The Last Christmas Tree

I saw a truck of Christmas trees

And each one had a tale,

The driver stood them in a row

And put them up for sale.

He strung some twinkly lights

And hung a sign up with a nail;

"FRESH CHRISTMAS TREES"

It said in red

"FRESH CHRISTMAS TREES FOR SALE."

He poured himself hot cocoa

In a steaming thermos cup,

And snowflakes started falling

As a family car pulled up.

A mom, a dad, and one small boy

Who looked no more than three

Jumped out and started searching

For the perfect Christmas tree.

The boy marched up and down the rows,

His nose high in the air;

"It smells like Christmas, mom!

"It smells like Christmas everywhere!"

"Let's get the biggest tree we can!"

A tree that's ten miles high!

"A tree to go right through our roof!"

A tree to touch the sky!"

"A tree SO big"

That Santa Claus"Will stop and stare and say,

"'Now, THAT'S the finest Christmas tree"

'I've seen this Christmas Day!'"

It seemed they looked at every tree

At least three million times;

Dad shook them, pinched them, turned them 'round

To find the perfect pine."I've found it, mom!"

The Christmas tree I like the best of all!"

It's got a little bare spot,

"But we'll turn that to the wall!"

"We'll put great-grandma's angel"

On top the highest bough!"

Oh, can we buy it?"

Please, mom, PLEASE?!"

Oh, can we buy it NOW?"

"How 'bout some nice hot cocoa?"

Asked the man who owned the lot.

He twisted off the thermos top,

"Now, THIS will hit the spot!"

He poured the steaming chocolate

In three tiny paper cups.

They toasted,"Here's to Christmas!"

And they drank the cocoa up.

"Is this your choice?"

The tree man asked,

"This pine's the best one here!

"The boy seemed sad---

"My daddy says"

The price is just too dear."

"Then, Merry Christmas!"

Said the man, who wrapped the tree in twine,

"It's yours for just one promise"

You must keep at Christmas time!"

"On Christmas Eve at bedtime"

As you fold your hands to pray,"

Promise in your heart"To keep the joy of Christmas Day!"

"Now hurry home!This freezy wind"

Is turning your cheeks pink!"

And ask your dad"

To trim that trunk and give that tree a drink!"

And so it went onAll that blustery eve

As the tree man gave

Tree upon tree upon tree

To every last personWho came to the lot---

Who toasted with cocoaIn small paper cups,

Who promised the promise

Of joy in their hearts---

And singing out carols,

Drove off in the dark.

And when it was over

One tree stood alone;

But no one was left thereTo give it a home.

The tree man put on hisRed parka and hood

And dragged the last Christmas tree

Out to the woods.

He left the pine right by a stream

In the cold,So the wood's homeless creatures

Could make it their home.

He smiled as he brushed off

Some snow from his beard,

When out of the thicket

A reindeer appeared.

He scratched that huge reindeer

On top his huge head---

"It looks like we've"Started up Christmas again!"

"There are miles more to travel,"

And much more to do!"

Let's go home, my friend,

"And get started anew!"

He looked to the sky

And heard jingle bells sound---

And then,In a twinkling,

That tree man was gone!

Christmas is Almost Here

Christmas is in nine days I can't believe it. I still need to get Christmas gifts for people. It has come so fast this year. It feels like Christmas is in at least a month. I am really excited though. For part of my Christmas gift we are going to California. I love it there so much. I think I would like to live there, but then I would never get snow. I would not like that at all. Anyways, I am really excited. I haven't decided yet what I want for Christmas. I really want a Burton snowboard. Other then that I don't really know, probably just clothes or something. The things that I know I am getting for Christmas are a trip to Cali, and a season pass the the Park City Ski Resort. I kind of just want a surprise this year, except for a snowboard. I really want that. I am so excited, I can go snowboarding on Wednesday(because of my surgery) if the doctor says. Yay!!! I will probably go on Saturday, because of school. I am way excited though.

A Different Kind of Christmas Story

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear
.Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then thesure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,
"Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers.
"My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother.
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son.
"Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead
,To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Grandpa

My Grandpa just turned 69 and about a week earlier my uncle said "You are running out of time." He was referring to his birthday and not his life. So for his birthday we kind of decided to make it a theme. We made him a book that we got off the Internet and it was called "50 ways to beat the Reaper." The first thing that was on the list was to drink 8 ounces of water, so we bought him tons of water bottles. We also got him an iPod nano so that he can exercise and be healthy. We bought him a gift certificate to a spa so that after he works out her can go get a massage. It was pretty funny, because we based his whole birthday on how he doesn't have that much "time" left.

Christmas Anticipation

I love Christmas so much it is probably one of my favorite holidays. I love it because of all the fun traditions and things. My family does some things that make my Christmas unique. On my mom's side of the family we go to brunch on Christmas Eve at this really nice restaurant. It is so fun, because I get to see most of my cousins and family. I don't get to see all of them though, because some of them live in other states. We always have so much fun together. On my dad's side we always have breakfast on Christmas. We also go out to diner at a restaurant with my whole family. We have a great time. With my family we sometimes do a nativity thing and on Christmas we open something like pajamas or a blanket or both and we sleep with them. We usually get up really early, because I have a little sister. We open our presents and things. It is so much fun. The only thing I don't like about Christmas is the anticipation. Everybody is so busy and doing things to get ready for Christmas. The whole month is really, really crazy. It kind of drives me nuts, the month of December seems so long and boring. It is also really hard to get homework finished when you are thinking about Christmas. I am so excited though, because Christmas brings families closer together. I really like how everyone is in a good mood and things. They try to do more service and things to. They like to be together. I just wish it was like that all year than one month or less.

Thanksgiving Break

This was one of my worst Thanksgivings. First of all I got surgery on Monday, because my feet were flat and didn't have an arch. Which was really fun. So now I'm almost bionic woman. It was kind of weird, because my brother had the same surgery and was throwing up, but I just wanted to eat all the food I could. They said that I could only have clear liquids. I got them to give me crackers though. My feet didn't even hurt on Monday. I also woke up out of the anesthetic really well. It was just like I had had a nap. Anyways, I was going to go to Arizona to my cousins house, but since I had the surgery on Monday(I was going to have it on Friday. I stayed home because I thought I wouldn't feel well. I was pretty mad that I didn't get to go. On Tuesday my feet hurt so bad. My mom went to rent me the new movies that had just came out and the computers weren't working. When my mom got home she went to put the movies in but they didn't take out that little security thing in them. So I just sat there all day, until my mom could go back to the video store. So all I did was just watch TV it normally would sound pretty good, but when you can't get up at all to get a snack or go to the bathroom, it sucks. So all that I did was sit and watch TV. If I wanted to go anywhere I had to crawl. I have bruises on my knees, because we have hard floors. My dads friend at work invited us to go to California. I was really mad because I love California and I have been with them before. It was so much fun when we went. They are so much fun to go with. They have kids that are each one of my families ages. They are also really nice. So I was pretty mad, I mean I didn't want to watch everybody play at the beach while I just sat there watching them. When I went to my Grandma's it was the first day that I had walked. It was pretty sad to watch me. The food was real good, but again it hurt to walk so I just sat on the couch observing everybody, because the guys were watching a football game. Everyone was really nice and supportive though. So for Thanksgiving what I was thankful for was that I have feet that I can walk on.

Movies

I love to watch movies. It is one of my favorite things to do. I don't really know why I like to watch them so much. I love to go to the video store I usually rent six movies a week, but I end up watching only two. I guess its just a bad habit. I have this thing at my the video store that lets me have any three movies out at a time. The people at the video store used to know me, but they just hired new people, I'm sure they will know who I am soon. I think part of the reason I like to watch movies is because it shows all the different kinds of culture. I can enjoy almost any movie. Even when everybody else thinks they are so stupid and lame. I guess it is just kind of a bad habit. I also like to watch the different actors and actresses in how they act. It is really cool to see them in different movies. One of my favorite movies is Pirates of the Caribbean. It has been my favorite movie since it came out. I love how everybody acts so well. I also think it has a really good plot and is really adventurous. Johnny Depp is one of my favorite actors too. I love all of his movies. I also really like Matt Damon, I love the Bourne series of movies. Some more of my favorite actors are Heath Ledger, George Clooney, and Will Smith. I don't really know who my favorite actress is. They would have to be Cameron Diaz, Rees Witherspoon, and Penelope Cruz. I have a lot of favorite actors and actresses. I think that a good actor or actress is that they would act like someone really would in that situation. I also think that it is important that they can play a lot of different kinds of characters. They need to be able to have good reactions and be the person that they are playing. I really enjoy watching movies and I think that the movies show a lot about cultures. I probably shouldn't watch that many movies, but I really enjoy it.

Funny Story

Here is a funny story that I got from an E-mail.

To Be 6 Again... A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, observing his wife, looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off he asked what she'd like to have for her Birthday. "I'd like to be six again", she replied, still looking in the mirror. On the morning of her Birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Lucky Charms, and then took her to Six Flags theme park. What a day!He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear,the Screaming Monster Roller Coaster, everything there was.

Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down. He then took her to a McDonald's where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake. Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&M's. What a fabulous adventure! Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted. He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, "Well Dear,what was it like being six again??" Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed. "I meant my dress size, you idiot!"

The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he is gonna get it wrong.

End of Term

It's finally the end of the term. The most stressful week of the whole term is over. We have tons of tests and lots of big assignments due. They are the huge end of term test to show all that you have learned. All of the test have its huge questions that you can't even remeber learning. The math teacher's tests are really hard. The huge assingments are really hard if you have procrastinated it the whole term. The schools' required tests are kind of a pain too. So you stay up really late working on the assingments. You are really stressed but when it is finally over you feel so relived.


On the other hand it is pretty cool because we get a day of school. Usually, all my friends hang out at the Peterses' house. Theirs is really fun. They families' tv is really big. It is like a movie theater. We watch movies and just hang out. Sometimes we go to my friend Suzanne's house. Hers is one of the funnest places to hang out. She has a really cool house. Her brother-in-law, Travis's dog is really funny. My friends bring food. All of my friend's food is really good. We all have a really good time. It's really fun.

It is also fun because sometimes my family goes on small vacations like Park City or St. George. I love Park City so much. It is one of my favorite places. Not only is it georgous, but it is where I go snowboarding. Snowboarding is my favorite thing to do. I would go everyday if I could. In Park City I go shopping at the Tanger Outlets. They always have really good deals on clothes. There is also the alpine slide. It is really fun to go fast and catch air. In Park City in the summer we go boating. It is so much fun when we go with my cousins and friends. I also love to wakeboard. I think I like snowboarding better, but it is really fun. I am really excited for the snow, hopefully it comes soon. I am trying to get better at snowboarding this year.

California

My family goes to California every year. We usually go over UEA. This year we didn't go. It is kind of disapointing, but at the same time I am glad because of all the fires. We usually go with my moms side of the family. It is really fun to have all of the cousins down there. Our family rents condos on the beach.We hang out at the beach almost every day. On one of the days we go to an amusment park. Last year we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. It was so fun. We went on all of the roller coasters. My favorite is Superman. It goes one hundred and five miles an hour. We also go to this really good pizza place called the pizza port. They make the best pizza. We have so much fun. This year we aren't going with our family though because we are going over Christmas. It will still be fun though. Last year we went twice once with my family and once with my dads friend from work with his family. We had a lot of fun with them. We went over the fourth of july. Instead of going to Oceanside we went to Pacific Beach. It was fun but on the fourth of July it was really crowded. We could barely find anywere to sit. We still had tons of fun. I love California.

Friendship

These are some of my favorite poems because it is about friendship. I think that friendship is so important because without it it would be really hard to communicate with others. Friends help you in so many ways.

Build A Box Of Friendship
by Chuck Pool

Into a box of friendship
To insure that it is strong
First a layer of respect
On the bottom does belong.

Then to the sides attach,
In the corners where they meet,
Several anchors full of trust,
Devoid of all deceit.

The height of friendship can be measured
By the sides of four,
So make them all a larger cut,
And the box will hold much more.

Now fill it up with courtesy,
Honor and esteem,
Understanding, sympathy,
And passion for a dream.

Add to that your honesty,
Emotions joy and love,
And since they're so important,
Place them up above
But leave the box wide open
So all can see inside,
To learn what makes a friendship work
From the box you built with pride.

What Is A Friend?
by Kit McCallum

A friend is someone you hold dear:
Someone who is always there, through thick and thin;
Someone who is only a phone call away.

A friend is someone you can always rely on:
Someone who is there to share your thoughts with;
Someone to listen, no matter the subject.

A friend is someone you can feel comfortable with:
Someone you can sit silently beside, without conversation;
Someone you do not need to fill the quiet moments with.

A friend is someone you can trust:
Someone who will guard your deepest secrets;
Someone who will never let you down.

A friend is someone who is not judgmental:
Someone who will gently offer advice and opinions,
Yet, someone who is not overbearing or critical.

A friend is someone who can keep you grounded:
Someone who can help you see through your obstacles;
Someone to shoulder you through life's trials.

A friend is someone who shares unconditionally:
Someone to laugh and to cry with;
Someone to lean on, through both the good and the bad.

A friend is someone you choose wisely,
For a friend is your own mirrored image:
Someone to compliment your own self;
Someone who indicates who you are as a person.

A friend.... is what you are to me.

Halloween

I am so excited for Halloween! It is one of my favorite holidays. You can wear whatever you want and no one will make fun of you. I don't really know what I am going to be this year. I don't think I am going Trick-or-Treating. I have to get a costume though for my friends party. I love Halloween because you can get tons of candy. The best part is is that you get it all for free.

It is also really fun because they have all the Haunted Houses and Corn Mazes. I love to get scared. It is so much fun and you get an adrenaline rush. I don't really like it when you pay money to get in and it is lame. It is so disapointing. The Corn Mazes are so fun, especially when you go with all you friends. One time my friend got lost and she was all by her self. It took us like twenty minutes to find her. I love it how you can't find your way out. You get lost and it so much fun when you get out.

I love Halloween because my grandma has this party every year. All the cousins dress up. We have Chili and homemade rootbeer. I don't like rootbeer very much but when it is homemade I love it. My Grandma puts dry ice into the rootbeer and the little kids call it the witches brew. All of the little kids like to show off their costumes. They all think that theirs is the best. My twin girl cousins are so funny because last year one was Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz and the other was Frankenstien. They are so cute.

I also love Halloween because that means that it is winter. I love winter because it is snowboarding season.

We miss you Scott

Hey I'm really sorry I didn't have my blog last week my computer broke down and it needed to be fixed, but we finally fixed it.
This week it has made me realize how important friends are. I knew that they were really important, but this past week has made notice even more. Last Friday my friend and neighbor, Scott Nye died. I have been really sad. It has been hard on the whole neighborhood. He was one of the best people I knew. He had red curly hair and was always smiling. Scott was always willing to help other people. He made other people want to do good things. He was really fun to be around. He got the nickname sunshine because of his good qualaties.

He was with his five friends and they were going to make it the "best day ever." They decided to go on a hike. They saw this power line and decided they were going to climb it. His friend went up first, but didn't make it all the way up. He said, "Wow, that is really frightenting." Him and one of his other friends went up the pole after him. He went up and stood on this platform, they think the power may have arced. They heard a loud pop and saw him fall to the ground. They called 911 and one of his friends did CPR on him. When the emergency team got there he was pronounced dead. His mom went over and talked to all the boys. She told them that it wasn't there fault and comforted them all.

He liked to tie-die. Him and some of his friends started tie-die friday. Thats where they all where tie-die every friday. So at the funeral most people wore tie-die. It was really cool to see all the people wearing tie-die. At the funeral there were at least one thousand people there. They invited everybody over, but I think there was like 300 people at their house. It was really comforting to have all those people their in support for him.

His family is so amazing. His mom was the first person to make me laugh after he died. She was really sad on Friday and Saturday, but on Sunday she was doing really good for her situation. Every time I went over there their house was so crowed. It was comforting though. It was really good to have those people around you. It made you feel so much better.

I am really going to miss Scott Nye. He loved to snowboard. He had just gotten a new snowboard for the new season. All of his friends signed it it was covered with signatures. He was a great person.

No Moms

This week my mom went to California. Without me. Her and all of the moms on the street went. We only had one mom on the street. It was because she couldn't go. My family goes to Oceanside every year. We stay at these condos on the beach. It is really gorgeous and the beach is never crouded. My grandparents rented the condo out for a month and there was one free week. My mom decided to go with her friends. So all the dads were stuck home with the kids. They had to get the elementery kids off to school. They had to clean the house. They had to make diner, but we ate out most of the time. They had all the responsibilaties of a mom. My dad even had to go to parent teacher confrences. It was weird because he had never gone before. Nether had I. My mom wanted him to go to see how I was doing in class. It was good though because I got away with things my mom would never let me do, like my mom lets me have caffine, but not late at night. My dad bought me a whole liter of Mountain Dew at the grocery store. I had it really late at night and was up til one oclock in the morning watching movies. But the bad thing was, was that I was really tired the next day. I also went to the video store like a million times. I am kind of a movie-holic. I go to the video store at least three times a week. My mom wouldn't have let me go that much because I would be up late finishing my homework. It was kind of a fun week, but I am really glad my mom is back. Because my house is in better order.

Picture Day

This year my pictures turned out so bad. The guy that was taking my picture told me to say something. I wasn't going to say it because they always turn out really bad. He was waiting for me to say the word, so I finally gave in. He took it right in the middle of while I was saying. I knew my pictures would turn out bad. When I got them my eyes looked so weird. Probably because I was kind of annoyed at him. My friends told me it was all cute. I don't think it was. The only friend that told me it looked weird was my best friend. That's what best friends are for. Thank you for being honest. I think I would have gotten retakes anyway.
I am so thankful for retakes. I really hope my retakes turned out good though. I don't really know but from what I could tell they were better then my other ones. No half smile, or annoyed eyes. The only problem was that the day before I went to the orthodontist and had a check up. I went in and they changed the color of my bands. I picked this dark blue, but she put on this really bright blue. I didn't realize it until we got home and I didn't really want to go back. So I have on these really bright blue braces. I am so glad that I could get retakes. I just wish she would have put on the right color.

My Great Grandma

I have the coolest great grandma ever. She is so kind and sweet. She just turned ninety years old. It's kind of funny because she wanted to have a funeral for her birthday. We didn't really call it that though we would call it a tribute. We didn't do that though. Instead my mom's side of the family went up to Strawberry. My family didn't go because we all had stuff to do. They had really fun. So we went to her house and wished her happy birthday. We took her out to dinner. But of corse she had to pay for it. She is so awesome. She can even golf. She makes the best chocolate chip cookies ever! Every time I go over to her house she always has them and I eat like twenty of them. I love her so much!

My Adorable Cousins

I have the cutest cousins ever. They are adorable little girl twins. I love them so much. They are identical so you would think that they would be identical in every way, but their personalities are very very different. Annie is laid back and very casual in personality. She doesn't care if her close match or even if she has them on. Katie on the other hand is very high strung and has to have her clothes match. Annie is the protector and Katie is the nurturer. One day my aunt and uncle took them to a restraunt. They were seated at a table where you could see the entrance where people came in. Their favorite holiday is haloween and they love Pirates of the Carribean. They both have a crush on Johnny Depp. And Pirates of the Carribean 3 was just about to come out so they had the idea of pirates on their mind. Katie had her back to the door so she couldn't see anybody come in unless she turned around. But Annie could see the door perfectly. While they were sitting down this old lady walked in. She was hunched over had a cane and an eye patch. Annie had this great idea that it was a pirate, so she started pointing and yelling, "KATIE, LOOK, A PIRATE, A PIRATE."She was so excited. Her mom and dad told her to that it wasn't nice to point and that she needed to be quiet. So she closed her fist and was doing the political point. Katie on the other hand was slouched in her chair. She was afraid to look. But by the end of the dinner she turned her into the "nicest old lady". Annie was still calling her the "meanest old pirate." That just shows how different their personalities are, Like for Halloween Annie was Frankenstien and Katie was Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz. I think they are so cute, but this year they moved so now I don't get to see them. I love them so much!!!

Rain

I love when it rains. It is so beautiful. I love when it rains and the whole world looks like it just was cleaned. I also love the smell. It smells so good . I can't really describe what it smells like but i love it. I don't like it as much as when it rains in Hawaii though. In Hawaii every thing is so green and lush. But when it rains it is so beautiful. Here the rain is freezing but in Hawaii it is warm it feels so good. It makes Hawaii so much more beautiful. When I went to Hawaii the hotel that I stayed in and in the middle of the hotel it didn't have a roof. So when you would walk into the hotel or out of your room and it would just finish raining It would look gorgeous. I would love to walk on the beach while it was raining it would feel so good. It wouldn't matter how wet you got, because the rain was warm. You wouldn't get freezing cold like it is here. I think the rain is the most beautiful thing in the world. I love it.

Hello World!!!