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GUIDEHOLIDAY

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2013

WHITE ELEPHANT GIFT GUIDE

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CHRISTMAS MOVIE TREATS

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MEMORIES OF HOLIDAYS

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Tuesday, December 10, 2013 THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com2

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TenantUnion.Illinois.eduA Program of the Office of the Dean of Students

YOUR VOICE

“What I’m looking forward to is food and friends — and getting tons of sleep.”

COMPILED BY F. AMANDA TUGADESTAFF WRITER

Q: What are you most looking forward to during

winter break?

“Food, and if there’s something on sale because I need more clothes. It’s going to get cold soon.”

“I’m definitely looking forward to spending time with family, like my cousins. Also, (spending time with) my grade school and high school friends when they come home from their respective colleges.”

All I Want for Christmas is You — Michael Buble

Matunda Ya Kwanzaa — Rockapella

Dominick the Donkey — Lou Monte

Winter Wonderland — Jason Mraz

Baby, It’s Cold Outside — Cee Lo Green feat. Christina Aguilera

White Christmas — Katy Perry

Feliz Navidad — Jose Feliciano

Chanukah Song — Adam Sandler

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow — Mannheim Steamroller

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus — Jackson 5

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah — Glee Cast

You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch — Thurl Ravenscroft

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rockBY RAYMOND SOBCZAK

STAFF WRITERThe winter season always brings a slew of holiday festivities: ugly Christmas sweater parties, holi-

day office gatherings and the list goes on. If you’re the host of the party, you may face the dilemma of not knowing what music to play that will satisfy all of the guests. But fear not, friends — I have a

solution. Try out the playlist below and your holiday shindig will be the hit of the season.

We asked you to send us a picture of your best, ugliest holiday sweater. After looking at countless unbearably ugly sweaters, we have chosen our winner: Mayor Don Gerard, and a shout-out to News-Gazette reporter Christine Des Garennes.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DON GERARD

THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com Tuesday, December 10, 20133

Cultural center outreach event celebrates KwanzaaBY ELISEO ELIZARRARAZSTAFF WRITER

During the peak of the American civil rights movement in the 1960s, California State University professor Maulana Karenga conceptualized a now well-known winter holiday.

Karenga saw the push for equal-ity as an opportunity for everyone of African descent in African-Ameri-can culture to get in touch with their ancestors and identities. From that struggle, he created Kwanzaa, a cel-ebration built on seven principles inscribed in Swahili: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsi-bility), Ujamaa (cooperative econom-ics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativ-ity) and Imani (faith). The holiday was first celebrated in 1966-67.

Kwanzaa now spans seven days, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 this year, and has its own unique traditions. A can-dle holder called a Kinara, similar to a menorah, holds seven candles — three green, three red and one black to represent the colors of the Afri-can flag and the holiday’s seven prin-ciples. Each day, a candle is lit and

the principle of the day is observed and reflected upon. However, Kwan-zaa is dominantly a holiday designed to celebrate life, family, communi-ty and culture, something members of the University are committed to endorsing.

To celebrate the holiday while students are on campus, the Uni-versity’s Bruce D. Nesbitt Afri-can American Cultural Center will hold a new community out-reach event called “The Holiday Express.” Spearheaded by Ali-sha Elliott, assistant director of BNAACC, the event series will kick off Wednesday at the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club in Champaign. Students will try to instill Kuumba and Ajima, or creativity and collec-tive work and responsibility, in the children of the Champaign-Urba-na area through a series of craft workshops.

“This year, we’re trying to kind of espouse the principles of Kwan-zaa with the service of giving, and what we want to do with these youth is decorate holiday ornaments and cards so that they kind of, at the

very least, learn how to give back to their parents, their favorite teach-er or their mentor; someone who they’ve had in their lives,” Elliott said.

Principles of Kwanzaa are echoed throughout the year at the cultural center, said BNAACC Director Rory James.

“Even though Kwanzaa is just December 26th through January 1st, we try to incorporate the prin-ciples of Kwanzaa throughout the year,” James said. “It’s bigger than those seven days.”

For many celebrating Kwanzaa, the introduction to the holiday was not necessarily through decades of family tradition. The holiday does not commercially bombard Amer-icans’ lives with TV specials and parades of giant inflatables hov-ering over Radio City Music Hall. Instead, it can be discovered by coincidences, and in James’ case, curiosity.

“When I was younger, you never put up a Kinara; my uncle would have it but my immediate family wouldn’t put one up,” he said. “My

uncle would take me to Hyde Park (in Chicago) to the African festivals and stuff. He was very Afrocentric-minded, and I knew about Kwanzaa from that experience.”

For James, Kwanzaa is a way to reconnect to a past permanently rattled by the slave trade, when cul-tural ties were severed and tradi-tions were lost.

“(Kwanzaa) solidifies our identi-ty as a people, regardless if you’re in Guyana, Belize, Brazil or Can-ada. You realize that we are a diverse group of people with dif-ferent faiths,” James said. “For a lot of African-Americans who are descendants of enslaved Africans, you don’t necessarily know where your roots are. You don’t know if you’re from present-day Liberia or Sierra Leon, but it still ties you to African culture.”

Unlike Christmas and Hanuk-kah, which are holidays tightly associated with religion, Kwanzaa is designed for people of African descent or not, and all faiths, to join in the celebration of its core values.

“I feel like because some of these

holidays are tied in culturally, you have a responsibility to educate and talk about them,” James said. “It’s tied in culturally with black people; just like Las Posadas is culturally relevant to a lot of Latin American cultures, or how a lot of Chinese people here celebrate Chinese New Year. I think these holidays have cultural relevance, and that’s why I think you have to side step the whole religious conversation.”

For Ariana Taylor, junior in LAS, the holiday encapsulates what it means to be an African-American.

“It is an extremely important holiday to celebrate so that black people keep a close relationship with our history and ourselves,” Taylor said. “It is extremely easy to try and assimilate fully into American culture and ignore the fact that we have a rich and unique culture of our own. It allows black Americans to reflect on ourselves as a people and stay connected to our roots.”

Eliseo can be reached at elizarr2@dailyillini.com.

BY ELIZABETH DYESTAFF WRITER

Buying gifts for friends and family can put a serious dent in someone’s funds, especially for a student financing four (or more) years of college. Thankfully, white elephant gift exchanges allow students to scrap together any left over spending money to share a few laughs with friends.

In a white elephant gift exchange, participants choose an anonymous gift and can steal gifts from one another before they are unwrapped. A gift can typically be stolen only twice, and then the gift must stay with whoever had it last. Gift choices are usually inexpensive and funny in some way.

“The best white elephants gifts are the ones that make everyone in the room burst out laughing,” said Kelly Randall, freshman in ACES. “The more hilarious or embarrassing a gift is, the better.”

Below are 13 affordable and hilarious gifts for any student’s white elephant gift exchange that are sure to put a smile on the receiver’s face:

1. A framed and autographed photo of yourself

The more serious your expression is, the more hilarious it will be.

2. Or even better yet, a photo album of your friends’ funniest photos

Most friends have an abundance of unflattering or hilarious group photos that have never seen the light of day. Making a photo album of friends’ most embarrassing pictures can result in laughs and time to reminiscence about past escapades.

Angela Turner, freshman in Education, expressed her love for this type of present.

“The best white elephant gifts are the ones that make you question why you’re friends with your friends in the first place,” Turner said.

3. Batteries (not including gift)This one is for all those times

someone has gotten a gift requiring batteries, but did not receive the batteries for it. Ryan Gourley, freshman in Business, said this was his favorite gift he received in a gift exchange.

“All you need is a plastic bag, two working batteries and a note that says, ‘Gift not included,’” Gourley said.

4. Hideous, tasteless clothingThrift stores near campus are

stocked with outdated apparel perfect for any white elephant gift.

Vince Mundo, sophomore in LAS, remembered when he received a patent leather pink purse and strappy leopard print heels one year.

“The fact that I will never use those items made it all the more

hilarious,” Mundo said.

5. Quirky novelty itemsUnique novelty items, such as

bacon soap and unicorn meat, can be found on gag gift websites across the web and usually cost less than $20. Theodore Christian Nolte, senior in LAS, swore novelty items can bring a smile to anyone’s face.

“I got ‘stay in love forever’ breath spray one year, and it was honestly one of the funniest gifts I’ve ever gotten,” Nolte said. “It’s a gift that I’ll probably keep forever.”

6. DIY hunk calendarFor this gift idea, just take a cheap

calendar from the dollar store and tape pictures of attractive celebrities over the originals, and voilà! The gift recipient will have 12 photos of attractive celebrities to stare at each month. Bonus funny points go to anyone who makes a calendar using well-known “crazy” celebs.

7. Old self-help tapes1980s aerobics tapes work as well

and can be found at any secondhand store.

8. Ridiculously large underwearThe larger the underwear, the

better the gift. Students should feel free to personalize, decorate and

bedazzle the underwear for added fun.

9. DIY trophyJust buy a trophy from a

secondhand store and write “unique” reasons why someone would get a trophy, such as “World’s Greatest Drinker” or “For Having a Face Only a Mother Could Love.” 10. Edward Cullen’s ashes

For all the Twilight Saga lovers out there, just take a jar filled with glitter and slap a label on it that says it contains the remains of Edward Cullen.

11. Snookie’s autobiography“If Snookie’s autobiography

doesn’t get any laughs, than I don’t

know what would,” Turner said.

12. DIY embarrassing T-shirtTake a sharpie to a T-shirt and

write any quirky statement. Getting whoever received the gift to wear the shirt after the gift exchange is even better.

Kaleb Damery, junior in LAS, appreciated the creativity in this idea.

“It’s funnier than any shirt you can buy in a store, and this way, you can put your own inside jokes on it,” Darnery said.

13. A Nickelback CD“Because no one wants a

Nickelback CD,” Randall said.

Elizabeth can be reached at edye2@dailyillini.com.

Budget-friendly white elephant gift exchanges are perfect for students

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY BRENTON TSE

Tuesday, December 10, 2013 THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com4

THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com Tuesday, December 10, 20135

BY ALEXANDER VASSILIADISSTAFF WRITER

There is nothing more special than wak-ing up on the 24th of December, groggy from the festivities of the night before, and slump-ing into my little sister’s room, only to see her awake with her metal triangle, practicing the lyrics to the traditional Christmas Eve carol we wake the parents up with every year.

In Greece, it is tradition for kids to wake up on Christmas Eve, put on their best clothes and wander from house to house singing the traditional Greek carol. The host of the house will usually give a small monetary treat to the carolers who come around and, in some cases, invite the kids in for a delicious holiday dessert.

BY SAMANTHA ROTHMANSTAFF WRITER

When my Jewish dad married into my mom’s crazy Italian family, I think he was hoping for something similar to “The Sopranos” (his favor-ite TV show). To his disappointment, my mom’s rambunctious family of seven didn’t quite resem-ble Tony, Carmela and company. I guess there was some redemption, though, when he learned my mom’s family and “The Sopranos” shared a tradition: the Feast of Seven Fishes.

Every Christmas Eve, my loud, boisterous maternal family gathers in my grandmother’s kitchen. There is the noise of pots banging, oven timers dinging, some screaming, and a lot of sea-food cooking.

For the tradition, my family cooks seven types of fi sh — shrimp, mussels, salmon, cod, clams, tila-pia and a wildcard (my grandmother’s choice that would change on a yearly basis). When I was about 7 or 8, I distinctly remember my aunt and my uncle turning the making of calamari into a competi-tion. The criteria used for the judging of each fam-ily member’s creation included whose was crisper, lighter and more attractively presented.

BY STEPHANIE KIMSTAFF WRITER

As a kid, there was one dress I didn’t fuss about wearing: a hanbok, the Korean traditional dress worn on New Year’s Day.

I remember looking forward to this day because it was the only time I could get away with dressing like a princess – and feeling like one, too. I would feast on rice cake and dumpling soup (duk gook) until my tummy was full, and attempt to do an ele-gant bow before my elders while wishing them a year full of blessings and receiving theirs in return. I would also play a game of yut nori with family, hoping the sticks I threw landed in the right way.

But the Korean New Year’s celebration is much more than receiving this kind of royal treatment. It’s a joyous day full of family time, feasting and fun to celebrate what’s to come in the New Year.

BY ELISEO ELIZARRARAZSTAFF WRITER

The traditional Mexican-American Christmas is hardly traditional. Walking a fi ne line, it’s about making grandma proud by kneading tamale dough to perfec-

tion and knowing how to sing Alvin and the Chipmunk’s “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.” It’s about knowing how to savor a slice of ham as much as a bowl of Posole. It’s about counting down to

midnight on Christmas Eve and cheer-ing the Bulls on to victory on Christmas Day. It’s bizarre, but it’s perfect.

BY ALICE SMELYANSKYSTAFF WRITER

About 300 years ago, the dish Kholodets came into house-holds everywhere in the northern part of Russia. Before peo-ple could cool foods by simply placing them in a refrigerator for a few minutes, the icy Eastern European air provided a nice alternative. And just like some might argue that pizza tastes better cold, some Russians will argue that there is no better meal than frozen meat stew with a side of horserad-ish — especially on New Year’s Eve.

The reason behind Kholodets at the New Year’s Eve table is not merely for taste or convenience’s sake. As my parents grew up in a country where practicing one’s religion was frowned upon, celebrating New Year’s Eve became the main holiday for all people. A table with the most delicious foods and a festive tree became a tradition that united an entire nation. Kholodets, along with many other popular dishes, symbolize a year that is as prosperous as the multitude of delicacies on the table.

From food, clothing and everything in between, families celebrate the holiday season with their unique traditions

Read the full stories to learn more about fi ve different

holiday traditions. Visitwww.DailyIllini.com»

» » » » » » »

» » » » » »

Tuesday, December 10, 2013 THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com6

How to look fashionably comfortable

Beyond the ugly holiday sweater, which can be purchased at a local thrift store, here are fashion tips for the rest of one’s ensemble. Guys:A nice pair of khakis and some formal black loafers will contrast well with the ugly sweater. If you want to go all out, whip out the cap-tie formal onyx boots and put on a blazer. You just turned that ugly sweater getup into the best outfit of the night.

Girls:To make up for the unfathomable ugliness of the holiday sweater, throw on a pair of skinny jeans and black-tie heels.

Guys:Throw on a pair of purple slim jeans and a button-down shirt; add a tie for bonus points. A simple beige sports coat will compliment the purple. Slip on some light-russet oxfords, and it’s show-time.

Girls:Take advantage of the season’s festive colors. A classic sequin dress is stylish and fitting with the holiday season. Some gold heels will do the trick for this outfit.

Guys:Study in style with a colored, cotton sweater, or a vest over a T-shirt and jeans. Add plush loafers, and you’re all set. Some black high-tops can be worn instead if you want a sportier look.

Girls:A crochet sweater dress with leggings and boots is both comfortable and stylish. The boots can be anything from a simple pair of UGGs to a pair of knee-highs. If you want to add more of a cute component, you can compromise with some black sneakers.

ILLUSTRATION BY BRENTON TSE

BY ALEXANDER VASSILIADISSTAFF WRITER

As final exams approach and the weather grows colder, it can be tempting to give up on looking stylish and instead opt for a wardrobe of oversized hoodies and sweatpants instead. However, being fashionable doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice being comfort-able. Whether you’re going to an ugly sweater party or just hitting the books, here are

some classy outfits that take little time and effort.

THE UGLY SWEATER PARTY THE SEMI-FORMAL PARTY THE LIBRARY

THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com Tuesday, December 10, 20137

Cinema, spice and everything nice To get the

recipes to create these Christmas cookies

yourself, go to »

» » » » » » »

» » » » » »ANNABETH CARLSON

Staff Writer

I t’s that time of year again. It is fi nally socially acceptable to watch all of your favorite holiday movies on repeat. But what’s a movie without a delicious snack to go along with it? Below you will fi nd

suggestions of cookies to pair with popular holiday fi lms. After all, Santa shouldn’t be the only one who gets to enjoy Christmas cookies.

MOVIE: ELFCOOKIE: CANDY CANE BLOSSOM COOKIES

MOVIE: HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMASCOOKIE: ANDES MINT GRINCH COOKIES

MOVIE: DECK THE HALLSCOOKIE: CHRISTMAS LIGHT COOKIES

MOVIE: RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

COOKIE: PEANUT BUTTER REINDEER COOKIES

This comedy fi lm is about Buddy, a human who has been raised by elves at the North Pole. When he ventures to New York to meet his real dad, who just happens to be on Santa’s “naughty list,” he causes hilarious and heartwarming situations wherever he goes. According to Buddy, “We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.” As you watch Buddy eat every form of sugar in sight, satisfy your own craving with candy cane blossom cookies.

Whether you prefer the 1966 or 2000 edition of the fi lm, you know that the Grinch is a greedy, green creature who tries to ruin Christmas and, in the end, sees the error in his ways. While you watch him prepare for his heist, enjoy Grinch-colored cookies with Andes mints, reminiscent of the cold, snowy Mount Crumpit where he lives.

This movie is about Buddy Hall, a man obsessed with the idea of his house being seen from space, so he covers his house with more and more Christmas lights and decorations to accomplish

this dream. However, when Hall’s plans interfere with the Christmas traditions

of his neighbor Steve Finch, Finch tries to sabotage Hall’s efforts throughout the fi lm. To get in

the decorating spirit yourself, enjoy rainbow sprinkle-fi lled Christmas light cookies.

This classic 1964 fi lm tells the story of Rudolph, a reindeer who became

the hero of Christmas by lighting the way for Santa with his bright, red nose. Watching this movie would be incomplete without peanut butter reindeer cookies with red M&M noses, of course!

In this movie, Clark W. Griswold wants nothing more than to have a “good old-fashioned family Christmas.” However,

pursuing his dream is no easy task, and endless hilarity ensues. As you watch Clark drink eggnog and cringe at his obnoxious cousin-in-law Eddie, you too can enjoy the

seasonal drink but, instead, in cookie form.

MOVIE: CHRISTMAS VACATIONCOOKIE: EGGNOG COOKIES

Tuesday, December 10, 2013 THE DAILY ILLINI | www.DailyIllini.com8

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