The first (and therefore most popular) definition of "Christmas" in the Urban Dictionary is, "The celebration of the birth of commercialism... Oh yea, and Jesus," but historically (and to most of us today) the holiday has meant much more, sharing both religious and secular origins.

Questions:
1. What are the names and professions of the two New Yorkers largely responsible for the commercialized image of Santa Claus?
2. What are the names the men or Gods who contributed to the modern concept of Santa?
3. Why was December 25 chosen to celebrate the birth of Christ?
4. In which year what Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer written?
5. What is the origin of the Christmas tree?
6. Why is holly used to decorate?
7. What is the origin of hanging mistletoe?
8. Why are Christmas lights important to the season?
9. Why do Americans hang stockings?
10. Why are gifts given during Christmas?

Resources:
http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/videos#history-of-christmas
http://www.allthingschristmas.com/traditions.html
http://www.classbrain.com/artholiday/publish/article_52.shtml
http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays/christmas.htm

The Big Question:
After answering the above questions, write a paragraph in which you argue for or against the commercial aspect of Christmas. Does commercialism take away from or corrupt the holiday spirit via manipulation, or does it simply capitalize on desires that the public already have? In your written response, defend the use or disuse of at least one holiday tradition, and prepare to discuss your opinions in class.

Evaluation:
You will be evaluated according to your answers to the questions above and according to how well you support your opinion in your paragraph, as well as your use of correct spelling and grammar.

My alter ego is Bilbo Baggins. In preparation for Peter Jackson's release of the movie in December 2012, I am re-reading the book, which I enjoyed as a child. As an adult I continue to appreciate Tolkien's use of archetypes. Somehow in his fantastic world that is so different from ours, his characters manage to mirror the human experience. Bilbo does just that for me. He doesn't want to leave the comfort of Bag End, but with a little nudge from Gandalf, he goes outside of his comfort zone, and in the end he proves himself to be a real hero. Just like in the real world, if you want to have any rewarding experience, you have to be willing to take risks, and you never know what you are capable of until you are tested.

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Although the metaphor might be a stretch, my teaching philosophy is to get the students so interested in the material that I become barely a part of the exercise. In that way, they stay engaged and are able to use English more freely. Technology has had a small role in my teaching so far. I use the occasional powerpoint and online videos for listening exercises. Aside from those, I'm not sure what's out there, but I'm open to the possibilities of incorporating more technology use into my classes.