Winter starts in December. The days are short in winter, and the shortest one is on the twenty first of December. After that, each day becomes longer than the other, but they are still shorter than the nights. It often snows. Snowflakes fall fast and thick. Snow is everywhere – on the roofs of the houses, on the trees, on the ground. The air is crisp and clear. Cold makes the air smell better and the streets look cleaner. The temperature drops. The lakes and rivers are frozen. Everything looks so nice covered with ice and snow! Sometimes a blizzard sweeps in. Snow stings like sand; it piles up in waist – high drifts. There is nothing to do, but stay indoors and wait it out.
Spirits soar when spring comes. When leaves begin to grow in the trees… When the grass turns green again… When the first flowers bloom in your garden or in the park and forest… You know it is spring. Snow drops are the first spring flowers. How lovely they are. Then forget-me-nots, lilies-of-the-valley, dandelions peek their heads above the ground. Yes, it’s spring!
It’s that time again. Time to buy little valentines with messages like "Be mine” and "You are tops.” It’s time for all the nifty candy to come out. But most important of all, it’s the time to show those dear to you how much you love them. Isn’t it great that we have an entire holiday devoted to loving one another? Valentine’s Day has dubious origins. There are three main theories on how it came to be.
Halloween began more than 2,000 years ago among the Celtic people of Britain and France. As the days became shorter and cooler every autumn, the Celts made up a story to explain why winter came and all the crops and flowers died.
The Celts believed in a sun god who made the crops grow. But each year the sun god was attacked and held prisoner for six months by an evil power called Samhain, who was also known as the "Lord of the Dead” and the "Prince of Darkness”. He brought the cold and darkness of winter days.
The
story of America’s Thanksgiving begins with the Pilgrims. Early in the 17-th
century, the Pilgrims left England in search of religious freedom. In 1608,
they sailed to Holland. Then, in 1620, they set sail once again and crossed
the Atlantic aboard a leaky ship called the Mayflower. After sailing for many
weeks, the Pilgrims landed at a place now called Massachusetts. They set up a
colony at Plymouth, where they planted the seeds they had brought from
England. But the seeds didn’t grow well, and there was so little food for the
Pilgrims that many of them starved to death.
Every December, Christians all over the world look forward to the coming Christmas. It is the most widely celebrated holiday of the year.
It started nearly two thousand years ago, with the birth of Jesus Christ. In the Bible it is said about it, but the Bible never mentioned the date of Christ’s birth. There are no other records to tell us exactly when He was born. Not until the year 325 was December 25 chosen as the day to celebrate His birthday. At the same time, January 6 was selected as the day to remember the visit of the three Magi. (Matthew 2:1-2) Some Christians celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas from December 25 to January 6.
The Fourth of July has been an American holiday for more than two hundred years.
Eventually, thirteen English colonies dotted the Atlantic coastline. All the colonies were under the rule of the King of England. Until the 1760s, however, England didn’t pay much attention to its American colonies. Then England decided to tax the colonists. Americans were forced to pay tax on tea, glass, paper, and other items they needed. Many refused to buy these taxed items, and some began to talk about governing themselves.
In December 1773, some Boston colonists dressed as Indians slipped aboard an English ship docked in the harbor. During the dark winter night, the "Indians” dumped the ship’s cargo of tea overboard into the water. This protest against British policies became known as the "Boston Tea Party.”
The American people value education highly. Some of the traditional values, which have developed over the years, are:
1. Public education should be free. There should be no hidden charges to prevent any citizen from receiving a good education at public expense.
2. School should be equal and open to all. No one should be discriminated against because of race, religion, or financial status.
3. The public school should be free of any creed or religion. The schools are open to all Americans regardless of their religious beliefs. However, religious schools are permitted outside of the public school system.
4. Public schools are controlled by the state and local governments. Local school boards run the public schools under laws passed by the state legislature. The State Board of Education assists the local schools, but does not give orders to the district board.
Many students enrich their lives with studies abroad. Those who do this say that they will never be afraid to do anything else in their lives. They spend a semester or more studying in Wales, France, England, Japan, and other countries. These students say the months spent abroad help them to love the United States more.
To study and to live in another culture is a life-changing experience. The students say, "The people we met were absolutely incredible. The people made it the best experience of our life.” The students also learn more about their own country and what it means to be an American once they live outside of the country.
