Welcome to the Most Wonderful Season of Year
BY ALI SWEE Editor-in-Chief
“T
family that brags children’s every accomplishment, the awkward family in oddly-artificial looking snow and, my personal favorite, the “do we even know these people?” (relive the rest of the awkward moments on page 20) But in all seriousness, the holiday season is warmly welcomed by families across the world. For some reason a shimmering evergreen tree and a simple story of a baby in a manager is enough to bring a family together
Through the changes, come new traditions. My sister and I choose our own Christmas outfits now. This year will be my new puppy’s first Christmas and we’ll write his first Christmas letter. And on Christmas day, we’ll bring Christmas to my grandparents. Sometimes, as hard as it is, life is about accepting change, rather than fighting it. It’s about embracing the past, smiling through the present and hoping for the future. Life moves fast, so it’s the simple moments, like a family photo or a Christmas dinner that truly count. So ‘tis the season to embrace the awkward family Christmas card photos, overload on cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies, and rock that Spanish final (for more tips see page 15). ‘Tis the season to pick out the perfect gift for your best friends (see our holiday gift guide on page 16), indulge on Christmas cookies and sip hot chocolate by the fireside. And ‘tis the season to never lose that Christmas spirit, the enduring hope that produces miracles and those magical white Christmases.
“Life moves fast, so it’s the simple moments, like a family photo or a Christmas dinner that truly count.”
is the season to cram for finals, pray for snow days and relive the dysfunctional family get-togethers. If you haven’t been blasting Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe” since its October 17th release, the rest of us would like to officially welcome you to the holiday season. Break out the matching Christmas sweaters, snap a picture and preset your radio to Kansas City’s newest Christmas music stations (94.1 KFKF and 99.7 The Point). Every year, we look forward to everything about the holiday season, from the Christmas dinner to the first Christmas cards of the season. We have the ones featuring the
Christmas Eve, we go out to dinner and always go through Longview’s Christmas in the Park light show. Always. Regardless of whether there is a huge snow storm or not, the tradition prevails. When we get home, my sister and I write Christmas letters. We set out the cookies, hang the stockings and lay out all three letters. One from myself, one from my little sister and one from our dog, complete with a messy paw print signature. The night
and evoke smiles from even the most coldhearted of souls. We celebrate all those in our lives who have blessed us throughout the year (We are thankful for our superheroes of Sion...for more see page 10). We rejoice in the idea that even with the frosty chill winter brings, our hearts are warmed. We look forward to traditions, which may border upon juvenile any other day of the year. Every year, the more my family seems to change and grow up, Christmas stays eerily the same.
ends with reading “The Night Before Christmas.” Then the lights turn off as visions of sugarplums dance through our heads. However, over the years, life has evolved. No longer do my sister and I don matching Christmas pajamas. Through the years, we’ve written letters for three dogs, all three now gone. And my grandma, who used to sit upon the fireplace reading “the Night before Christmas” to us, now spends Christmas in the nursing home with my grandpa, hundreds of miles away.
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is the official publication of Notre Dame de Sion High School 10631 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, MO 64114. Member
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ali Swee FEATURES EDITOR Maura Eveld A&E EDITOR Delaney Bates
MANAGING EDITOR Taylor Escher
LAYOUT/DESIGN EDITOR EDITORIAL/NEWS EDITOR Emma Eveld Elizabeth Gianino SPORTS EDITOR Audrey Saracini
PHOTO EDITOR Lucy Gasal
Missouri Interscholastic Press Assoc. National Scholastic Press Assoc. Columbia Scholastic Press Assoc. International Quill and Scroll
PUBLICATIONS BOARD Michelle Olson Kay Walkup
ADVISER Alison Long
WEB-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Katie Mahoney
Ali Swee Taylor Escher
Melissa Wilcox Penny Selle
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Emily DeCoursey REPORTERS Emma Grojean, Laura Travis, Victoria Kenner, Sarah Holland, Meg Cowan , Shannon Laird
Jane McCormack Carole Wall-Simmons
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