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12/04/19

TheCLOCKTOWER

Political Guide to Surviving the Holidays Without Losing Your Mind appy holidays! We By Jacob Sanchez & Whats Inside Hhere at the Clocktower Gabreil Zita political writing staff Page 04 Operation Christmas

Page 08 Need a Gift?

Page 11 Traditions

know that coming back from Thanksgiving, the only thing you really want is for it to be Christmas break. While we can’t make that happen yet, in the spirit of giving, your two political writers wanted to give you the definitive Political Guide to Surviving the Holidays Without Losing Your Mind. In this short and sweet guide, both Jacob and Gabriel will try to give you helpful tips to navigating the holidays politically, while keeping yourself sane.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the guide!

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2| Clocktower Staff Editor-in-Chief Jovan Cross Assistant Editor Juliet Bromme 1 Layout Editor Chrisheline Kalawo Pre-plan Social Media Editor More than likely, you know your family and friends best.

Nicole Mckenzie You know which family members have a tendency to get Website Manager passionate, which friends can get political and which loved Celinda Mansilla ones can be both. Therefore, you should be prepared for these Section Editors eventualities, especially if you’re not political, or even if you Max Bromme just want to avoid the nonsense. Know where your exits are in case you need a quick escape and have a handful of funny Katie Buxton stories ready in case the conversation needs to be changed Claudia Bauemeister quickly.

Photographers Levi Ventura- Head Enoc Teron Joseph Lee Adreana Ward Avoid Politics if it Life Writers means relxing You have made it to the end of the semester. Let’s be Alexander Nesmith honest: we probably crawled to the end, possibly not Hannah Armstrong completely intact. But, most importantly, you are done and Hannah Drewieck you have a month off to reward yourself in whatever manner Religion you see fit. However, engaging in political debate probably Jade Covel isn’t the most relaxing thing. This isn’t to say you should avoid politics outright; there are certainly casual ways to discuss Entertainment public affairs (as we will explore later). Nevertheless, you’re TJ Pittinger going to want to catch up as much as possible on relaxing, and Political if politics gets you worked up, it’s probably best to just avoid Gabriel Zita the topic.

Jacob Sanchez 3 Sports Sierra Sanchez politics doesn’t News have to be ferverent Drew Hickman In fact, research indicates that downplaying a political World News affiliation is a good way to make a positive impression on Wesley Rodriguez-Diep people that don’t know you very well. Politics can lead to Social Media interesting and thoughtful debates; however, you should Instagram -@clocktowerasb ensure that your holidays stay enjoyable by making sure you don’t become overzealous with people you love.

Twitter - @ClocktowerASB Facebook -The Clocktower

Holiday Survival...

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4 Don’t use this time to bicker back and forth with family you haven’t seen in months As mentioned in the previous tip, politics can get some of us worked up. You wouldn’t want to turn an enjoyable evening with family into an uncomfortable situation due to opposing views. Focus this time on bonding with family and friends that you have been separated from. Families have enough. Families find enough to bicker about without bringing opposing political views to the table.

5 avoid holiday specific politics Specifically, debates like the “The War on Christmas” and topics like Jesus’ ethnicity (Pastor Rojas already spoke on this: Jesus is Mexican). These topics, while interesting, have a particular problem: due to the holiday season, they are likely to come up more than once.

PC: apiabroad.com If these topics become heated, these repetitious topics can quickly put a damper on your holidays. Instead, stick to political topics that are less likely to be brought up again.

6 return to common ground After all, when these issues are brought up and you may see it turning into something heated, look for common ground. Most opposing views aren’t on a problem, but how to fix it, which is where the division comes. If you disagree with a family member, remind them that you are not the only family but also Americans who are on the same team and want only what’s best for the country.

Just remember politics will always be waiting for you here at Union.

If at the end of your vacation you just can’t hold it in any longer, there will always be faculty, staff, and students here ready to disagree or agree with you. You will be able to get it all out in no time.

From both of your political writers, we want to wish you a very happy holiday. Pray for our country and leaders as we enter into this new year. May God bless each one of you and God bless America.

Jacob Sanchez is a freshman studying general studies.

Gabriel Zita is a junior studying psychology.

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UNION NEWS

oper ation Christmas child

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lthough self-sacrifice and service are touted as main parts of the holiday season, it can be more than a teensy bit difficult to find ways to get involved. Luckily, Union College was able to provide such an opportunity for its students. You may have noticed the behemoth-like stack of shoeboxes in the Dick Building next to Campus Ministries. Over the past few weeks, they’ve been promoting the Operation Christmas Child program, with each student presented an opportunity to fill one up.

Operation Christmas Child is a ministry by Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization. The concept is to pack any shoebox you find lying around with multiple little items: toothbrushes, packs of pencils, small toys or even stuffed animals. You’re able to pick the age range and gender of the recipient, and your box will be handed out to a lessprivileged child around the globe on Christmas day. It may seem simple and inexpensive, but it can make a world of difference for a little kid who can’t afford most of the items on their own. That’s the key to its effective ministry.

To ask how and why we get involved in this

project each year as a campus, I reached out to our chaplain, Pastor Rich Carlson. “I think that the most important benefit would be the joy of sharing with some little child in a war-torn or famine-stricken country. The kids receive gifts while we receive the joy,” he said in an interview. “I participate with my grandchildren every year just to help them learn the joy of giving. Each year we have a truly incredible response. The Physician Assistant students are our most active group on campus when it comes to these sorts of events, and I’m incredibly grateful to them for it.”

Although the date for collecting the boxes has long past, I’m sure there will be other ways to reach out to our communities over the coming break. It may be intimidating, but it’s important to pounce onto those opportunities.

It can really make a difference for someone else.

Drew Hickman is a sophomore studying communication.

ADVICE

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5 Ways To get in the christmas spirit 1.

Go

Christmas Shopping

Tree

Visiting your local tree farm during the holidays can be one of the best ways to get into the Christmas spirit.

Whether you go with friends or family, decorating a tree is a fun way to be involved while still being active. If you’re unable to buy a real one, there are many other options.

You can buy a fake tree or you can DIY a Christmas tree. Pinterest has tons of ideas for unique ways of making Christmas trees.

2. Watch a Christmas Movie Christmas is a great time to binge-watch all of your favorite Christmas classics. If you’re in the mood to watch something new, Netflix, Hulu and even Disney+ has Christmas movies.

Snuggle up with a cozy blanket, invite friends to join you and make some yummy snacks!

3. Throw a Holiday Party One of the best ways to feel the Christmas spirit is to have your favorite people around you. Whether that’s doing a white elephant themed party, movie night, cookie exchange or ornament exchange, there are many ways to throw a great party.

4. Decorate Holiday Cookies My favorite thing to do during the holidays is to bake sugar cookies and decorate them. It’s fun to get cookie cutouts that have different shapes, such as a snowman, Christmas tree, ornament or angel. You can add different frostings or sprinkles to decorate them. Make a day out of it with your friends or significant other. Once the cookies are finished baking, you can enjoy your hard work with a cup of hot chocolate and a good movie. Most likely you’ll have leftovers that you can enjoy later!

PC: unsplash.com | Arun Kuchibhotla

5. Holiday Activities A free activity that will surely get you into the mood is to check out your local Christmas light show. Fill up a cup with the hot drink of your choice, jump in the car with your best friends and find a neighborhood that has an epic lights show. Some towns even have home tours where you can see homes decorated with tons of lights and decorations. If this isn’t for you, check out local craft shows and festivals.

Most have great holiday foods to try! Another activity to do is to go ice skating. It can be great to do on an afternoon with nothing else to do.

It’ll get you active, while also having a great time! The holidays are the perfect time to get involved. There are many local homeless shelters and other charities that need your help this Christmas season. Giving to others is an excellent way to get into the Christmas spirit and make a difference in your community.

Hannah Armstrong is a senior studying health and human performance.

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WORLD NEWS

Christmas the global citizen

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hanksgiving is over which means that basically Christmas is here. If you don’t believe me, look literally everywhere around you.

On campus, we have things like lights wrapped around trees and the Christmas tree decorating competition between divisions. Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, you can’t deny how it seems to take over all around. But what about the world? How do they celebrate and how is it different from some of the things we do here?

In Serbia the predominant religion is the Orthodox church meaning they still use the ‘Julian’ calendar. For them, Christmas Eve is January 6 and Christmas is on the 7th. On Christmas morning, they greet the sunrise with singing, shouting and firing guns into the air.

In Bangladesh only 0.3% of the population is Christian, yet Christmas is still regarded as a public holiday. This comes as a surprise since 85% of country is actually Muslim. Most of the Christians celebrate as typical Catholics by attending Mass and other events, but many western Christmas traditions are becoming mainstream all throughout the country.

In Croatia they create a Christmas wreath with four candles symbolizing hope, peace, love and joy. Young men give their girlfriends decorated apples. Other saints days are also celebrated such as St. Nicholas, in which children clean and shine their shoes in hopes that St. Nicholas would see they’ve been good and fill them with presents. But if they’d been bad, then Krampus would get them instead.

Palestine is another interesting case such as Bangladesh. Although the majority of the population isn’t Christian, the people are proud at the fact that Jesus was born in Bethleham which is in Palestinian territory.

There are parades with bagpipes and other kinds of Christmas celebrations including

PC: unsplash.com | Greyson Joralemon

Mass in the church that was built over where Jesus is believed to have been born.

Christmas around the world has inspired celebration, unity, and peace. Many cultural differences have arisen and shaped the celebrations which show the diversity in mankind. There is no single right way to celebrate Christmas and that is one of the things that make it beautiful because everyone can enjoy it in a way that makes them happy. Keep in mind this holiday season that there is so much to be celebrated and enjoyed with family and friends. Make the most of it and maybe challenge yourself to learn a thing or two about somewhere else.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up liking it so much you’ll practice that tradition yourself!

Wesley Rodriguez-Diep is a senior studying international relations.

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Holiday Blues ttmoaius

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inter is coming to Europe. So far it has been cold and gray. The most festive weather that we’ve had is rain and fog. Since Thanksgiving isn’t a thing here, Christmas decorations have begun to sporadically pop up at random times in random intervals. This winter is shaping up to be an interesting experience of French and European culture.

The best way to begin describing the current state of France during this holiday season is dismal. Without traditional American celebrations like Thanksgiving and Halloween, the holiday season seems rather sparse. The French celebrate Christmas and the New Year with a couple of minor holidays in between, but compared to the traditional rush of five holidays in six weeks it seems like something is missing.

Another missing piece to my French holiday season is snow - an essential part of what I consider to be winter. Snow really brings together the idea of Christmas and the holiday season. A soft, glowing white blanket covering everything outside can really get you into the festivities of the holidays, but so far it has only been raining in Europe. And it’s been cold. Though these are the two ingredients for snow, we’re just experiencing the rain in

the cold. A cold, soggy holiday isn’t exactly the greatest backdrop for the holiday spirit.

The end of the trimester is not exactly what I would’ve expected either. Trimesters are a weird thing if you’ve been used to the semester system for your entire education.

While it may not be a huge amount of time that you’ll be missing out, it still feels as if something is missing. Students will be returning to their native university and other students will be arriving to spend a trimester learning the language. Stress levels are high with finals rearing their head and government progress tests checking to see whether or not we are actually learning. The tests are much like finals in America, but instead of normal classes they are all French.

All this being said, I still can’t imagine any other place I would like to be. The weather isn’t terribly cold, each trimester doesn’t seem to drag on forever like semesters and making memories with new people is always a plus.

Sharing experiences with new found friends is never a bad thing and watching non-Americans try and match the holiday spirit is always a blast. Though some things seem to be missing during this holiday season, winter in France has proven interesting and different enough to still be good. It is just in a different way.

Alexander Nesmith is a sophomore studying communication.

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LIFE WRITING

unique christmas gift ideas

Cthe

hristmas is right around

corner! If you’re someone who always struggles to pick out that “perfect” gift, here are some unique ideas you haven’t considered yet.

Bob Ross Fuzzy Socks (Amazon - $15.49) – Bob Ross on fuzzy socks – what more could you want? Choose between happy clouds or happy trees!

Icewater 3-in-1 Smart Water Bottle (Amazon - $21.99) Not only does this water bottle glow every hour to remind you to drink, it also doubles as a Bluetooth speaker!

AvoSeedo Avocado Tree Growing Kit (Amazon - $10.95) – Give the avocado lover in your life this inexpensive kit so they can start growing their own tree.

French Macarons Assorted Gift Box (Amazon - $29.95) – This box includes 12 macarons of different flavors – the perfect gift for a foodie who likes to try new things.

Alomidds Weighted Blanket (Amazon - $35.99) – Not only are these perfect for the cold weather, but weighted blankets have been shown to alleviate stress and improve sleep.

Organic 6 Piece Bamboo Utensils Set (Amazon - $12.95) – Need a gift for someone who loves to cook? Get them this set of paint-dipped bamboo utensils.

Socks Covered in Your Face (Divvyup.com - $24.00) – Looking for a gift for a sibling? Put your face on a pair of socks – the reaction will be hilarious!

iPhone Charging Cord Bracelet (Amazon - $14.99) – Give your friend whose phone is always dying a portable charger in bracelet form – problem solved.

Unsolved Case Files Game (Amazon - $26.99) – Know someone into mysteries and true-crime documentaries? This table game allows them to put their detective skills to the test.

Hot Sauce Making Kit (Amazon $41.82) – With this kit, the recipient can combine spices and peppers to create their own hot sauce, customized to burn their tongue just how they like it.

I hope this list gave you some ideas.

Here’s to your family and friends never finding out you waited until the last minute to buy their gifts! Merry Christmas!

PC: Juliana Malta

Hannah Drewieck is a sophomore studying business administration.

SPORTS

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s.s. Sports

PC: oursportscentral.com

! This is the last Warticle you will see from ow

me this semester! It’s winter time and we are starting to feel unbelievably low temperatures, especially for me, since you know, I’m from California. Anyway, winter sports are here!

Because there is not much to do out here in Nebraska, people have recently been going to hockey games.

Whether you got free tickets or just enjoy watching some hockey, the games are guaranteed to be a good time. Our local team is the Lincoln Stars, and they are currently second in the Western Conference of the United States Hockey League. It seems they play a good game.

Hockey seems to be one of the most popular winter sports among those who enjoy seeing the intense fights and the exciting plays. A hockey game is a great place to bring a date or just visit with friends. The Stars host promotional events like family, throwback and even fan appreciation nights. If you go to one

of these you can get discounted tickets and the chance to win team merchandise.

This December is the last month of the 2010s, and a lot has happened in sports during this last decade. I hope you can appreciate how far athletics have improved. Hope to see you next semester!

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Sierra Sanchez is a freshman studying biomedical science.

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ENTERTAINMENT

All i want for christmas is...

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ariah Carey sings one of, if not the most, famous Christmas song of all time: “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Its’ impact is undeniable. It still makes Miss Carey so much money every year because it gets played endlessly every Christmas season. You can’t go one year without singing along with it.

Not many of us are actual Scrooges who are unable to sing along with it before

Thanksgiving. Whenever it comes on the radio, even the coldest human says “wow it’s too early for Christmas music…

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU.” We all know the words to the song.

Whenever I hear it I just can’t be quiet.

When Mariah sings that well-known bridge I point my fingers to my friends and sing “is you” with her. It’s just that good.

Christmas music was always a large part of the holidays in my home thanks to my mom. She played so many Christmas songs by Amy Grant, Brian Seltzer and the queen herself: Mariah Carey. I know “All I Want for Christmas is You” because

it plays non-stop in my house around this time of the year. Now when it plays on the radio, I can’t get the memories of family Christmases out of my head.

Everybody knows at least one part from the song. Maybe like me, you have memories of it playing in your house. Maybe you remember it playing in stores as you shopped for Christmas gifts or even as you opened your gifts on Christmas morning.

This song has been a part of much of our lives.

“All I Want for Christmas is You” is a fun-

loving Christmas song that has a big place in my heart, partly because of nostalgia and partly because it is just a great song.

When you are Christmas shopping for that special person and you hear the song, don’t forget to enjoy their company. Take time to find that perfect gift. Then when the time comes and that person sings this song to you, laugh because you realize that more than a gift, they just wanted to be with you.

TJ Pittinger is a freshman studying theology.

RELIGION

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Christmas Tr aditions

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ost of us have Christmas traditions, whether it’s gift giving, reuniting with family or a particular meal.

My family’s traditions include saving all our Christmas songs and decorations for Thanksgiving night. Then, we pick out our live tree and decorate it. On Christmas day, us kids had to wait in our rooms until our parents woke up. Then we would rush downstairs and open our stockings. There are also religious traditions and beliefs surrounding Christmas, some of which are myths. Below is a quiz about some of these: 1. How many wise men were there?

A. 3 B. 5 C. 7 This was a trick question. The Bible does not say how many wise men there were. It only lists the gifts they brought. The three gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh - are probably where the tradition of the three wise men came from.

2. What time of the year was Jesus born?

A. Spring B. Summer C. Fall D. Winter A, B or C. The Bible says that the shepherds were out in the fields watching their sheep. Because shepherds only had their sheep out at pasture from spring through October, Jesus could not have been born in the winter, as is traditionally thought.

3. When did the wise men visit Jesus?

A. The night of Jesus’ birth B. Within the first month of Jesus’ life C. Up to two years later C. It is often assumed that the wise men visited Jesus shortly after His birth.

However, there is Biblical evidence to the contrary. When the wise men talked to Herod, Matthew says that Herod was careful to determine the exact time the star appeared. He then killed all children two years old and younger. This indicates that the wise men may have seen Jesus up to two years after he was born.

4. Jesus was an only child A. True B. False C. Unknown A. Yes, Jesus did have siblings. It is unclear if they were full or half brothers, but both Luke and Mark mention Jesus’ brothers.

While most traditions are fun and harmless it is important to be aware of how PC: amazon.com tradition affects views of religious matters.

Jade Covel is a junior studying religion.

PC: Adreana Ward

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DID YOU KNOW: WISHING YOU A

Rudolph’s red nose is probably the result of a parasitic infection of his respiratory system

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE CLOCKTOWER STAFF

THE PUNDERBOWL

How did Mary and Joseph know Jesus’ weight when he was born? They had a weigh in a manger!

The Clocktower encourages reader feedback and strives to maintain accuracy. If you have comments, please email us at cltower@gmail.com.

The Clocktower, established in 1927 and sponsored by the Associated Student Body of Union College, is published semi-weekly during the fall and spring semesters.

The opinions expressed are the opinions of the writers and are not to be construed as the opinion of the editors, Associated Student Body, Union College, or the Seventh-day Adventist Church.