Christmas in Oak Park

Christmas in Oak Park, U.S.A.

When we think of Christmas, the first thought that comes to our minds is presents! Many of us have the tradition of opening one package on Christmas Eve, then the rest on Christmas day. Leatricia says, "I really like that tradition but the bad thing is you open one and then you are tempted to open all the rest of them."

Along with the Christmas holidays comes the tree. Some of us go out with our families and cut down a fresh tree; then bring it home to be trimmed for Christmas. Clinton and his family "sit by the Christmas tree, sing Christmas carols, and read"the Night the Grinch Stole Christmas." Sometimes they sit by the fireplace and drink egg nog, and bake gingerbread cookies."

Jeff reminds us that "Christmas is a holiday we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ."

Christmas Midnight Mass is a tradition for those of us who are Catholic. We go with our families to church, celebrate Mass, then go home and open presents. It's fun being up in the middle of the night, and not having our parents tell us to go to bed so we can get up in the morning for school.

Our village has a Holiday Walk. People puts up their lights on the outside of the houses and we walk around and see them. This year it had been unusually warm, so the walk was really a pleasant one. Also because it has been warm, many more people have put up lights.

It is not as easy to see the lights in the daytime, but notice the round circles in the upstairs windows - they are wreaths of lights. Along the porch there are lights that hang down, and the railings are draped with evergreen branches.