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Personal Narrative- Photo
Remember back to the times of your youth, when a family member or friend would grace you with a gift? Remember that butterfly feeling you would get in the pit of your stomach and work itself outward and make you tingle with anticipation? Remember waking up early on Christmas morning way ahead of your parents only to attempt to wait patiently until they arose? Remember the moans of despair when they finally did clamber out of their bed to tell you that breakfast must be eaten first before gifts are opened? And remember the giggles that escaped one's lips when they grin mischievously and say "just kidding?"
There was always one wrapped gift that stood apart from the rest. For weeks you gazed and pondered what on earth it could contain. At night as the sandman sang his sweet song in your ear you could swear that the gaily wrapped parcel was singing in unison, murmuring "open me first" over and over again.
On my mantel sits a photo that captures this feeling. The likeness was not taken at Christmastime, but on an ordinary day which makes that day even more special to those involved. This photo rests within a white ceramic frame illuminated with two tiny, pink flowers with delicate green runners emanating outward on opposing sides of the frame. Another flower rests within, a flower in bloom. Daffodil eyes squinting in merriment, rosebud lips stretched to their outermost reaches, grasping for the sun, and cherry blossom cheeks glistening as with the morning dew: This is my daughter Daisy. She sits atop the very first bike she has ever had. (A gift from Easter Seals, made especially for her.) She knows she is special and her heart is full of gladness.
She beams at those surrounding her running circles about them with her laughter following in her wake. What a magnificent steed she has! She learns quickly how to control this beast and have it obey her slightest wishes. Right now, at this exact moment in time, all is right with the world.
After tracing the evolution of the provincial-local financial relationship in Canada it has become apparent that the trend, throughout history, has been towards greater Provincial control and in turn less fiscal autonomy for the municipality. There has been an increase (due to demand as well as downloading from the provinces) in the functions and responsibilities of the municipality, as well as the cost of these functions, and a decrease in fiscal resources and revenue sources.
Dickens' Use of Language and Structure to Build Up a Picture of the Joy of Christmas Present
The tile of the poem “Bird” is simple and leads the reader smoothly into the body of the poem, which is contained in a single stanza of twenty lines. Laux immediately begins to describe a red-breasted bird trying to break into her home. She writes, “She tests a low branch, violet blossoms/swaying beside her” and it is interesting to note that Laux refers to the bird as being female (Laux 212). This is the first clue that the bird is a symbol for someone, or a group of people (women). The use of a bird in poetry often signifies freedom, and Laux’s use of the female bird implies female freedom and independence. She follows with an interesting image of the bird’s “beak and breast/held back, claws raking at the pan” and this conjures a mental picture of a bird who is flying not head first into a window, but almost holding herself back even as she flies forward (Laux 212). This makes the bird seem stubborn, and follows with the theme of the independent female.
When I was a kid, Christmastime was always very special too me and it still is today, I had to discern whether or not to open the presents when everyone else was still sleeping or to be patient
Christmas is almost here again, but have you ever thought how odd some of the holiday traditions are and how they became so popular? Buying a pine tree, setting it up in your house and then decorating it with festive lights and ornaments; hanging up stockings filled with candy over the fireplace; or how an old guy in a red-suit comes to your house the night before Christmas and leaves presents. This, too many Americans is normal, but why? Learning about these holiday traditions will get you into the Christmas spirit and show you what Christmas is truly about.
Growing up as an only child I made out pretty well. You almost can’t help but be spoiled by your parents in some way. And I must admit that I enjoyed it; my own room, T.V., computer, stereo, all the material possessions that I had. But there was one event in my life that would change the way that I looked at these things and realized that you can’t take these things for granted and that’s not what life is about.
Ah, to be a kid again. How wonderful it would be to relive the magic of Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I have always been a kid at heart and a true lover of Christmas. But as we get older and we realize that Santa Claus and the North Pole were just stories our parents told us so we’d behave, Christmas starts to lose that magical feeling. No matter how much we might still love it, Christmastime just isn’t the same as when we were young. And at a time of all the aggravating shopping hustle and bustle, dents in the pockets, headaches, traffic jams and long lines, I begin to realize that God has sent me the most magical Christmas gift of all, a beautiful three year old whom I can relive Christmas in all over. Through my child’s eyes, I see myself each time his face lights up at the sight of Santa, and I feel his anticipation each morning as he faithfully opens up one more window on the Christmas calendar. Tonight, as we decorate the tree, I admiringly watched his tiny fingers delicately place each of the ornaments on all the same branches until they drooped to the floor. So proud of his work, I secretly placed some elsewhere, as to not hurt his feelings, and wondered how many times my own mother had done the same thing. And after a long day of shopping and excitement, I watched his eyelids begin to droop while lying underneath the warm glow of the Christmas tree lights.
The well known holiday of Christmas today is far from what it was in it’s former being. Many aspects led to the change in Christmas, however Charles Dickens, a Victorian era author was arguably the most influential in the change. There was a time when christmas was not much more important than your average holiday. Without the work of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Regency Christmas would not have changed to be the way it is today. As we examine the Regency Christmas, the Christmas events in A Christmas Carol, new Christmas ideas, and today’s new christmas we will form the true Christmas.
People expect to receive good gifts on Christmas and when the gift doesn’t meet their expectations then that ruins the relationship between the individuals. They feel that they are loved less. As a result, this has a detrimental effect on the gift giver and the gift
Christmas is a happy time of the year were many people tell tale about the birth of Jesus, and to visit their families or friends in a warm house to see the white pale snow trilling down like the silver rain does throughout spring. On every christmas eve i sit down and ponder on the couch looking at the radiants lights danced off and on thinking about what am i getting on christmas, after enjoying some of the slice I carefully drink the sugary brown and white swirls spinning in unison. Also on christmas eve we often see the movie Polar Express, I look at the upbeat kids trying to understand the movie. At 4 in the morning my older brother always wake me up and tells me you wake up the burned out kids from their beds, after waking up the
“The office: Not so secret Santa” is a modern day situation exemplifying Marcel Mauss’ theories on the rituals of gift giving in his book “ The Gift”. Marcel Mauss’ refers to the ritual as potlatch that binds the recipient and the giver in a continuous bond of commitment, which both, the recipient and the donor cannot escape. Through the analysis of the clip and the book ‘The Gift’ I have established that a gift plays four important roles, of a present; of poison; as a special ability and of a bond and I verify that there indeed exist no free gifts or as Mary Douglas states, “There are no free gifts; gift cycles engage persons in permanent commitments that articulate the dominant institutions”
Christmas Eve was a special time for Momma and Poppa. Even though there never was enough money to go down to the neighborhood stores to buy presents, Momma and Poppa always made sure I had one present on Christmas morning. In years past I had received a doll made from worn out clothing, with a painted face and hair of yarn. A box made of wood carved by Poppa with my name encircled with a heart. One gift to a young child may not be much, but Momma and Poppa always made sure there was something under our tiny Christmas tree.
Christmas as a whole has changed throughout the decades, in more ways than one. Christmas has changed with traditions, how people view the holiday, and how people choose to celebrate it. The first noticeable difference is how the presents are handled. Back in the early 1900s, kids were lucky to get a few presents, and usually, they were very similar to each other.
Ever since I could remember, I have spent Christmas at my grandmother’s house, a house which is full of comfort, warmth, and happiness. At Christmas, I have always been able to escape the cold and dark real world allowing myself to truly enjoy just several moments in time. These moments have left impressionable memories from my childhood making Christmas a holiday that is special to me and my family. It is a time for my family to get together, share stories, laugh, and even cry.
As humans in our society, most of us want to be that good gift giver. The givers want to make sure that the recipient is astonished and full of excitement once they lay their eyes on the gift. No one wants to be the recipient of a bad, unthoughtful gift either. This is were the tricky part of gift giving and receiving come into place. From the article, “Why Certain Gifts Are Great to Give but Not to Get: A Framework for Understanding Errors in Gift Giving” written by Jeff Galak, Julian Givi, and Elanor F. Williams, it explains the overall idea of gift giving and receiving. Throughout the article it focused on how the giver needs to realize the after affect of the gift and just not on the very moment the recipient opens the gift. The authors