Great Grandmothers : My Great-Grandmother

My great-grandmother was the matriarch of my family. When I was in seventh grade, around thirteen years old, she passed away due to breast cancer. This misfortune created an extremely difficult time for me because, not only was I adjusting to the environment of junior high, but many other issues were occurring in my life; this was the third death that I was having to deal with. Unfortunately, one of the previous deaths (that I was still trying to hurdle through and come to terms with), had occurred almost exactly a year before the passing of my great-grandmother. The second death that I had gone through occurred only one or two months before my great-grandma has passed. All of this turmoil created numerous internal conflicts for me, but also taught me a key lesson to keep note of, for the rest of my life.

My great-grandmother was raised by her mom, dad, and other relatives. She, and many cousins, were raised up as brother and sister in a close-knit family. Harriett Marshall, my great-grandmother, was born in Saltillo, Tennessee on January 7, 1931. She has lived through many trying times. It is a blessing to live through so many events that changed the nation, even the world. She has lived through the following events and many more: The Great Depression, World War II, the historic signing of Jackie Robinson, Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights movement and many more.

Nearly everyone enjoys Christmas, especially the little children of the world. Many cultures celebrate Christmas for different reasons. While the majority celebrates Christmas on the 25th of December, some celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanza. The history of Christmas is extremely detailed and can be found in the chapters of Matthew and Luke in the Bible. This holiday has many reasons for being celebrated with joy and happiness.

I never knew how important my grandma was to me until she was gone. I called my grandma, Mawmaw. She was short with white hair that she would always curl with rollers in the morning. She was a widow, because my grandpa, Pa, passed away when I was five years old. The perfume she wore made her smell like Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath and Body Works. I never thought I would have to live my life without her until the day she passed away.

When most people think of December they tend to think about Christmas. It is supposed to be a time of everyone coming together, being joyful, and

The Christmas season was full of general joy and greatness, seeing that it consisted of festivals which contained overall buoyancy. Starting Christmas Eve and ending on Epiphany, this season consisted of celebrations, feasts, music, morris dancing, plays and general merriment. Christmas used to commonly be celebrated with religious connotation, but the Reformation introduced the secular way of celebrating Christmas, which most families adapted into their personal celebrations. Overall, this season was a practical way for families to spend time with each

German culture has always seemed appealing to me. In Germany Christmas, or Weihnachten, is considered the uttermost important holiday of them all. A common tradition specific this culture is Advent. An Advent wreath, Adventskranz, holds four candles and on each Sunday before

Let’s start with the first Tradition. The first tradition is “ The burning of the Devil”. The burning of the devil started a long time ago. They start this tradition on December 7th and then they celebrate Christmas on December 28th. They normally do this because if they don’t they believe that the devil will be hiding under there bed if they don’t.

From December 1st to the 31st there are many holidays celebrated. Christmas and Hanukkah both play huge roles in this season. They may have many differences, but they both make us come together as a whole and make memories that last a lifetime.

Christmas is celebrated in many places, many ways, and at different times. Have you ever thought about how other people celebrate Christmas around the world? And some places might not even celebrate at all, it depends on their religion what type of family they grow up in. For instance, in some countries do most of the same things people do in America like skiing and ice skating. Now let's talk about how people in Canada celebrate Christmas.

Belgium, a really small country, is located in northwestern Europe. The neighboring countries are the Netherlands to the North, Germany to the East, Luxembourg

David Sedaris explains the different holiday practices Americans and the Dutch have. He talks about how Americans and Dutch people celebrate Christmas, also how they view the tale of Santa Claus. As Sedaris says, the American figure, Santa Claus, is “jolly and obese,” yet the Dutch figure, Saint Nicholas, is portrayed as “painfully thin, and not unlike the pope.” The differences between the Dutch and American Christmas figures and traditions provide evidence of the differences between their national character. Americans, with their fat, jolly Santa and tradition of opening presents on Christmas day are more materialistic and consumerist than the Dutch, whose skinny St. Nicholas and less gift-centered Christmas traditions are evidence of their

Christmas is all about giving, friends and family gathering, feasting together, with beautiful music, decorations and singing Christmas carols throughout the neighborhood. It is a time of ornaments, red and green decoration, silver bells, holly, mistletoe and colorful lights. They say that it is the season to be jolly, but how did Christmas become such a jolly and most wonderful holiday? Understanding the religious and cultural aspects of the Medieval Christmas, such as the origin of Christmas and the traditional celebrations of Christmas, can help us to understand and celebrate today’s Christmas more meaningfully.

I grew up in a small village in Mexico where there were no health care professionals. My grandmother was one of the women in the village who would take care of the sick. The knowledge and wisdom she gained over the years was passed on to my mother. One day, I remember my mother asking me to accompany her. It was late at night, all of the dogs would bark at us as we walked by, and I did not know where we were going. We came to the house of a sick child. It was then, I realized that my mother had been asked to come and give the child medicine. The privilege of getting to help the child get well again gave me a sense of accomplishment. What we had done there guided me to strive for something that would give me that same sense of accomplishment. In 1996, my family and I got the opportunity to move to the United States. As a little girl, I did not understand how such a sad and difficult goodbye would bring me to a better future. A place that has brought me closer, than I had ever thought, to accomplishing my dream of becoming a pharmacist. I am grateful for of all of the opportunities that living and studying in the United States has brought.

Christmas is a time for joy of the holiday season. Still many countries celebrate their Christmas differently. Take in mind Australia and America, two different countries across the globe from each other. Many people may want to see what’s different and the same about them.