The Conclusion of My Blog...Or Not

Writing this blog has been a changing experience. At the beginning of the semester, when I heard that we were supposed to write a blog, I felt unexcited and a little overwhelmed. I have never really kept a journal or wrote about any kind of personal experience, so writing a blog seemed to be a very difficult task. However, now that I have had the experience, I am glad that I have learned how to blog and write about what I am thinking. Keeping this blog has helped me to learn more about myself and what is important to me. It has also made a kind of journal of my first semester of college, which I can look back on in the coming years and see how I've grown. So, while this is the conclusion of my blog for this class, I want to keep writing and developing my blog so that I can continue to develop as a writer and as a person.

What To Do During Christmas Break

For those of my classmates that are staying in Utah for Christmas break, there are lots of things to do to stay in the holiday spirit. The most enjoyable activities are going to see the Lights at Temple Square, seeing the Tabernacle Christmas Concert at Temple Square, and caroling.
The Lights at Temple Square is an amazing event that only happens once a year. The lights are so beautiful, and the atmosphere is filled with the spirit. While seeing the lights, I recommend going into the different Visitor's centers. There is a lot to see and learn and one of the most spiritual experiences is viewing the Christ statue.
The Tabernacle Christmas Concert is one of the exciting and fun experiences you can experience. Every year, the Tabernacle Choir sings carols, recites the Christmas story, and invites a guest singer. All of their concerts are professional and filled with the Spirit. This year, David Archuletta is the guest singer. While going is very enjoyable, tickets are gone quickly, so plan ahead and hope for some luck!
The last activity is the simplest, but is still very fun. Caroling with a group of friends helps bring the Christmas spirit into your heart. It is really cool to see people come out of their homes (or apartments) to listen to the songs. To make caroling even more fun, I recommend having some hot cocoa afterward to warm back up!
These are just a few of the great activities I recommend to everyone who wants to get a little more Christmas into their lives!

Black Friday Mayhem

Black Friday is a great day to go shopping if you're looking for the best deals. However, going out shopping on Friday morning can also reveal the worst in people. To some, manners, courtesy, and laws are thrown out the window to get that deal on that specific item. It becomes insanity! People end up fighting over stupid things like movies, toys, and video games. Why can't people see how they're acting? Don't they feel bad afterward? Stores and individuals must make some changes to keep humanity in stores.
I believe a large portion of the responsibility of keeping people from fighting lie with the stores. Rather than letting people have a free-for-all once the doors are open, stores should be organized and regulated by police and employees. Doing this will keep many fights from breaking out, as well as make getting in and out of store quicker and less stressful. When I went out shopping, one of the best stores was Shopko, because they kept many of the most valuable items behind counters, put the "doorbusters"in easily accessible and spread out areas, roped off the register area, and put an employee at the end of the line to help people know where to get in line. It was extremely well organized, and I got what I needed quickly. Other stores should have similar regulation come next year.
Because even the most organized and regulated stores can still have fights break out, individuals have a responsibility to act their age and to be courteous to others. They need know how to deal with the distress that may come from not getting exactly what they wanted. Only five-year-olds are allowed throw a tantrum when they don't get what they want. Grow up! One solution is to send everyone back to kindergarten, where they can be taught manners and how to treat others. All it takes are some basic rules and self control. Really, is it that difficult?

Personal Narrative: The Christmas Elf

“Do I look just like an elf, Grandma?” I asked

“You sure do,” she said, “but wait just a minute while I finish buttoning up your coat.”

I was so excited! Grandma had asked me participate in a Twelve-Days-of-Christmas activity, where I got to dress up as an elf and take packages to a house in her neighborhood every night until Christmas. I didn’t know who the people where, but I loved my costume! I had a long, floppy hat, big boots with bells on the end, and a green patchwork coat with wooden buttons.

“Are you done, Grandma?”

“I am! Are you ready to go?”

“Oh, yes! I’m an elf!” I said as I jumped down from the stool and ran toward the garage door.

Next thing, we were driving toward the house I was supposed to deliver to. When we arrived, I looked out at the little lawn and worn paneling around the doorway. Grandma handed me a couple of wrapped packages.

“OK, now you need to be fast!” she said, “As soon as you ring the doorbell, hop in and we’ll be able to get away before they recognize either of us.”

I smiled and laughed. I loved being sneaky! I quickly jumped out and ran toward the front door of the small, old house, slipping a little on the ice. I carefully placed the package on the doorstep and placed my finger on the doorbell. I could feel the excitement now! I rang the bell with the tip of my finger and ran as fast as I dared in my jingling boots back into Grandma’s car.

“Good job! Woo!” Grandma yelled out as we drove away. Just as we were turning the corner, I looked back at the house and saw the front door open.

“Erin, what do want for Christmas this year?” Mom asked the next morning as she was making cookies for neighbor gifts.

“I want a lot of stuff! I want a baby doll, and a toy car, and a new blanket, and a coloring book!” I put down my stuffed animals and showed her my lengthy list, with a lot of lines drawn haphazardly on the page. I still couldn’t quite get my letters to look like the grown-up’s.

“Wow, that is quite a list! Do you think you’ve been good enough to get all of these things?”

“Of, course, Mom! I’ve been super good! Santa will be sure to come. . . won’t he?” I asked a little nervously.

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” she smiled. “Did you think of what to get your brother?”

“Ummm, no. He’s a baby. What could he want for Christmas?”

“How about what to get your friends?” She turned and looked at me over the rolling pin.

“Well, uh, I don’t know what they want either. I can give them sone candy, maybe,” I said a little awkwardly. I hadn’t even given a thought to what I should give anyone.

“Erin, I think you should start thinking about what you should give them. They’re your friends! Don’t you think you should be nice and get them something?” She was giving me her full attention now, looking me in eyes. It suddenly made me feel small.

“But Mom,” I whined, “I don’t like giving presents! It’s boring, and I don’t like to wrap them up. It’s so hard.”

“Well, think about it, and let me know what you think you should do,” Mom said carefully as she turned back to the cookies.

“OK, Mom.” For some reason, I began to feel a little guilty, but I quickly became distracted by my stuffed animals and forgot about the conversation.

“OK, you ready?” Grandma asked as we drove up to the front of the house again.

“For sure!” I had been delivering packages for a few days now, and I felt like a professional. I quickly jumped out of the car and began my routine of placing the package on the step and my finger on the doorbell. Just as I was about ring the bell and split, the door opened!

Oh, no! I thought.

“Hello! Who are you?” A tall, scruffy man stood in the doorway. He had worn jeans and dirty tennis shoes, with a faded baseball cap on his head. He looked tired and somehow strained.

“Uh. . . um. . .” I stammered. I hadn’t planned for what to do if I got caught. This wasn’t supposed to happen! “I’m. . . a Christmas elf. Yeah, a Christmas elf!” I stammered.

The man’s tired eyes softened, and I saw a little smile touch the corners of his mouth. From inside the house I could hear children running around and laughing.

“Well, can you do me a favor? Will you tell your boss, Santa Claus, how much we appreciate what you’ve done for us? It really means a lot.”

“Um, sure. I, uh, better go now.” I jumped off the porch and ran to my Grandma’s car.

“Oh, man! It looks like we got caught!” Grandma said as we drove away. Once again, I looked back at the house before turning the corner. This time, I saw the tall man waving, so I waved back.

“Grandma,” I said, “the man said he really appreciated what we’re doing.”

“Oh, that was nice of him! His name is Chris Anderson, and his family has been having a tough time this year. He lost his job, and hasn’t been able to find a new one before the holidays. I’ve been putting food and clothes into those packages. I’m glad we have been able to help them.”

I thought about that for a minute. “You mean, they don’t have money for food and clothes?” 

Grandma nodded. 

That sounded scary! I had never thought about what would happen if my parents ran out of money. Then another thought occurred to me: “Grandma, what are they going to do for Christmas if they have no money? Is Santa going to help them?”

“Well, dear, Santa sometimes needs help getting presents. He definitely needs help getting presents for the Anderson kids this year.”

I had to stop and think about what it would be like to wake up Christmas morning and have no presents. It made me sad! “Grandma, have we been helping Santa help them?”

“Yes, I guess we have been. Are you glad to help?”

“Yeah. I feel really good all over on the inside. Is this how it always feels to help people?” 

“I’d say so,” she said with a smile.

Suddenly, this nightly activity had become more than just a game of dress up or being sneaky. As I remembered the kind look the man had given me, I felt a warm feeling swell up inside inside my heart and go throughout my whole body. “Thanks for letting me help, Grandma.”

“You’re welcome sweetheart.”

“Hey, Mom? Did you know me and Grandma are Santa’s helpers?” I said the next morning.

“You are?” She raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah. We gave the Andersons presents, because Santa sometimes needs help. I like giving them presents. . . Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think giving presents to my friends and to my baby brother will feel good too?”

“Yes. Giving always feels good.”

“OK. I think I’ll try to think of something to give them. If giving feels this good, I want give more often.”

My Mom smiled. “That’s a wonderful idea!”

BYU Tree: A New Tradition

I have lots of family traditions, but my favorite are Christmas traditions. Every year, my whole family goes to my grandparents' house, where we eat food, hit a pinata, sing carols, act out a nativity scene, and exchange gifts. This year, my mom decided to start a new tradition: a BYU Christmas tree! Perhaps inspired by my going to BYU, she has gathered decorations in anticipation of decorating a tree in the basement. There are blue ornaments with Cosmo and the BYU theme, football helmets, footballs, basketballs, and other decorations, but my favorite ornaments are ones that have the names of everyone in the family who has graduated from BYU. There are four names on the tree so far: my dad, an uncle, and a couple of aunts. Eventually, my mom has hopes that she can add my name to the tree. I know it will be difficult, but this new tradition has encouraged me to keep working hard so that I can have the honor of having my own ornament up on the tree in the coming years.

Eternal Perspective

College can be a little crazy, what with all the classes, homework, and responsibilities that come from having a job and doing house chores. I finally know what it is like to be an adult. Now that I have experienced how quickly time can pass by when I am so busy, I have become worried that time will pass me by too quickly. I don't want to live life without having the experiences that make life worthwhile. What I need is an eternal perspective to determine what is important and what is less so. Dallin H. Oaks' October 2007 Conference talk titled Good, Better, Best states that "we have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families."I really like his talk because it has really helped me to determine what is important in an eternal perspective. Some worldly cares should be ignored or put on hold so that the most important things dealing with the Church and the family are given deserved attention. So, when things feel like they're reeling out of control, I just need to focus on what is really important in the long term. It brings my life back into focus.

Romeo and Juliet at BYU

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to see BYU's rendition of Romeo and Juliet. It was set in New York from 1870-1900, rather than in Shakespeare's time, had added choreography, and a few line changes adapted to the time period to help it make sense. What I enjoyed most about the play was Juliet and her nurse's acting, played by Christie Clark and Brighton Sloan. They portrayed their characters very well, and I could really feel the emotion coming off the stage. Sloan's acting especially added humor to the play.