Grapeland Junior High Newspaper Celebrates Christmas
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
GRAPELAND – Grapeland Independent School District (GISD) Junior High students are giving The Messenger a run for its money, publishing an internal periodical called “The Eye of The Storm.” These intrepid little Sandies are reporting on goings-on around their campus and in the latest edition, share some different Christmas traditions from different countries. With the school’s permission and in order to highlight the great work they are doing, we would like to share some of those stories during the holiday season.
Christmas with Jesus by Karmen Corpus
Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of Jesus Christ; who Christians believe is the Son of God. The name ‘Christmas’ comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). Religious holidays like Christmas are not just for believers. They involve rituals and customs that can help reinforce social bonds and bring people together, no matter what their beliefs. One Christmas tradition of members of the Catholic and Protestant denominations is going to a Christmas Eve candlelight service or midnight mass, where they celebrate and honor the birth of Jesus.
Christmas in England by Delilah Lanz
Christmas in England is enjoyed by many families. They mostly celebrate with carol singing, mid-night church services and pub crawls. On Christmas Eve they leave out meat pies and sherry (or milk) for Santa Claus, and carrots for his reindeer. Their Christmas pudding is made out of meat instead of fruit. It is common for the queen to give a speech they call the Christmas speech. That tradition started in 1957. It snows in England on Christmas on average every six years.
Christmas in Mexico by Phoenix Emmons
Our neighbor country, Mexico, celebrates Christmas from December 12th to January 6th. They
hold “Posadas”, honoring the time Mary and Joseph spent searching for a place to stay. Their most important decoration is the Nacimiento, or Nativity Scene. It sometimes fills an entire room in a house. The figure of the baby Jesus is placed in it on Christmas eve. They also celebrate with piñatas filled with candy, candy canes and fruit. Fireworks are often a part of the celebration too.
Christmas in India by Bayleigh Baham
Have you ever spent Christmas in a different state or even a different Country? How different
was it? In India, on Christmas they attend Midnight Mass, but they decorate differently than
the U.S. They decorate the churches with the usual poinsettia flowers and candles, but they decorate houses with bananas and mango leaves. They eat a dish called Biryanis, which consists of rice, meat, marinade, and spices. They also eat plum cake and kheer. Kheer is made of rice, milk, and sugar. In India it is not even called Christmas, it is called “Diwali” or the “Festival of lights” and Santa is called Baba.
Christmas in Norway by Robert Peterson
In Norway, despite Christmas day being the time when most other countries have their main celebrations, Norwegians choose to celebrate on Christmas Eve instead, which is known as “Julaften.” This is when families get together and eat a traditional Norwegian Christmas meal, which is usually followed by holding hands and dancing.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
