The Hill Man’s Blogspot

A Very Merry Christmas

            We walked obediently in line towards the art room, our fingers over our mouths and our feet in line with Miss Epstein’s. We whispered through our “hushing” fingers, excited to see what holiday project Mrs. Wilkinson had in store for our second grade class. We filed into the room, hurried carefully past the supplies table, and sat in our assigned seats. Mrs. Wilkinson waited for our chatter to quiet down, and began to explain today’s project. We were going to make wreaths since Christmas was next week. She gave each table a pile of green and red cut up tissue paper, along with a bottle of Elmer’s glue. She picked a volunteer from the class to hand a pencil to each student. Meanwhile, she showed us how to fold the pieces of tissue paper over the eraser and then glue them onto the wreath shaped cardboard. She held up a half-finished example, and our class gazed in astonishment at the stunning three-dimensional wreath our teacher had created. Mrs. Wilkinson told us that these would be a beautiful Christmas decoration for our houses, or even a great Christmas present for our parents.

     Each of my classmates eagerly turned their attention to their own blank cardboard, the piles of green and red tissue paper, the pencil, and the glue that sat before them. I, however, shot up my small hand with a look of confusion on my face. “I do not celebrate Christmas!” I proudly told Mrs. Wilkinson. The rest of the class looked up at me, and then turned their attention back to their Christmas wreaths. They already knew that I didn’t celebrate Christmas, for it had been discussed numerous times throughout our childhood, especially around “Christmas break”.  

     Mrs. Wilkinson began to look uncomfortable, but her kind eyes lit up like they do when one has an idea. She then went into the supply closet and came out with blue and yellow tissue paper. “What are the colors of Hanukkah?” she asked me gently. Missing Hebrew school every Sunday for softball didn’t really help me come up with an answer. I looked around the room quickly, but I already knew that I was the only Jewish kid in my class. In fact, I already knew I was the only Jewish kid in my grade. I reached a decision that Hanukkah colors must be blue and white. “Just like Israel!”, I told Mrs. Wilkinson. She once again got that look of discomfort on her face, and glanced down at her blue and yellow tissue paper. She looked up at me, and down at the tissue paper. She then checked the supply closet again for white tissue paper. Returning with empty hands, she quietly explained that I could make a blue and yellow wreath, blue and yellow representing…Hillside.

     I was a little unsure why the rest of the class was making a Christmas wreath and I was making one with our elementary school colors, but I quickly got distracted by my tablemates covering their hands in glue. I soon finished my school spirited wreath, blue and yellow in a field of green and red. I took my project proudly in my sticky hands, thinking it would make a beautiful Christmas decoration for our house, or even a great Christmas present for my parents.

Filed by Mr. Hillman at March 26th, 2008 under I eat paste and other childhood reflections