WE WANT YOUR HOLIDAY STORIES
BY THE CHARM REPORT NEWSROOM * January 14, 2022
Charm Report is the journalism arm of CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth and like our parent organization we’re all about amplifying the voices of Baltimore’s youth. That’s why like our literary magazine counterparts we’re doing a call for submissions.
We want to hear your holiday stories. The format is simple: Give us a quote and 100 words about a holiday experience of yours to be included in The CHARM Report. The story can be about any holiday or moment annually celebrated that’s special to you: Christmas, Juneteenth, Eid, the yearly family reunion, Festivus, the anniversary of the death of your favorite gerbil Winston etc... All we ask is that the story and quote be true. Here are a few examples from our CHARM Report journalists:
Tianna Hunt: Grand market (Christmas Eve)
“It was the night we all treated ourselves instead of others.”
The scent of burned coal and jerk chicken painted the air with thick strokes. In every corner of the street was a pot atop a flame, lighting the path for many drivers as they shouted their orders out to the cooks. Loud music echoed off buildings, and people screamed excitedly to be heard over the pleasing chaos. The space was dotted with vendors selling everything from toys to clothes to discounted bikes. If you left the house in white shoes, they would turn brown after five minutes of entering the town. Physical contact was a must as people brushed past each other and raced to get the last item by a vendor’s stall. Every year, on December 24th, this scene is replayed in Jamaica. Grand-market, as we call it, is a ritual ingrained in the hearts of even the youngest onlookers. It was the night we all focused on treating ourselves instead of others.
Amir Power: Christmas/ Kwanzaa
“If the plant dies it might also have something to do with your growth.” - Chabria Thomas, my mother.
My family and I celebrate Christmas and Kwanzaa. This Kwanzaa my mother gave all of us a plant and said, “If the plant dies it might also have something to do with your growth.” I thought the message she was trying to spread was that you would have to make sure that your plant grows while you are growing yourself. Lessons are the only way that people will learn and the way my mother is trying to teach us a lesson through taking care of a plant is one of the greatest lessons I will probably receive. Happy holidays!
Iris Zheng: New Years
“It’s 2022 already!?” says me.
2022 is my year, it is the year where I will officially turn 18 years old. Becoming an adult has never been this close to me, as I still feel like I am 16 years old. 2022 is the year where I will be submitting my college applications, it is when I will be demonstrating to everyone what I have done in the three years of high school. Hopefully, it will also be the year where I will receive a notification stating where I will be for the next four years of my life. 2022 is the year where I am legally independent and capable of making my own decisions. Yes, 2022 will be my year.
Let us hear your holiday story. Submit your story here.