Christmas vs. Halloween free essay sample

Holidays are a time where families can come together and celebrate things that mean a lot to them. Spending time with your family is important to folks and holidays are the perfect way to gather the whole family up to celebrate something special. Every year we have tons of fun giving and receiving from others. Being a kid, the best part of all is receiving. Whether it be candy or video games or maybe even some socks from mom, it’s amazing no matter what. All holidays are exciting to me but two of my favorite are Christmas and Halloween. But which holiday is the best? Almost all holidays have fictional characters that represent them. Let’s start with Christmas. The absolute best part of Christmas for me was waiting to hear that big fat man in the red suit in my living room; Santa Clause of course! We would make â€Å"reindeer food† at school with oats and glitter and throw it in our yard at night. We will write a custom essay sample on Christmas vs. Halloween or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I remember so well throwing the food handful by handful saying each of the reindeer’s names as I threw it across the grass. â€Å"Here’s for you, Rudolph. † â€Å".. And this is for you Comet! † I think all kids have this image of the North Pole in their minds. I could always picture Mrs. Clause baking and all of the elves building toys up there. It makes the idea of Christmas that much more exciting. Halloween, on the other hand, has an entirely different approach. These characters are a lot more intimidating. A great deal of these fictional characters are also followed by a scary story, like The Headless Horseman galloping on his horse looking for a new head to call his own! When I think about Halloween I think of the Hocus Pocus witches flying by on their broomsticks in the sky, ghost flying creeping around corners, black cats running across the streets, and monsters hiding underneath my bed. Putting all of these characters into this holiday makes it so amusing and really keeps people on their toes. Every holiday has some kind of tradition. During Christmas time, the main tradition is to put up a Christmas tree and decorations with your family. Hanging up garland, draping ornaments up and down the tree to make it look like your own, throwing lights up on the house, placing your Christmas letters from family on top of the fireplace, dangling bows around every corner, and of course putting the final star or angel on the top of your very own Christmas tree. To follow more tradition, we also buy and wrap gifts for our loved ones. It is a time of year that we can really show our appreciation by giving. And don’t forget about that yummy Christmas dinner! So much is cooked and prepared for the dinner; turkey covered in brown gravy to all of the mouthwatering sides like carrots, sweet potatoes, and green beans along with some homemade sweet bread rolls. It’s almost like a second Thanksgiving! Halloween is not so sweet. One main tradition is finding the perfect pumpkin for you and your family and carving it together. There’s so many possibilities when carving a pumpkin because you can choose anything you would like. I’ve seen anything from funny faces to hideous monsters. One thing people do on Halloween and the weeks before it is go to haunted houses with friends and family! There’s nothing better than going into a place that is trying to scare the heebie-jeebies out of you! Most people take their children out â€Å"Trick or Treating†. Kids dress up in their favorite character and go door to door to gather candy from others in their neighborhood. â€Å"Halloween continues to be extremely popular with kids of all ages; 85 to 90 percent of U. S. children go trick-or-treating or engage in other Halloween festivities every year, and many adults also join in on the fun. † (Harris) Although it has become very unsafe over the years, it is a tradition that will never die down. Kids will always want their candy! Color themes are a big part of any holiday. Christmas is celebrated with the colors green, red, and white. Green Christmas trees, red mistletoes, and white snow. Nothing can beat these bright colors when they’re all in one decorative room together. Halloween uses more dark colors like black, purple, and orange. When you think of monsters and darkness you don’t exactly think of rainbows and sunshine. Colors can affect any point of view. Nobody is going to be scared of a hot pink monster with blue polka dots! Bring on the creepy dark colors! The meaning of a holiday is what matters most. â€Å"Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ and a widely observed holiday, celebrated generally on December 25 by millions of people around the world. † (Wikipedia) Not only is it a time to come together as a family, but a time to come together religiously as well. To celebrate what you believe in is important to almost anyone. Halloween began to celebrate the dead. â€Å"Halloween is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows; Day. It initiates the triduum of Hallowmas, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead. † (Wikipedia) The holiday may be scary but it is meant to be a celebration for our loved ones. In my opinion, Christmas is the best holiday. I love nothing more than to come together with my family to share gifts and love. This holiday is a very happy and cheerful holiday overall and it can really bring out the best in people. â€Å"This truly is the happiest time of the year, and a rush of excitement takes over every December. Everything seems a bit brighter this time of year, so one can never take a December day for granted. † (Bell) I celebrate it every year with the people I care most about and will carry on the tradition for as long as I can.