2. IntroductIon
“Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!” Here we are at
Christmas time again. Everyone tells you
Christmas is a wonderful time filled with
happiness, love, and friendship. BAH! I HATE
Christmas! Christmas brings together the three
things I hate most: spending money, seeing my
family, and acting happy!
3. IntroductIon
The hook
“Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!” Here we are
at Christmas time again. Everyone tells you
Christmas is a wonderful time filled with
happiness, love, and friendship. BAH! I HATE
Christmas! Christmas brings together the three
things I hate most: spending money, seeing my
family, and acting happy!
4. IntroductIon
Background Information
“Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!” Here we are at
Christmas time again. Everyone tells you
Christmas is a wonderful time filled with
happiness, love, and friendship. BAH! I HATE
Christmas! Christmas brings together the three
things I hate most: spending money, seeing my
family, and acting happy!
5. IntroductIon
Thesis Statement
“Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!” Here we are at
Christmas time again. Everyone tells you
Christmas is a wonderful time filled with
happiness, love, and friendship. BAH! I HATE
Christmas! Christmas brings together the three
things I hate most: spending money, seeing my
family, and acting happy!
6. IntroductIon
Supporting ideas
“Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!” Here we are at
Christmas time again. Everyone tells you
Christmas is a wonderful time filled with
happiness, love, and friendship. BAH! I HATE
Christmas! Christmas brings together the three
things I hate most: spending money, seeing my
family, and acting happy!
7. Body
ParagraPh 1
First, Christmas is expensive! Do
you think I’m happy about spending
money for Christmas presents? Come
on! I don’t have any money to start
with, and now I have to spend it on
other people? What a nice holiday –
they make you do something you don’t
want to do and get poor from doing it!
So after I’ve spent all my money on
gifts for people I don’t even like, I have
to do the next worst thing in the world:
go and see my FAMILY!
8. Topic sentence
Body
ParagraPh 1
First, Christmas is expensive! Do
you think I’m happy about spending
money for Christmas presents? Come
on! I don’t have any money to start
with, and now I have to spend it on
other people? What a nice holiday –
they make you do something you don’t
want to do and get poor from doing it!
So after I’ve spent all my money on
gifts for people I don’t even like, I have
to do the next worst thing in the world:
go and see my FAMILY!
9. Supporting sentence
Body
ParagraPh 1
First, Christmas is expensive! Do
you think I’m happy about spending
money for Christmas presents? Come
on! I don’t have any money to start
with, and now I have to spend it on
other people? What a nice holiday –
they make you do something you don’t
want to do and get poor from doing it!
So after I’ve spent all my money on
gifts for people I don’t even like, I have
to do the next worst thing in the world:
go and see my FAMILY!
10. Concluding sentence
Body
ParagraPh 1
First, Christmas is expensive! Do
you think I’m happy about spending
money for Christmas presents? Come
on! I don’t have any money to start
with, and now I have to spend it on
other people? What a nice holiday –
they make you do something you
don’t want to do and get poor from
doing it! So after I’ve spent all my
money on gifts for people I don’t even
like, I have to do the next worst thing in
the world: go and see my FAMILY!
11. Transition sentence
Body
ParagraPh 1
First, Christmas is expensive! Do
you think I’m happy about spending
money for Christmas presents? Come
on! I don’t have any money to start
with, and now I have to spend it on
other people? What a nice holiday –
they make you do something you don’t
want to do and get poor from doing it!
So after I’ve spent all my money on
gifts for people I don’t even like, I
have to do the next worst thing in
the world: go and see my FAMILY!
12. Body
ParagraPh 2
Once I’ve spent money I don’t have, I
have to go see my crazy family. I know
you’re not supposed to complain about
your family, but mine is…special. My dad
always wants to know why I have such a
terrible job, mom wants to know why I
don’t have a girlfriend, and my sister
always reminds me that our parents love
her more than me. Families are
supposed to make you feel good about
yourself, but my family only makes me
feel worse. Isn’t Christmas supposed to
fill us with happy feelings?
13. Topic sentence
Body
ParagraPh 2
Once I’ve spent money I don’t have,
I have to go see my crazy family. I
know you’re not supposed to complain
about your family, but mine is…special.
My dad always wants to know why I have
such a terrible job, mom wants to know
why I don’t have a girlfriend, and my
sister always reminds me that our
parents love her more than me. Families
are supposed to make you feel good
about yourself, but my family only makes
me feel worse. Isn’t Christmas supposed
to fill us with happy feelings?
14. Supporting sentence
Body
ParagraPh 2
Once I’ve spent money I don’t have, I
have to go see my crazy family. I know
you’re not supposed to complain about
your family, but mine is…special. My
dad always wants to know why I have
such a terrible job, mom wants to
know why I don’t have a girlfriend,
and my sister always reminds me that
our parents love her more than me.
Families are supposed to make you feel
good about yourself, but my family only
makes me feel worse. Isn’t Christmas
supposed to fill us with happy feelings?
15. Concluding sentence
Body
ParagraPh 2
Once I’ve spent money I don’t have, I
have to go see my crazy family. I know
you’re not supposed to complain about
your family, but mine is…special. My dad
always wants to know why I have such a
terrible job, mom wants to know why I
don’t have a girlfriend, and my sister
always reminds me that our parents love
her more than me. Families are
supposed to make you feel good
about yourself, but my family only
makes me feel worse. Isn’t Christmas
supposed to fill us with happy feelings?
16. Transition sentence
Body
ParagraPh 2
Once I’ve spent money I don’t have, I
have to go see my crazy family. I know
you’re not supposed to complain about
your family, but mine is…special. My dad
always wants to know why I have such a
terrible job, mom wants to know why I
don’t have a girlfriend, and my sister
always reminds me that our parents love
her more than me. Families are
supposed to make you feel good about
yourself, but my family only makes me
feel worse. Isn’t Christmas supposed
to fill us with happy feelings?
17. Body
ParagraPh 3
Finally, I have to act like I’m happy
about all of this. It’s not enough that I do
things that I don’t really want to, but the
worst part is that I have to act happy
about it. If you don’t act like Christmas is
the most wonderful time of the year
people start to think you have some sort
of problem, and then they bother you
even more. I am usually a miserable
person, and I like myself that way. I just
want to feel like me: happily unhappy.
18. Topic sentence
Body
ParagraPh 3
Finally, I have to act like I’m happy
about all of this. It’s not enough that I
do things that I don’t really want to, but
the worst part is that I have to act happy
about it. If you don’t act like Christmas is
the most wonderful time of the year
people start to think you have some sort
of problem, and then they bother you
even more. I am usually a miserable
person, and I like myself that way. I just
want to feel like me: happily unhappy.
19. Supporting sentence
Body
ParagraPh 3
Finally, I have to act like I’m happy
about all of this. It’s not enough that I do
things that I don’t really want to, but the
worst part is that I have to act happy
about it. If you don’t act like Christmas
is the most wonderful time of the year
people start to think you have some
sort of problem, and then they bother
you even more. I am usually a
miserable person, and I like myself that
way. I just want to feel like me: happily
unhappy.
20. Concluding sentence
Body
ParagraPh 3
Finally, I have to act like I’m happy
about all of this. It’s not enough that I do
things that I don’t really want to, but the
worst part is that I have to act happy
about it. If you don’t act like Christmas is
the most wonderful time of the year
people start to think you have some sort
of problem, and then they bother you
even more. I am usually a miserable
person, and I like myself that way. I just
want to feel like me: happily unhappy.
21. ConClusion
So those are the reasons I think Christmas
stinks: you have to spend money, see your
crazy family and don’t forget – you have to act
happy about it. So the next time you hear
someone say “Merry Christmas!” you should
ask them, “Hey, what’s so MERRY about it?”
22. ConClusion
Restate your thesis
So those are the reasons I think Christmas
stinks: you have to spend money, see your
crazy family and don’t forget – you have to act
happy about it. So the next time you hear
someone say “Merry Christmas!” you should
ask them, “Hey, what’s so MERRY about it?”
23. ConClusion
Summarize
your main points
So those are the reasons I think Christmas
stinks: you have to spend money, see your
crazy family and don’t forget – you have to
act happy about it. So the next time you hear
someone say “Merry Christmas!” you should
ask them, “Hey, what’s so MERRY about it?”
24. ConClusion
Look beyond
the essay
So those are the reasons I think Christmas
stinks: you have to spend money, see your
crazy family and don’t forget – you have to act
happy about it. So the next time you hear
someone say “Merry Christmas!” you
should ask them, “Hey, what’s so MERRY
about it?”
