The Difficulty of Decorating

By Rachel LeGros

The holiday season can be a very stressful time for parents throughout the country, and many children are oblivious of the time and effort that parents put in to make the holidays enjoyable for their children and family.

I remember helping my dad labor over the tree. The set-up alone would take at least two hours, from getting the giant box out of the attic to separating each branch one by one. That’s when my dad stepped out and my mother stepped in. First, the lights go on. Then we moved onto the garland and the ornaments. Last came the angel on top of the tree.

Now, only living with my father, we have a four-foot tree, and that’s about the only decoration we have in our house. My mother’s house on the other hand, is covered in small ceramic Santas and little set-ups of cartoon Christmas movies, from "Charlie Brown" to “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.”

Living with a non-Christmas oriented parent is kind of a spirit-breaker during the holidays. If it wasn’t for their children, I doubt most parents would even bother decorating for the holidays. I believe that children help adults get into the holiday spirit, and I also believe that parents need to decorate for their children. Without decorations, it doesn’t even feel like Christmas time.

'Tis the Season... To Spice Up Life

By Nicole Mitchell

Every year families gather, the air outside is frigid, people run into stores, donate tons of money, and are nice to others. There’s a sense of romance in the air; the idea of cuddling up by the fire, playing music and singing along, making delicious meals, family traditions, laughter, remembrance, family trips, and happiness. While all of this is good and fun, the holidays can also be stressful with unexpected snowstorms, accidents, black ice, loss of power, delays, loneliness, injuries, and the scrooges in the world.

The holidays are a happy time of year and should stay that way. Here are some tips on how to stay positive and stress free this holiday season.
Language:
• Words to avoid; these words put you in a negative state of mind.
*Everything
*Never
*Nothing
Instead use:
o Only
o Temporary
o Some
• Communication
o Call family and tell them what you plan on doing and explain everything to them so you are still on the same page
Health:
• Eat fruits and vegetables
• Drink a lot of water; this will reduce your urge to mindlessly snack on food. A person should drink eight 8oz glasses of water
a day; you can also switch up what you drink between water, juice, tea, etc.
• Exercise
oYoga
oAerobics
• Get 8 hours of sleep a night
• Drink hot beverages- tea, hot chocolate, coffee
• Get a massage; you do not have to pay for a massage, switch off with a friend for a 5-minute massage. Receiving a massage
and giving a massage will reduce stress.
• Take a hot bath

Mind:
• Plan ahead
• Make a list
• Realize everything does not have to be perfect
• Reduce criticism
• Push away negative thoughts
• Stay quiet if you have a negative thought or reaction
• Remember you can only change yourself
• Be realistic
• Put a dab of essential oils on your wrist or on the collar of your shirt, some relaxing scents are:
o Lavender
o Peppermint
o Cinnamon
o Nutmeg
o Chamomile
o Cedar
o Lemon
o Thyme
• Take deep breaths
• Count backwards from 10
• Go outside and get some fresh air
o Close your eyes and listen to the sounds
o Keep your eyes shut and see what you can smell
• De-clutter your house or desk
• Donate clothes; the satisfaction of giving will make you feel important because it’s not just about us.
o Goodwill
o Salvation Army
o Dress for Success
• Play Christmas music
• Buy a coloring book
o Doodling will distract you and use the other side of your brain

So this holiday season, if you find yourself in a pinch or a little frazzled, take a minute to re-gather yourself and remember, have fun this season!

Gift Ideas for the Car Enthusist

By Anthony Davis

First off most people that like cars know what they like and are very particular about things they will put in or on their car. So the first thing to do would find out what they like for style on the vehicles and what they want. You can get many nice things that will make a car look better sound better and clean it up. It also depends on how much money you are looking to spend also.

New rims on a car can make the worst looking, ugliest car look like it’s a sweet ride. There are many different styles and sizes. Most rims are expensive but you can sometimes find some cheaper ones that still look nice. Then there are things like cold air intakes, dress up kits for the motor, a chip so that you can get more power or gas mileage. You could always get tune up things for up keep on the vehicle. For interior you can get things like seat covers, new shift knobs, light kits, new peddles that look nice, mats, and just about anything that you could probably think of. You can get a part that the vehicle might be in need of. So overall there is many things that you could get for the car enthusiast. Most of witch they will like and use.

Lighten the faces of the less fortunate this holiday

By: Alexandra Trahnstrom

Merriment fills the air every December. Christmas time is a time to be with family and friends. Though some adults may wish that Christmas is about simply being together, the truth is that the kids love this holiday so much because of the presents from Santa. We all run in and out of toy and clothing stores buying stuff for our loved ones. However there are many families with low incomes that struggle showing their little ones a “tree stuffed with presents” on Christmas morning.

There are many organizations out there to help families in need around the Christmas time. "Operation Santa Search" is a website that allows the public to find organizations around their area. Some businesses that are doing a huge part in helping out are: Salvation Army, United way, the American Red Cross, and Santa’s Angels. The public can also donate to small organizations within their community such as churches, shelters, and community centers.

There are many websites that allows citizens to donate money in order to help put presents under trees. The most popular donation website around Christmas time is “Toys for Tots”. “Toys for Tots,” is an organization set up by the United States Marines. On this website one will be able to choose his or her state and country and be directed to a page that explains what the companies in a specific area are looking for. The website accepts online donations, and it also tells where toy drop sites are in order for people to give directly.

One can also donate money or gifts to other countries via samaritanspurse.org. There, one can “Send a Box” if you donate 35 dollars or people may decide to “Build a Box” for the same amount of money. In “Send a Box” the company chooses what gifts to put in a shoe box opposed to in “Build a Box” you are able to chose from toys online to put in a shoe box to be sent over seas. The majority of the people that visit this site choose to “Build a Box” because they are able to personalize it more. The donator is able to choose whether or not they want to send a shoebox full of toys to a boy or a girl and of what ages. This is a great way to make a child’s face light up on Christmas morning.

So when you are dong your holiday shopping, stop and think about the many small children that receive very little. Spread the holiday joy and donate to the less fortunate.

Healthy Holidays

by Lindsay White

It is easier to click ‘buy’ on your computer than to go out and deal with the frantic holiday shopping. But what happens to all of that exercise spent walking around looking for deals? This is a bad time of the year to take a vacation from your exercise and health. Even though it is bitterly cold outside and the food is hard to deny, you should be keeping up with the same healthy routines.

One of the best things about exercise is that you can eat whatever you want (within reason) and then burn it off with some exercise. Do fifty jumping jacks or 100 crunches nightly to keep your fitness in shape. Parking in the back of the store parking lot instead of the front is a great way to burn a few calories. Also, take a friend with you to the gym and you can gossip there while running on the treadmill. But do not set unrealistic exercise goals. Allow twenty minutes instead of an hour if you are running late. Once the snow kicks in, shovel instead of snow blowing your walkway. Build a snowman or have a snowball fight. Even ice-skating is a great way to burn calories.

All of the foods that you mindlessly snack on tend to add up the calories you do not want. However, if done the right way, you can eat what you want and still be fit. Take eggnog for example. When you buy eggnog, try picking the light version. Also, use half eggnog and half milk when preparing a drink for yourself. Since eggnog is in the top 5 worst holiday foods. Along with dips, creamy soups, mashed potatoes, and pecan pie. Instead of a creamy spinach dip, use salsa. Instead of mashed potatoes, prepare roasted potatoes. And as for pecan pie, mostly any other dessert is better than this. Try pumpkin pie; it has less calories and fat.

When going to a holiday party, eat a little something before leaving to suppress your appetite. Since most of the food at the party will most likely be packed with calories. Take a little bit of everything you would like to try on a small plate. It stops you from over-eating and still keeps you satisfied. Staying hydrated is also important. Keep water with you at all times and sip when you feel your getting hungry. Most importantly be safe and have a good holiday!

Call Me Scrooge!

By: Ashley Tibbetts

The Halloween decorations weren’t even off the isles of Wal-Mart before Christmas music was being heard over the loud speakers! Although every year new artists re make these Christmas songs, they’re all the same. Every year stores and radio stations seem to be so excited for Christmas they can’t wait to play all their favorite songs, that we hear EVERY year. Do we really need Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, and many other artists doing the same? It’s all the same. Call me Scrooge but come on! Storeowners and such play this continuous holiday music over and over again to the point where some can’t bare to hear it anymore. How many times do you have to listen to a song to get sick of it?

Maybe there should be a polite agreement with radio stations and store owners that permits them to only play Christmas music during the count down to Christmas, starting December 13^th.

Salvation Army: "Merry Christmas to (almost) all!"

By Rachel Partlow

You’ve seen them every year, and are likely to see them again. They stand in the cold by a red kettle, tightly bundled up in winter clothes, ringing a bell until their arms ache. Who are they? They’re the Salvation Army, a Christian charity organization whose collected funds give shelters to the homeless and food to the hungry. But is Salvation Army all about good will and helping the unfortunate? Sadly, no. Much like other stricter Christian denominations, most Salvation Army members believe that homosexuality is a sin, and this belief has manifested itself in ugly ways.

For legal reasons they are not allowed to discriminate against members. However, many employees have complained of Salvation Army’s anti-gay hiring practices. On Salvation Army’s official webpage, it is stated that 83 cents of every dollar collected goes straight to charity. But what of the other 17 cents? It is this fraction of money that allows Salvation Army to lobby to congress against gay rights. In fact, New York Times reported that the Salvation Army went to the White House to override anti-discrimination laws. It doesn’t take a lot of thought to guess who they were trying to gain the right to discriminate against.

Perhaps the Salvation Army’s worst homophobic offense happened in San Francisco. There, the Salvation Army refused government funding and closed several of their programs because of domestic partner laws. It just seems alarming that the Salvation Army would sacrifice aid to the poor just to show their incompliance with gay rights.

Nonetheless, Salvation Army does more good than it does harm, and not all its members share its views. It still remains the United State’s second largest provider of social aid, and it still helps more than thirty six million Americans. So next time you pass a charity collect, and think to donate, make sure you know exactly where your money is going.