Never Too Old for the Big Guy

Taking a picture with Santa Clause is a holiday tradition for many families with both toddlers and college kids. Some parents think as your kids get older, they won't want to do all these corny and childish traditions such as letters to Santa and sitting on his lap in the mall. But boy were they wrong! No one is too old to have their wish list read to the big guy in the red suit. Many parents frown upon this type of behavior when they should be encouraging their kids. Carrying on these traditions with their immediate family will help them start their own traditions with their future family someday.  

Taking pictures with Santa Clause just adds to the Christmas spirit so I don't see why people feel the need to tell their kids that they're too old. When your freshman in college comes home for the holidays after their first semester away from home, they tend to digress to a child like state because they miss being home. They miss being around family and being a kid. Once you're handed all that freedom in college, that's when some college students truly realize that they're pretty much on their own. They're an adult now. Every adult misses being a kid, whether they agree to that statement or not all depends on the person, but adults get to relive some childhood memories through their kids. Most college students don't have children, so they relive them by going home and acting like a kid around the family. It's a defense mechanism, or a way to cope with being away from home for the first time.  

Parents need to encourage this kind of behavior instead of giving them a stern talking to. When college kids come home for the holidays they want to relive all those good childhood memories, not the ones where they were scolded. Hopefully after a couple of years they will feel more comfortable being on their own and won't feel the need to act like a child, especially if they have kids of their own they can relive childhood memories with. Parents, try to encourage your kids as much as possible because hopefully one day they have traditions such as these with their own kids to ensure that they get a great childhood just like they had. 

Word Count: 388 

Who Says Christmas Has To Be Expensive?

Not every gift around the holiday season has to be elaborate and fancy. Many people nowadays actually prefer homemade gifts over high end jewelry, especially if they know it was made with a little TLC. With Pinterest being such a big hit, many people have looked to the internet to find ideas as to what to make, instead of get, for their friends and family this Christmas. There are many stores out there such as Hobby Lobby, which is my personal favorite, where you can buy all the materials you may need for homemade gifts for a very low cost. 

Something as simple as hot chocolate and marshmallows can make someone smile as big as the moon. Instead of handing them a couple of packets of hot chocolate mix, you can make it creative by putting them in a huge coffee mug. Or you can get a Mason Jar, fill it half full of hot chocolate mix, then a layer of or two or marshmallows, then a layer of chocolate chips, and a layer of little peppermint candies to top it off. Make sure you seal the lid so everything doesn't come tumbling out when you hand it to them.  Being creative can turn a simple gift into a smile. 

Something very similar to the hot chocolate in a jar, could be as simple as a jar full of festive candies. It doesn't have to be just festive candies either. It could be someone's favorite type of candy or any kind of candy you think they might enjoy. Fill the Mason Jar full of whatever candy or goody you have decided on, then seal the lid and you can decorate the outside however you would like. You can wrap it in an assortment of ribbons and bows, you can put stickers on it, you can paint it, you could even bedazzle it. As long as you made it yourself, your loved on is going to love it. 

Handmade Christmas ornaments are always a big hit with the grandparents. If you have little kids, or even if you're a college student, no family member can say no to a cute make-it-yourself Christmas tree ornament. You can buy just a plain bulb ornament at Hobby Lobby for a couple of dollars and decorate it with sparkles, paint, ribbon, etc. When it comes to decorating a Christmas gift, the possibilities are endless. 

If you have someone going off to college, their Christmas list might look something like this: décor for the walls, command strips, towels, a shower caddy, lotions, a loofah, a flat screen TV, a microwave, etc. You can buy a lot of these kinds of things at the dollar general store; obviously not the more expensive items, but almost everything else. Buy a couple of these essentials they will need for college and put them in a cute little basket. Slap on a bow and a card and you've got yourself a present.  

For a Secret Santa gift, if you don't know the person all that well, it can be kind of tough. However, if you know a couple of their favorites, it makes things a whole lot easier. Things such as their favorite candy, favorite color, favorite movie, favorite kind of gum, etc. You can easily go out and buy some of their favorites and not have to spend a whole paycheck by going to your local general store; they're bound to have what you're looking for. You can put all these items in a cute little box or bag and viola! You have your Secret Santa gift.

Word Count: 598

Ugly Sweater Contests: New Holiday Traditions

For some odd reason, people find it amusing to host ugly sweater parties around the holiday season. I'm not entirely sure how or where this all got started, but whomever is responsible for this new tradition that has been adopted by many people around the world, definitely has something to cheer about this Christmas. When choosing an ugly sweater you mustn't just pick one at random. There are many different things to consider when choosing which sweater looks worse. 

If you were to wear an ugly sweater out in public about thirty years ago, you would probably get laughed at. Nowadays, people compliment others on their horrible attire and think they're "cool" and "hipster." But who decides what's hipster and what's not? Just because someone calls you hipster doesn't make you one. It's all about opinion. One person may believe you're a hipster and another might think you're trying too hard to be cool. Same goes for an ugly sweater. It's pretty bad and embarrassing if someone comes up to you and compliments you on a sweater they think is cute when you prefer to call it hideous. Or if you compliment someone on having an ugly sweater when they didn't intend on wearing it to be funny or a joke. Just to be safe, if you want to compliment someone on an ugly sweater, you might be better off saying something like, "Nice sweater!" This way they can't tell if you mean it sincerely or if you think it's hipster because it's ugly. 

Styles and fads from twenty to thirty years ago are coming back around and becoming a part of today's culture. The type of sweaters that are considered ugly today were more than likely "in" at one point and seen as fashionable many years ago. These types of attire are coming back into style but not exactly in the best of light. People take pride in wearing these old looking sweaters because people think they're ugly and that's the punchline. Ugly sweaters are meant to be funny. The reason people wear them is to get a reaction from other people and to be noticed.  

Seeing as ugly sweaters have become such a popular style, many department stores are selling them at higher and higher prices every year around the holidays. Some sweaters go for thirty to forty dollars at certain stores. However, what most people don't know is that you can buy an authentic ugly sweater at consignment stores such as Goodwill and Stuff Etc. Ugly sweaters look better if they're worn out because it shows that someone did wear it as a fashionable outfit at one point. Knowing that someone wore a sweater so ugly and thought it was cute just adds to the comicalness of the sweater. 

Word Count: 464

Black Friday Shopping

Black Friday shopping has become somewhat of a big deal now a days. It used to be where stores would open their doors at five or six in the morning on the day after Thanksgiving to allow people get a head start on their Christmas shopping. Now, stores are advertising that they will be opening at midnight and eleven P.M. on Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving is a time for family to be together and be thankful for what they have, not a time to trample over people and fight over who saw it first.  

Thanksgiving is a time for showing people how much you appreciate them and a time to give thanks for everything you have been blessed with. People in society have turned a day of thanks into a day of competition and greed. To beat out other stores, many department stores have advertised they’re opening their doors on Thanksgiving Day as early as five P.M. Because of the new opening times, some people decide to spend their Thanksgiving Day standing in line, in freezing cold weather, instead of inside a warm house with their family, eating turkey and gravy like most people.  

Greed tends to take over most people on the day after Thanksgiving; even on the day of Thanksgiving. Black Friday shopping brings out the evil in most people. All they care about it getting what they want at the lowest price possible. Even the most unselfish people can turn on you while shopping at three in the morning; it may also have something to do with sleep deprivation. People will stand in line for hours on end on Thanksgiving Day and don’t find time to sleep. Energy drinks and coffee tend to be people’s main source of energy.  

Black Friday shopping isn't all bad though. Many people take advantage of the lower prices to get Christmas gifts for their loved ones at prices they can afford. 

Word Count: 320