat healthier. I‘m trying to
go organic, eat more raw.‘
RIHANNA – ― I want to stop shopping, being late, start waking up early, stuff
like that. I‘d like too see my mum and grandparents more. I want to learn the
drums and I want to work with Depeche Mode (band) so bad.‖fatigue, if you‘re
not too tired to try.
Celebrity New Years Resolutions ■ Vowing to better themselves in 2010 ———————–——————————–—————————–——--——— By: Sarah Mira ‗13
The Summoning ■ More highlights from the excitement
————————————————————————————
By: Angela Robb ‗10
The Sandscript Staff Editor-in-chief Lena Ma ‘10 Student Life Editor Angela Robb ‘10 Entertainment editor Hannah mira ‘13 Sports editor Sarah mira ‘13 Reporter tiffany cautilli ‘12 Photographer Dominique brennan ‘11 Staff morgan calvert ‘11 Johnell Bright ‘11 Katrina Murray ‘11 Stephanie Crossley ‘12 Alison Huang ‘12 Ariana Jones ‘12 shelley leung ‘12 Kathryn Murray ‘12 Yvonne Tsang ‘12 Moderator Ms. Rodolico
Johnny Depp in ―Alice in Wonderland‖
Phillygameday.com
By: Jonell Bright ‗11
1. Alice in Wonderland
2. Twilight Saga: Eclipse
3. Harry Potter & The Deathly
Hallows
4. Valentine's Day
5. Date Night
6. Toy Story 3
7. The Last Song
8. Dear John
9. Avatar: The Last Airbender
10. Sex and the City 2
11. The Chronicles of Narnia: The
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
12. Iron Man 2
13. Arrested Development
14. Nightmare on Elm Street
15. Saw 7
Are you looking for a good fantasy/
fiction novel to read in your spare
time? Are you trying to find a bal-
ance between Harry Potter and Twi-
light? If so, The Sandscript has the
novel for
you! It's
called The
Summoning
by Kelley
Armstrong.
The
novel fol-
lows the
life of teen-
ager Chloe
Saunders
and how
her per-
fectly nor-
mal life
turns up-
side down
when she
starts see-
ing ghosts.
What
makes this
an even
bigger
problem is
that the
ghosts can
see and communicate with her too.
After she sees a ghost at school for
the first time she is removed and sent
to Lyle House, a group home for
troubled teens. During her stay at
Lyle House Chloe starts to realize
that the other residents are not just
troubled, but also supernatural, and
that Lyle House holds a dark secret.
The Summoning
by is an amazing
book to read in your
spare time. It holds a
perfect balance of
magic, horror, and
mystery in every
chapter. Despite the
fictional themes, this
novel is easily relat-
able and keeps you
on the edge of your
seat through the en-
tire book. Even if you
are not a fan of one of
the series I previously
mentioned, trust me,
you will be a fan of
The Summoning.
In the season's first sold out game,
thousands watched as ―The Answer‖
walked onto the court as a Sixer. Without
hesitation, Iverson bent down and kissed
the court's logo. In another moment, he
was up again, this time in a huddle with
teammates. Fans cheered. The lights came
on, and the game against Denver began
(which ended in a lost, 93-83).
Iverson's career with the 76ers began in
the late 1990s. From then until December
2006, Iverson would help lead the Sixers
into multiple playoff games. Over that
span of time, he would receive the Rookie
of the Year Award in the 1996-1997 sea-
son, as well as MVP for the 2000-2001
season.
A downward spiral began early in the
2000s as Iverson purportedly fought with
new coaches. His failure to attend prac-
tices did not sit very well with the fran-
chise either; already, rumors about trading
Iverson were surfacing. By late Decem-
ber, the basketball player was traded to
the Denver Nuggets. Iverson would then
go on to play for a brief amount of time
for the Detroit Pistons before making an
emotional return to Philadelphia.
Even now, fans remain divided. By
some, Allen Iverson is nicknamed ―The
Answer‖. Others, however, regard him as
a T.O. But all feelings set aside, the 76ers
still rank fourth in the Atlantic Division,
at 12-25. Even with Iverson, can the Six-
ers manage a good season? Will the
twenty-seven year championship drought
ever end?
Allen Iverson Returns to Philadelphia ■ Is he ―the answer‖ to the 76ers‘ prayers?
———————–——————————–—————————–——–————————---——— By: Alison Huang ‗12
While reflecting on the
holiday that just passed, ask
yourself: ―What does Christ-
mas mean to you?‖ Is it the
presents? The break that fol-
lows? Or is it just a day
where you get all your
wishes? Well, the answer is
none of the above.
Christmas was the day Je-
sus was born. The reason we
receive
and give
each
other presents is because its
like a day of giving just like
how Jesus love us so much
he was willing to give up his
life for us. It‘s also a family
day where we care about
those around us and express
our love by exchanging gifts
and spending the day with
each other.
However, in today‘s soci-
ety many of us do not realize
this. We only think about
what we will get and beg our
parents to get materialistic
things for ourselves. Keep in
mind next Christmas that its
not a day where we get what
we want from others, but a
day of giving and not expect
anything in return just like
Jesus did for us.
The True Meaning of Christmas ■ Reflecting on the holiday‘s true meaning
By: Alison Huang ‗12