HOLIDAY LETTERS FROM MISSOURI
Special thank you to Imagiverse volunteer Christopher Alaino who typed up the majority of these letter which were beautifully handwritten by the students.
Dear friends,
Do you know how different cultures celebrate New Years Eve? Well, in the United States we have parties, in Denmark people smash pottery against their doors, and in China people wear masks. There are a lot of noises all over the globe when we celebrate New Years Eve.
On New Years Eve my meme, aunt, uncle, and cousins come over to my house so we can be a family again. We dont get to see each other a lot because we live in different places. My mom, aunt, uncle, dad, and meme play cards and have fun. We eat my memes ham roll-ups and let her know if she needs to add something to make them better!
My favorite things about New Years Eve are counting down, having a good laugh, and making New Years resolutions. My New Years resolution is to be helpful as much as I can!
Sincerely,
Alli
Dear friends,
In our community, which is Sikeston, Missouri, we celebrate Easter. The history of Easter is the life of Jesus. Easter is when Jesus died and came back to life. A rock that blocked a cave with Jesus had rolled away. The cave was empty and Jesus was alive again. Easter is always on Sunday because Sunday is the day everyone found out Jesus was alive again.
Each country has its own traditions for celebrating Easter and all other holidays. Dying eggs is very fun! You boil eggs and then you can buy packets of tablets and put in water that will cause the egg to change colors. You should try it! Eggs are a symbol of new life.
My family always dyes eggs and has a delicious breakfast on Easter morning. Its the most fun and important part because its when we get together and spend time together.
My favorite part is when over night the Easter bunny brings me and my brother gifts. Its my favorite part because the gifts are so cool! We usually get a new Easter basket that we put our eggs in that the Easter Bunny hides. Im very curious about where the Easter Bunny came from. Bunnies symbolized new life and rebirth in Ancient Egypt.
Easter is very important because Jesus was a very kind and peaceful man. Once, people put Jesus on a cross. Some people didnt like him because they dont believe what he said. Friends of Jesus were sad. Some people called Him the King of Peace.
Sincerely,
Alexis
Dear friends,
In my country we celebrate the birthday of the United States of America on the Fourth of July. You wont be in school unless you are in summer school! People make noise and play instruments on the Fourth of July. We wear red, white, and blue because those are the colors of my countrys flag! People take trips to go see the Statue of Liberty, the symbol of my country, in New York.
These are some of the traditions in my family. When we get done shooting off fireworks we go in the front yard and watch other people shoot fireworks. The fireworks are very pretty!! They are big where you can see them. At the end they have a finale. The grand finale is where they shoot off all kinds of fireworks at the same time.
My favorite part about Fourth of July is shooting fireworks. We shoot off fireworks because it celebrates the Fourth of July. It is fun to shoot off fireworks and light them. Some fireworks are pretty and big. I like watching them pop when I throw them.
Love your friend,
Sydney
To Whom It May Concern,
Could you imagine jumping into the ocean in the dead of winter? All across Greek communities in the world, this is just what brave Greek men do during the Greek festival of Epiphany also known as the Blessing of the Waters. This is held every year on January 6th when the twelve days of Christmas officially come to an end. In the Bible, this is the day the three wise men brought gifts to Christ.
A cross that is blessed by the priest is thrown into the icy water and retrieved by a swimmer who is then said to have good luck and health throughout the coming year. The water that is blessed on this day is known as Theophany Water and is taken home and used with prayer as a blessing. People will not only bless themselves and their homes by sprinkling with Theophany Water but will also drink it.
Epiphany is not just a Greek event; it is also celebrated around the world on January 6th by the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches as well. In Russia, where the winters are severe, a hole is cut into the ice so that the waters may be blessed. In such conditions, the cross is not cast into the water, but is held securely by the priest and dipped three times into the water.
I always enjoyed this time of the year with my family because we celebrated the Christmas season for thirteen days from December 25th until January 6th. We also sang Christmas carols on the eves of Christmas, New Years and Epiphany.
Happy Holidays,
Angela
Principal, Matthews Elementary
Dear friends,
The birthday of the United States of America is celebrated on the Fourth of July. You won’t be in school unless you are in summer school. It’s the birthday when the Declaration of Independence was signed because it’s the Fourth of July. We wear red, white, and blue because those are the colors of our flag.
Every year on the Fourth of July we either go to my mom’s or with my cousins to spend time with them. If we go to my mom’s we would just buy our own fireworks. When we go to my cousins we go to the front yard and shoot off our fireworks. We also swim in her pool till we shoot off fireworks.
My favorite part is going to my cousins to shoot off fireworks. After the big town fireworks we go home to shoot off our big ones. We go to the front of the house and watch the people’s firework display that live in our neighborhood. We look before we shoot off fireworks because it’s the safe thing to do. What did you learn from this note?
Love,
Malena
Dear Friend,
This is how Halloween became… People were scared of witches, goblins, ghosts, and other spirits. They roamed the earth. People mad big bonfires to scare away the evil spirits. Cornstalks, pumpkins, and gourds decorate houses and other places around Halloween. Some people dress up as witches.
My family and I celebrate Halloween by having a Halloween party and we eat and play pin the tail on the donkey. My favorite part is when we get to put on costumes. Then we go trick-or-treating. Trick-or-treat means you go out and get candy and show off your costume. After we finish trick-or-treating all the girls come over and go to my friend’s Halloween party. Then we have a dance contest.
From your friend ,
Zykeriah
Dear Friend,
We celebrate Jesus’ birthday on Christmas. My family prays for Jesus that he won’t die again. My family and I eat cake for Jesus’ birthday. We put gifts under the Christmas tree. We open our gifts, then see what we got. I like opening gifts. They are fun. We get a mess of stuff. What do you do?
Your friend,
Joel
Dear Friend,
Every Easter we go to my grandma’s house to have an Easter egg hunt. But first we go to church. We celebrate Jesus and how wonderful he is. Easter is always on Sunday. Easter is celebrated for Jesus and how he rose again. After church, we go to grandmas and have a big dinner. After that, my cousins and I go hunt eggs. There is always a golden egg and his has $10.00 in it! I always hope I get it. The eggs are so colorful! After we’re done we count to see how many we have. Then we get money for who has the most. I love Easter its one of my favorite holidays!
Your friend,
Lane
Dear Friend,
In the US people give valentines to other people. They give cards to family or other people they love. They give red roses, chocolate candy, or plants. People celebrate by having a valentine party! There are red and pink hearts, cupids, lace, ribbons, and some of the things that remind us of Valentine’s Day. There are lots of goodies to eat!
At school, classmates give each other valentine cards. Some people are not the same valentine. The people they choose become their sweethearts!
A French nobleman, the Duke of Orleans, was the first person to make a valentine. When knights competed in tournaments, their sweethearts gave them ribbons for good luck. People thought that when cupid shot one of his special arrows into someone’s heart, the person fell in love.
You can go to a valentine shop to get valentine’s cards, things for a party, or crayons for your card. In shop are cupids, lace, ribbons, and hearts. The most important part about Valentine’s Day is you love. I like Valentine’s Day because we have valentine parties!
Your friend,
Guadalupe <3
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Dear friend,
I have some history about Christmas. Saturnalia was a Roman festival that started on December 17. They lit candles and fires to send away evil spirits and to welcome the sun. In North America, children put up stockings. Giving gifts are what St. Nicholas does. St. Nicholas is Santa Claus! Every Christmas eve my mom, my brother, my dad, and I go to my gramma’s house to get presents and to spend time with my family. When we get home we look on the computer to see if St. Nicholas is close to our house to give good little children presents. Then we get our p.j.s on so we can go to sleep. We get really excited because the next morning there are presents. My favorite parts about Christmas are we get presents every year, my family decorates our Christmas tree, and we go to my gramma’s house to eat lots of food. I also love St. Nicholas.
Your friend,
Ashton
Dear Friend,
The reason I like new years eve is because it is a great tradition for me and my family. I love new years eve because we get to play games and see my family that doesn’t live with us. We really enjoy this holiday. We do different kinds of dishes and desserts and meat, all kinds of people dance, sing songs, and other fun games. There are different kinds of foods on the table. People bring different kinds of foods like rice dishes, and chicken and other delicious foods.
Your friend,
Terrionia
Dear friend,
America’s birthday! We won the war of Independence. We shoot fireworks. People in the war risked their lives for our freedom. I go to my grandpa’s house on the fourth and we shoot bottle rockets and big fireworks at night. There is more room at his house that mine. The big ones are better because you can see them better. We shoot the bottle rockets during the day because they’re small and we have more. We can’t shoot fireworks in town, so that’s why we go to his house. My favorite part about the 4th is when I first get there and I imagine that all the big ones are all going off at the same time. At the same time you’re lighting the biggest firework. You have to be careful with the lighter so you don’t burn yourself. It is fun to see fireworks blow up. The last one is the biggest. I pick up the mess and hug everyone goodbye. I go to bed and dream about the good fireworks. The big ones rock and the small ones stink.
From,
Ryan
Dear friend,
How Halloween became was people believed in ghosts, witches, and goblins. People even dressed up as the evil spirits to scare them away. Every Halloween I dress up. I stay with my family. I go trick-or-treating (which is going to the back of other people’s trucks) and I get so excited because I get candy. My favorite part about Halloween is that I get candy, I get to dress up, I get to decorate my house, and you have no school sometimes. You need to go trick-or-treating with a parent because someone might steal you, someone might hurt you, someone might give you bad candy, and you will get lost. What do you celebrate?
Your friend,
Steven
Dear friend,
Labor Day is a holiday in the United States. People celebrate it at the end of summer. Labor is another word for work. We honor America on this day. People in America who work get the day off. Many towns have picnics. Many workers march in parades. Some are factory workers, teachers, and fire fighters too. The first factories made tractors, wagons, and clothes. Factories are full of big machines. People spend twelve hours at their jobs. Poor children worked so they did not go to school. What I like about labor day is getting to stay home with my family.
From:
Gracie
Dear friend,
We check the calendar and it is the Feb. 2 and we are excited because we don’t want any more winter. We celebrate groundhog day to see if we’ll have a longer winter. I get to see my family more. I get to see people from Illinois and Bertrand. If the groundhog sees his shadow, there will be 16 more days of winter! We usually watch the news to see the groundhog on the news. The news reporters tell what happened, if the groundhog came out or if he didn’t. Then we check the weather, it might be hot, it might be cold. It might be humid, it might be snowy.
Your friend,
Ethan
Dear friend,
The history of thanksgiving started when the pilgrims came over and that is how the first thanksgiving started. What I do for thanksgiving is sit at my granny’s, eat, play cards, and play playstation 2. We eat at granny’s, we go to my house. We eat turkey, chicken, mashed potatoes, then we eat ice cream for dessert and then we go to my cousin’s after that and we go to my uncle and aunt’s.
Your friend,
Taylor
Dear friend,
My holiday is Valentine’s day. What do you do for Valentine’s day? Here we give valentine’s gifts for little kids to play with. Some people give out chocolates and flowers. Most people give out Valentine’s cards. Me and my mom give cards to friends and family. People give out red roses, and candy. On Valentine’s day people share, hug and kiss too. You can read all the cards. You might have a secret admirer. Doves are a symbols of love. Cupids, lace, ribbons decorate your card and eat lots of goodies at our party. Before our party, we decorate a box to put valentines in the box.
From
Vivica
Dear friend,
I want to ask you a few questions like what are your favorite things, but I’ll save those questions for later. My favorite holiday is Christmas. On Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ birthday. Most of the time, kids in this part of the world think about lots and lots of toys. Something about this year I can remember, I wish to re-live the past like last year, it was the funnest Christmas ever. Christmas is about joy, peace, love, caring, giving, and being together. And remember, nobody wants to talk to a scrooge. I hope you enjoy this letter.
Your friend,
Anthony
Dear friend,
How the Pilgrims got here. We eat, play games, have fun. The Pilgrims had a big feast. They Pilgrims ate with the Indians. The mother Indians used all of the animals’ body parts. The mother Pilgrims cooked for a long time. The Pilgrims played games with the Indians.
The feast lasted for three days. The Indians helped the Pilgrims plant seeds, taught them where to hunt, to fish, and build homes. Without the Indians, the Pilgrims would have died. In ways, they wouldn’t have been warm. The Pilgrims sailed to America. Everybody could not change. They sailed for 24 days.
By Andrew
Dear Friends,
Fat Tuesday is the last day of Carnival season and the Carnival is where people perform. Many of the largest days, like all kinds of different parties were held on this day. Mardi Gras got started by a Catholic church. Night marks the private masked balls which are held until Mardi Gras day. The Carnival season starts on January 6th.
We have Mardi Gras parties like a Halloween party. My family thinks Mardi Gras is a fun holiday to celebrate. We always have chips and dip. We also play freeze dance. We think all that matters is that we have fun.
When people wear their Mardi Gras masks it is my favorite part because it shows spirit, pride, and true feelings. They play around and act silly. They listen to music too. They go to different parties wearing their masks. They even dance in their masks.
Many people go to parades and either wear a costume or purple, green or gold. The crew members on the floats celebrate on them too. Mardi Gras day is always Fat Tuesday. The Mardi Gras parade consists of floats holding crew members who brought dough balloons and other items.
Love,
Ashley
Dear Friends,
The story of Halloween is... The 2,500 years ago the Celts tried to trick the bad ghosts. The Romans took over the Celts’ land and tried to combine their holiday with the Celt’s holiday. There were bad ghosts and good ghosts. They made a large bonfire to scare away the spirits.
Every Halloween, I go outside to the whole neighborhood and give out candy with a costume that is not always scary to little kids. I walk up to houses and say “trick or treat”. We give out candy to everybody who stops by our house. I dress up as something I want to be. I usually get to eat a bucket full of candy. I get to go on a hayride and scare my brother if I get a chance. I sneak up on my brother then jump and say “BOO”!
I eat my candy in the next few days. I eat suckers with gum in it first. My favorite candy is “Now and Laters”. My favorite part of Halloween is the story of the headless horseman, He comes out on dark spooky nights riding on a horse. He scares everyone away looking for a head. Until he finds a head he uses a Jack-o-Lantern. I hope you enjoyed this.
Your friend,
Grant
Dear friends,
Do you know about Christmas? Here are some facts about Christmas. Santa Claus was born in Turkey. The first Christmas card was created in England, Dec. 9, 1842. In North America children hang up stockings around Christmas time. The snowman is a fun way to play in the snow.
These are some things my family and I do together on Christmas. My family and I pass out presents. My family goes skating on ice. My mom-mom and pop-pop take us out to eat together and open presents.
My favorite parts about Christmas are: eating snow with my friends, making snow cones, racing down snow hills; and my very, very, very favorite part about Christmas is opening presents!
From,
Jeffery
Dear Friend,
Christmas is the day Jesus was born. We celebrate Jesus’ birthday. It is also when we put up Christmas trees. It is a happy time of year and it is when Santa Claus comes to give presents. It is a time of year we give presents. Many people have different Christmas traditions. They like singing and putting out cookies for Santa Claus. It is my greatest holiday! It celebrates the birth of Jesus and started Christmas. Everyone thinks Jesus is the son of God. My family sits at home because it is too cold. We open presents and go to grandmas. We put up a Christmas tree.
From,
Tyler
Jason
Hailey
Hello from Sikeston, Missouri!!
We are from a small rural town located 150 miles south of St. Louis, Missouri and 150 miles north of Memphis, Tennessee. We are so excited to be a part of the Children Around the World exchange! Our class is a third grade class that consists of 12 boys and 12 girls! We started the beginning of the year learning about our local community and the people in it; followed by a study on some of our local celebrations and traditions. To begin our Children Around the World project, each student chose a holiday that is celebrated in the United States. Some of the holidays included were: Christmas, New Year’s, Mardi Gras, Easter, and Halloween, just to name a few. Then, each student wrote a paper on his/her holiday of choice which included the history of the holiday and a paragraph about his/her OWN family traditions. Our principal even wrote a paper AND decorated a paper person about her Greek culture!!! It was so cool! We have learned so much already!! Thank you for allowing us the chance to exchange with you and learn about your culture!! We are extremely excited to receive our paper people!!!
Miss Grossius’ third grade
Matthews Elementary
Sikeston, MO USA
