Kayla's+Page+;P

= __//** My Christmas Story **//__ An average Christmas for me, is my family running around trying to find the right gifts for everyone on their list. We are all in crazy mode until after the new year. So on Christmas morning, my mom wakes up first before anyone, she gets me up an hour or so after herself and then we wait for my sister to arrive at our house so we can begin to unwrap the gifts underneath our tree. My sister is ten years older than me almost exactly, so sometimes we like the same things and other times we argue. Usually on Christmas we get along pretty well. On average the three of us spend at least an hour and a half unwrapping and talking, then my mom starts to cook vegetables for our family dinner while my sister and I play with our new toys and talk. After my mom is almost finished cooking, we all get dressed and ready to go over to my grandparents house for several hours to have wonderfully prepared food. My family is very small on Christmas, although we send gifts to every member of the family, there is only five of us that actually sit around a table and have a big Christmas feast. Even though it’s minute, it’s also really nice and not so hectic. I am the youngest in my family by ten years, so I don’t get in the conversations much about politics, or stories from past holidays. When my grandfather sees that I am feeling left out of the conversation he always starts telling me stories about when he was in the air-force. I love to hear him talk about his past adventures from when he was young. After we finish eating, my sister and I clear the table and do the dishes for my grandmother. While we’re doing that for her, our mother and grandparents go into the living room and watch television, usually the news. While the three of them watch and talk about the news in the world, my sister and I stay in the dinning room and just look out on the deck of the house and watch the sky change colors and look at the clouds and tell each other what we see, while also texting on our cell phones. My sister can be pretty boring at times, but if there’s some type of topic that we both feel like talking about then we have some good times. After three hours or so at my grandparents house, it’s time to go home. My sister heads home, and my mom and I leave for our house. Once we get home we take care of our pets, and turn on the movie “A Christmas Story.” We sit in our living room laughing at the old movie that is loved by many families. After the movie is over, we play music all through the house and dance around while my dogs play tug of war with their new bones. After the music is turned down we both head to bed, and have pleasant dreams about our new possessions. This is what my family does almost every Christmas Day.  = = = = = =Dale M. Sweatt = **This is a picture of my grandparents at their 50th Wedding Anniversary. **   **Dale M. Sweatt, born on April 18, 1931, the youngest of three brothers, is a respected man in our community, who is very caring. He is also my grandfather. When he was young, he was in the U.S. Air-force. He was the head of Base Operations in Chaumonte, France. Chaumonte is where the Statue of Liberty was made, so their base was called the Statue of Liberty. He traveled to many places in Europe while he was in the air-force, such as Germany, England, and Italy. My grandfather loved to travel, not only has he gone all over Europe but he’s gone all over the United States also.

He’s lived in this community for his whole life. He also loves to mine, and at one point in his life, in 1972, he discovered the largest tourmaline find in North America, and also made beautiful Maine Tourmaline Jewelry. He is now retired with a wife of almost fifty-four years, one daughter, and two granddaughters.

He’s important because he has done so much for this community and for his family and friends. Every time there is an event in the town he tries to donate something to help them out. He gives and gives, and now with this paper he will get the recognition that he well deserves. I chose my grandfather because he means the world to me. I don’t know what I would do without him. He has done a lot for me and I am so very grateful. He is an amazing man that never stops caring. I love him very much with all my heart.** 