By Ariana C. Bye
6^th grade, Placer county
Illustrated by Woodland High School

Finally it was Friday and I had two weeks of Christmas Vacation to look forward to. Our teacher, Miss Agatha Culture, was explaining to the class how the holidays help agricultural businesses. "How could holidays be important to agriculture?" I wondered.

I lived in California, where there are many farms and ranches. Our school was even built next to a farm.

I stared out the window and watched the workers in the fields and orchards as they went about their jobs.

The longer I stared out the window, the softer Miss Culture's voice became, until I could barely hear her at all.

Soon, I began to daydream. I thought I heard Miss Culture ask me a question, but when I turned around to answer her, I was in a vineyard! I said to myself, "Why grow so many grapes?" "So we can drink some and eat some," a voice said and up popped a worker from behind a row of grapes. "There are over 8,000 varieties of grapes," he said. "Some are grown for eating and some juiced, but most are used in wines and champagnes, that adults around the world drink to celebrate the coming of the New Year."

As I turned to look at all the grapes, I suddenly found myself in a field of flowers! "Wow, look at all these beautiful flowers I wonder what they're grown for?" "I grow and sell these flowers to markets and flower shops, so people can buy them to give to their loved ones on Valentines Day and Mother's Day," said a woman in a big straw hat. The woman handed me a rose and just as I smelled it, the ground changed from multicolored to green. In my hand, instead of holding a rose, I was now holding a carrot! "Why am I holding a carrot and standing in a field of cabbages and potatoes?" I exclaimed. "Gosh and Bigorra!" a little man in a green hat said. "What would Saint Patrick's day be without a meal of cabbages, carrots and boiled potatoes? I grow them just for this special day." "Gosh, come to think of it, this is the only day of the year we have this meal." I said to the little man, but he had vanished.

In his place, stood a man that resembled a scarecrow. We were standing in the middle of a pumpkin patch. "What are all these pumpkins for?" I asked. He answered, "These pumpkins are for Halloween jack-o'-lanterns and your Thanksgiving pies.

"Those aren't pumpkins, they look like beets," I pointed to the next field. "Those aren't just beets, they're sugar beets. They're used to sweeten your Easter and Halloween candy, your apple pie for the Fourth of July, that special cake for Father's Day and birthdays," he said.

"That's so amazing," I exclaimed. "What's amazing?" asked Miss Culture. "Agriculture! Holidays! Sugar Beets!" I said.

"But Ariana, today's fieldtrip is to a Christmas tree farm," she said. "Uh Oh, am I still daydreaming?"