Tigard High School's The Print- December 2013

The Print Page 3-- Instagram Page 4&5-- Holiday Gift Guide Page 6-- Skinny wallets PAge 7-- Ugly holiday sweaters Page 8-- Holiday submissions

Tigard High School 9000 SW Durham Rd Tigard, OR 97224 Volume 88. Edition 2

Editor’s Letter

In the month of December, the cheerful greeting, ‘Merry Christmas,’ naturally rolls off my tongue.

Up until a few years ago, I was completely unaware that this common phrase is actually politically incorrect. I have celebrated Christmas all my life but I wouldn’t consider myself particularly religious; it’s both shocking and surprising to me that saying the word, ‘Christmas’, has become such a controversial topic of the holiday season.

In planning this month’s edition of The Print, the newspaper staff struggled with remembering to keep holiday themed stories neutral. The staff took turns correcting each other whenever someone would accidently say ‘Christmas’ instead of ‘holiday.’ However, nobody seemed to be able to explain the wrong in wishing someone a Merry Christmas.

As I looked into it, I found that although Christmas originated from Christianity it has become less and less religiously oriented. According to a 2010 Gallup Poll, a whooping ninety-five percent of Americans celebrate Christmas, but only fifty-one perfect see the holiday as a strongly religious event. It was also reported that eighty percent of non-Christians living in the U.S. celebrate this Christian holiday.

Eight years ago, the American Family Association began working with retailers to replace ‘Merry Christmas’ with ‘Happy Holidays.’ Eighty percent of retailers have since resorted to more generic holiday approaches, but according to a 2010 Rasmussen report, seventy percent of American adults prefer to be greeted with ‘Merry Christmas’ rather than ‘Happy Holidays.’Radio host of the Fox Business Network, Louis “Lou” Dobbs, even goes so far to argue that saying ‘Happy Holidays’ is a deliberate attempt to exclude Christians.

This year, businesses such as Gap Inc., have taken a stand against this so called “War on Christmas.” The company announced that they plan to embrace the diversity of their customers and respect all traditions and faith during the holidays, including Christmas. This winter, Gap has proudly displayed Christmas decorations throughout their stores. Former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, has also taken a stand against the exclusion of Christ in Christmas. Palin’s new book: “Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of America,” explores the origin of Christmas and it’s true meaning.

My wish for this holiday season is for us all to be able to greet each other without a second thought or hesitation. Although the phrase, ‘Merry Christmas’ may not be politically correct, no one should be excluded or singled out during this joyous time of year.

This month the newspaper staff has made it our goal to be as diverse as possible and I hope that our hard work shines. As always, I wish you a happy reading and if you have any comments or suggestions, please contact me at amandalam14@gmail.com.

The Print Staff EXECUTIVE EDITOR Amanda Lam

WRITERS

Becca Ramirez Caitlin Britch Khanlinh Le Maddie Fiorante Nicole Pelissier Tate Watson

DESIGN EDITOR Sana Mohammed

DESIGNERS Hannah Wyatt Nicole Pelissier Sam Larson Zach Larson

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Lexie Wagar

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Abby Snow Brittney Tran Isabel Choi Jessie Li Katelyn Nottingham Nick VanSant

ONLINE EDITOR Allie Chino

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Happy haul-idays

Gifts for the important people in your life this year

By Tate Watson Photos by Jessie Li

FOR YOUR MOM

A spa basket full of goodies would be a wonderful idea for your Mama.

While a nice sweater or a pair of shoes is a nice gift, what many moms would most appreciate is time to themselves and relaxation. Since sending your mom to Coldwater Creek can run upwards of $200, a less spendy alternative is to create a homemade spa day for her. Bath and Body Works carries a variety of soaps, body scrubs, and lotions in their True Blue Spa line that are buy two get one free right now! Since all the items range from $10-15 this will be an easy present that won’t break the bank. A basket full of goodies and a promise to keep your little siblings out of your moms hair for a whole afternoon will create a gift to remember.

FOR YOUR BEST FRIEND

Seniors Maribeth Allen and Lily Vitali made a collage full of their favorite pictures together. This is an awesome idea for you and your best friend.

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What to get the person who has everything? If it seems like there’s nothing that your best friend doesn’t have, go for a sentimental gift rather than a showy one. Creating a picture collage of your friendship is a meaningful gift that will help the both of you remember all the good times you’ve had and why you’re best friends in the first place.

Take pictures off of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or use ones you have at home and glue them onto a poster. Typing up and gluing on inside jokes you have together or quotes from your favorite movies will bring up hilarious memories and make your gift even more special. If your friend is going off to college next year, this is a great gift that they’ll be able to hang up in their college dorm room and always remember the good times you’ve had. And of course, adding a gift card or item from their favorite store (i.e.

Qdoba, Starbucks, Urban Outfitters, etc) will only make the present that much better. Combine their two favorite things in one present- $15 worth of Qdoba burritos and your friendship!

FOR YOUR SECRET SANTA Holidays are the perfect time to get together with friends and exchange gifts. Sports teams and parties often include a secret santa or white elephant gift exchange in their holiday activities, leaving vroom for creative and hilarious gifts. If you don’t know or aren’t close with the person whose name you drew, a present any high schooler would love to get is a coffee package from Starbucks. Putting a gift card, festive mug, and a packet of Starbucks shortbread in a cute bag will create a delicious present that will sure to be the hot ticket item at any gift exchange.

Juniors Kylen Tromblay and Angela Tran sip coffee out of their new Christmas mugs.

A Starbucks gift card would be perfect with their new mug.

FOR YOUR DAD Men notoriously aren’t as vocal with what they want as women are so it can be tricky to figure out what to get your dad. Instead of picking out a random gift from the guy’s section and calling it good, think of your dad’s favorite hobby. Find your dad a gift that he’ll use every day and will actually be excited to receive. If he loves to fish, a new rod would make his Christmas morning. If your dad thinks he’s the next Lebron James, pick out a new basketball so he can hone his skills after work. To make the gift more personal, include a note saying you’ll take time to shoot hoops or A basketball for your sporty Dad would catch a fish with your dad. Time together is what parents value be a great excuse to play a couple rounds most and will be the best gift your dad could receive. together.

FOR YOUR BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND Sometimes the best gifts aren’t gifts at all. This year instead of giving a new watch or necklace to your special someone, give an experience! For example, making a homemade “coupon book” is a cute and creative idea that will give you lots of opportunities to do things together. You can put in a coupon good for a trip to the movies and popcorn or a promise to make a snowman together the first day it snows. If you’re creative enough this can potentially be a gift that costs very little but will make lots of memories.

Senior Nick Duron and Junior Riley Mack made coupons for date ideas, perfect for those lazy nights.

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‘Tis the season to wear sweaters

Warm, fuzzy, and really ugly

By Nicole Pelissier and Maddie Fiorante

Photo by Maddie Fiorante Lucy the chihuahua poses for a quick pic in her cozy Christmas sweater.

Photo by Isabel Choi Senior Harrison Herzog shows off his snowman sweater.

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Just as there is a variety of holidays at the end of the year, there is also a large array of the clothes worn to celebrate them. As always, a holiday season staple are festive sweaters. People don these itchy, ugly, and seemingly terrible sweaters with smiles and laughter. Ugly holiday sweaters have been a long-standing tradition, since the days they were stylish till now. Many sweaters have interesting back-stories, whether passed down through generations, or picked up only recently.

Sophomore Austin Hallam got his sweater from his mom, and says he loves it for “it’s festivity and the bird on the shoulder.” A stuffed bird may seem extreme, but it also resembles the epitome of a perfect holiday sweater.

Senior Harrison Herzog claims, “I have a sweater for every day in December!”

Festive sweaters being a growing trend, many people are hitting the stores looking for one of their own.

Success is most often found at secondhand stores such as Value Village and Goodwill, where an assortment of decorative sweaters can be purchased at low prices. From

cute cardigans to misshapen pullovers, each is sure to be unique and cheap when bought from a thrift store.

Holiday sweaters aren’t just for people however, but are also frequently seen on pets. In many families, a pet sweater can be a highlight of the winter season. Jingle bells and glittery colors decorating animal sweaters generally light up the festivities in a home for the holidays. While some people may think dog sweaters are adorable, there can be some controversy over the matter. Some people believe sweaters are for people and people only.

Junior Sarah Clymore disagrees with this however, exclaiming, «I think dog sweaters are the cutest thing.

It only enhances the dog’s appearance.

Whether on a human or a dog, sweaters are a fun way to spice up the cold winter months while spreading a little holiday cheer. Each sweater as unique as it’s owner, no one is sure to be disappointed by the beautifully ugly sweaters dug out from the closet every season.

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DECK THE HALLS

...with skinny wallets Keeping up with holiday traditions on a tight budget

by Caitlin Britch

Many Americans have their own holiday traditions, whether it be hanging lights, stuffing stockings, or decorating a tree. There is a lot of pressure on American families to go all out during this time of joy, even if that means going overboard with spending. Take Costco, for instance, the store started selling Christmas decor in August to get everyone in the spirit and tempting customers to buy decorations months in advance.

According to comscore.com, even with the bad economy, Americans are suspected to spend more than the $27 billion on holiday shopping spent last year, whether it be for clothing, decorations, etc.

But how do you save money on decorating during the season? Shop at cheaper stores such as Walmart, where item prices can be matched to that of similar items at other stores. Watch for deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, including free shipping. One suggestion is to buy a fake tree to reuse every year or make homemade decorations.

Teacher Francis Caro suggests, “you could buy green and red light bulbs to replace inside lights that are near windows, instead of buying outside Christmas lights. Or you could do the whole Charlie Brown thing with an ugly tree and making it look really good. I can dig that.”

Some students go all-out for the holidays, while others have a more simple outlook. Either way, it’s important to maintain holiday traditions. Senior Nicholas “Nick” Jones says, “every year, my dad puts Christmas lights on our house and my mom decorates the inside by putting ornaments on the tree.”

Junior Taylor Seufferheld states, “we decorate our living room with Christmas lights and put the tree in the middle so the tree is the centerpiece of everything.”

Another suggestion could be to keep things more simple. Senior Samantha Sun proudly states, “we have a family tradition of putting Christmas lights together and my brother and I are in charge of decorating the tree. We don’t really go all out with decorations, but it’s enough to make the house seem more festive and Christmas-y.”

Senior Alina Chobu agrees with keeping it simple, “I put up lights in my room, light a bunch of candles, and make sure there is always a cup of tea somewhere.”

Christmas doesn’t always mean spending a lot of money to make your house look good and your neighbors jealous. It can mean whatever you want it to because it’s your tradition. So, go all-out or stay simple.

Make sure to have happy holidays!

Photos by Nicholas VanSant The Holiday aisles at Costco lure customers into their great bargains.

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Silent night

Student confessions and wishes for the holidays

By Khanlinh Le

It’s the return of the anonymous submissions. This time, holiday-themed!

Santa is Coming How did you find out that Santa wasn’t real? Whether you know him as Santa Claus, St. Nick, Father Christmas, or Kris Kringle, everyone knows the big man in the red suit. Doing this all in one night on December 25th, he hands presents to the good kids and coal to the rotten ones while on a sleigh pulled by reindeers. Crazy, right? As a kid, you would put out a glass of milk and a plate of cookies to give the big man a warm arrival. Soon over the years, the milk gets poured down the sink and the cookies are dumped in the trashcan. And then it hits you: he isn’t real.

Season of Receiving “It’s the thought that counts” but no one has ever said that you have to enjoy a really bad present! It’s the holidays!

Of course directly telling people what you want for Christmas is rude, but there’s nothing wrong with giving hints.

It’s best to receive something you want. What do you want for Christmas?

New Year, New You 2013 is coming to an end. Many memories have been made this year, both good and bad. But it’s time to start cracking! 2014 is just around the corner and it’s time for change. A brand new year is a great way to start doing something good or stop doing something bad. What’s your New Year’s Resolution?

How did you find out santa wasn’t real?

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What do you want for Christmas?

What is your New Years vresolution?