Dressing Up?

The time of year for cosutmes is just around the corner. You know it! Halloween is only three days away! Have you got a costume yet? No, well you could be the usual, witch, ghost, or princess. What's the point of dressing up on Halloween? Who came up with this idea? Was someone accidently in their Grandmother's attic and trying on some clothes on Oct. 31st? Who know's? I don't . Halloween is another one of those holidays that no one seems to know the origin, but this holiday is special. This is the ONLY day in the entire 365 day year that little children and even teenagers can dress up in dorky outfits, ring the doorbells of complete strangers, and get candy. Don't get me wrong this is one tradition I love! Getting free candy and dressing up like a princess with out getting laughed at is a blast! But why do we do it? Has it been a tradition for so long that we just do it to do it; Or do we remember a time when people believed in witches and ghosts and feared for their very lives this dark and dreary Halloween night. halloween is supposed to be the scariest day of the year. Why couldn't somebody designate it the happiest day of the year. A day we could all dress like flowers and butterflies and visit a "Happy House" or the "Sweet Meadow Maze." Instead we scare ourselves so badly even the football players have nightmares. of course this is what makes Halloween fun. Even if we don't know where the holiday came from.

Give Thanks

This year 2006, Thanksgiving day will be celebrated on November 23. A holiday which is of great importance in my family. Gathering around numerous tables, my extended family and I feast on large platters of turkey, potaoes, and many other delicious dishes. Let's go back...way back! The pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock. They are THANKFUL to be there. They find places to build their homes and plant gardens. After a few days the pilgrims run into the Indians. The Indians and the pilgrims become friends. (Oh, isn't that sweet) To show their thanks for the land and the good company they decide to have a feast. Giving thanks to everything they have. Back to the present. Our feast is similar minus Plymouth Rock. Gathering friends and family and eating. Wait a minute... something is missing in our modern Thanksgiving. Oh yeah... the Thanks part! It is quite common that families today are forgetting why we call Thanksgiving, "Thanksgiving", especially in my family. Our we too busy, or too preoccupied with how much we eat? One major reason in my family is all the food and all the contests. It has been a tradition universally acknowledged that my cousins and I weigh ourselves before sitting down at the Thanksgiving table. After eating what seems to be a year supply of food all the cousins (mostly the boys for some odd reason) head back to the scale and weigh in once more. Many of cousins gain weight I didn't think was possible in one meal. of course, most of it is gone after a traditional walk outside. Being thankful on a holiday with "thanks" in the title is very important. But, so is spending time with cousins and having fun.

Our great American country is full of patriotism and pride. Amercians are FREE! What could be better? We celebrate The fourth of July our nations Independence Day and Memorial Day, to remeber the armed forces that have fought and are fighting for our wonderful freedom. We celebrate our Presidents and Great heroes of the past like Martin Luther King Jr. Wait a minute, what about days in our history that should always be remembered? Have we already forgotten them? Days that will live in infamy. What about Sept. 11, 2001 or Dec. 7, 1941? Can anyone recall what happened on these days? These days are days that should never be forgotten. We need to remember what happened on Dec 7. The day that Pearl Harbor was attacked and hundreds of soldiers and civillians were killed. What about Sept. 11, the day our trade centers were destroyed from terrorists. This is a day when thousands of men and women were killed. Why can't America take a moment to remember these days. Why isn't it typed in the calender boxes like Christmas, Labor day, and even George Washington's birthday. Don't get me wrong, these are all great holidays. But, shouldn' t we remember some other days in our history. Days that every American should know. Let's remember why and how we have our freedom, not just that we have it.

TRADITION

It has been tradition in the past years at Mt. View to have three girls choice dances and three boys choice dances. This year the tradition has been changed. Now there are TWO boys choice and FOUR girls choice. What changed? Sweethearts. Sweathearts has been changed from boys to girls choice. Not only do the girls have to do most of the asking, but most of the paying. Dances these days can be expensive. There's the day date, the dinner, the pictures, the tickets to the dance and little odds and ends that go in between. The only good reason for them to change this dance is to ensure that all girls have a date. Maybe they don't want the girls left out, who knows? The girls need to work for their dates. Just like the guys have to work up the courage to ask a girl out on a date. It levels off. It has been tradition FOREVER that the guys court the girls and the guys propose to the girls. This long-standing tradition should not change! It is the boys duty to take the girl out and to do the asking and the paying. The school has no right to change this great and ancient tradition. What kind of a punk would?