December 2020
Holiday Letter from Parkside Important Information Join Res Council Staying at Parkside During the Holidays Winter is Here Quiet Hours - Exam Season Unit Cleaning Reminder Throwback Gallery Community Policy Reminder Resident Spotlight What's going on at Parkside - December Edition Holiday Movie Challenge Hot Chocolate Recipes Christmas Countdown Christmas on a Budget CAs Here to Help
Happy Holidays Parksiders! As we approach the holiday season and busy crunch time with exams. Parkside would like to remind you of all of our study rooms are available to you 24/7. Feel free to use the study rooms for your late night study/cram sessions. For those of you who do not follow us on social media. Follow us at Parkside111 now on facebook, instagram, and twitter. Updates will be available through our social media accounts and check out some fun stuff to do this holiday season. Parkside wishes you all a Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! Tis the season, Parkside Student Residence
https://bit.ly/pswinterb
WINTER IS HERE
KEEP WINDOWS CLOSED & HEAT ON To Avoid Frozen Pipes
EXAM QUIET HOURS During exams we have a 24 hour quiet policy, please respect and keep noise levels to a minimum
REMINDER PLEASE PHYSICAL DISTANCE YOURSELF AND WEAR A MASK WHEN OUTSIDE OF YOUR UNIT
Hi! It's Israa (@israamd) and I am currently pursuing my Masters in Electrical Engineering at Ryerson. I would love to share one of my hobbies on Parkside's resident spotlight today which is Exploring different cuisines! Trying authentic cuisines from various
MEET
continents excites me. I was born and raised in Abu Dhabi so I got exposed to Arab cuisine which will always be my favourite and after I started travelling I
ISRAA
explored various cultural cuisines. I have tried about 26 cuisines and I have way more to go. I am always willing to learn different aspects of a culture or tradition and I think the food is the best gateway to culture.
HOIDAY MOVIE
Challenge Try to watch a different holiday movie leading up to the Holidays! Here are a list of recent movies and some childhood movies to help get you started. How the Grinch Stole Christmas Jack Frost The Nightmare Before Christmas Mean Girls Home Alone Home Alone 2: Lost In New York Home Alone 3 Elf The Polar Express Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer The Muppets A Charlie Brown Christmas Frosty the Snowman Krampus Jack Frost Edward Scissorhands Jingle All the Way
The Santa Clause A Christmas Story Noelle Frozen A Christmas Carol ‘Twas The Night The Nutcracker Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish Santa Clause 1 Santa Clause 2 Santa Clause 3 Santa Paws I’ll be Home for Christmas A Christmas Carol Holidate Christmas with the Kranks
Hot Chocolate Recipes Celebrating Sweets-Homemade Hot Chocolate This recipe is made with a combination of cocoa powder and chocolate chips. The cocoa powder adds the distinct “hot cocoa� flavour, and the chocolate chips melt into the mixture making this drink extra creamy, rich and luxurious. A splash of vanilla extract rounds out all that chocolaty flavour and makes this what I consider the perfect Homemade Hot Chocolate. Place the milk of your choice in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Using milk instead of water, makes this hot chocolate extra creamy and flavourful. Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar, and heat until warm. Once the milk is warm, add chocolate chips, whisking until they melt into the milk. Add a splash of vanilla extract. Serve immediately, topped with your favourite garnishes: marshmallows, whipped cream, chopped chocolate, crushed candy canes or more A Taste of Home- Homemade Hot Cocoa In a saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and salt. Add water; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in milk; heat to serving temperature (do not boil). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Whisk until frothy. If desired, garnish with marshmallows, cream or cinnamon sticks. 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup baking cocoa Dash salt 1/3 cup hot water 4 cups milk 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract Miniature marshmallows, sweetened whipped cream or cinnamon sticks, optional French Hot Chocolate In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and espresso powder until small bubbles appear around the edges. Do not allow the mixture to boil.Remove from saucepan from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until melted, returning the sauce to low heat if needed for the chocolate to melt completely. Serve warm, topped with lots of whipped cream. 1 1/2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 teaspoons powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder optional, but delicious for intensifying chocolate flavor 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate at least 70%, chopped* Giant bowl of whipped cream for serving
HOLIDAY CHALLENGE Day 1 Start preparing your Christmas List Day 2 Read a Christmas story to a loved one Day 3 Have a date night with mom or dad Day 4 Make candied popcorn and have a game night Day 5 Write letters to Santa Day 6 Gather up toys to donate Day 7 Try homemade hot chocolate Day 8 Help homeless people around Day 9 Decorate gingerbread houses Day 10 Gather some old clothes to donate Day 11 Finish up schoolwork Day 12 Decorate your X-mas tree Day 13 Sing Christmas Carols with friends or family Day 14 Prepare food for a loved one Day 15 Decorate your room with some lights Day 16 Have a Christmas photo challenge day Day 17 Prepare gifts Day 18 Make a snowman Day 19 Make paper snowflakes to decorate your home Day 20 Go Ice skating Day 21 Watch Christmas movies Day 22 Share motivational quotes Day 23 Make X-mas cards Day 24 Wait for the surprise Day 25 Merry Christmas, enjoy your days with loved ones
8 Tips for Celebrating Christmas on a Budget 1. Decorate with what is meaningful to you When you think about the real meaning behind Christmas decorations, they are used to add a festive touch according to your tastes and based on what the holiday means for you. Whether you believe in the religious roots of Christmas, or just like the magic of the whole season, pick your decorations to express that, without feeling pressure for more. You can’t compete with Martha Stewart or the big shopping malls, but you can choose what is displayed at your home. Below are some easy ways: (i) Pick your favourite ornaments or toys to add to the tree or hang in their rooms (ii) Make simple handmade tree trimmings (iii) Choose a string of lights If your budget Christmas has minimal or no allowance for decorations, choose a string of lights only. They will instantly make any room look Christmas-y 2. Set the right atmosphere Christmas is one of the most atmospheric times, when memories are recalled, scents encourage thoughts, and there’s a feeling in the air that makes everything seems possible. To make sure you will have a beautiful celebration at home, set the right atmosphere, by including warm and festive smells, cozy corners and of course the right tunes. You can do these: (i) Play a CD or YouTube videos (ii) Take out cozy blankets (iii) Put a few spices and fruit simmering on the stove 3. Plan family activities ahead Include board games or classic group activities during and/or after the Christmas meal, to have something to look forward to and shift the focus from the food or the gifts. No one remembers how many side dishes they had last year, but memories from funny times and inside jokes created over-board games are more likely to stay forever. Start brainstorming ideas beforehand and ask for everyone’s opinion on what they’d like to do. This also teaches your kids that family time needs planning too, same as presents and food. If you’re not fond of games, looking at family photo albums would be lovely and fun too. 4. Cook together as a family What you are serving on your table doesn’t matter if everyone is grumpy and disappointed or rushing to get to a party afterwards. A happy meal is made of happy sharing. To encourage more interaction and fun in your family, try to involve everyone with the food preparations. Even toddlers can help wash vegetables or cut cheese. Having everyone work as a team will ensure a fun time; just remember to ignore the mess and be more open to things not being done your way. In the end, all of you will appreciate the labor of love sitting on the table and might even linger a bit more sitting around and talking to each other, instead of heading for the phone or TV.
8 Tips for Celebrating Christmas on a Budget 5. Use all you have in your pantry Doing a budget Christmas is a great opportunity to take out every food item from your fridge and cupboards. Make a rule of buying no food unless you have used everything you already have at home. Plan your meals around them and incorporate some in the festive meal too. You might come up with interesting combinations and new flavours. 6. Serve finger food If you are having guests over, serve meatless dishes and a lot of appetizer-style ones. Small bites and finger food are child-friendly, too. Anything that can be served cold or at room temperature will cut your time. 7. Re-gifting done right If you haven’t already, start to embrace re-gifting right now. Even experts give it a thumbs up, as long as it’s done right. Ditch the guilt and the social embarrassment fear by following these simple tips: Make sure you know who gave the item to you Don’t re-gift it to someone related to the person who gave it to you The item should be new and functioning The person who will get it will love it and use it 8. Spend your time instead of money Don’t spend a dime on wrapping paper or gift tags, fancy bottled beverages or anything you can make yourself easily. If you really want to commit to spending less this year, consider every coin you can save and be ready to spend a little more time making things. Also, follow the rule of one present per person only. You’d be surprised, but studies have led to the conclusion that a second gift lowers the value of the whole experience.