Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 1987)
Get back to basics this holiday season The holiday season has arriv ed! Can you believe there are on ly 57 more shopping days left un til Christmas? Already shopping centers and stores are getting ¡decked out in their holiday garb. Some of these shops, like Hallmark card stores, have had their Christmas decorations up [for weeks. I look forward to the holiday season each year, but I’ve begun to notice that the holidays have [become so commercialized that everywhere you turn there’s [something else to remind you to [get “ready” for the season. I Some holidays have begun to [lose their prestige (so to speak) [because they don’t have as much [“sell appeal” as Christmas. Thanksgiving is all but lost in the [rush to get prepared for what is . supposed to be a celebration of [Christ’s birth. No one cares to give thanks any more, Thanksgiving, to many* just means a day off from work or school. There is much to be said for Thanksgiving, though, as it gives families a chance to gather together and count their bless ings. Personally, I look forward to [Thanksgiving. For my family, it is sort of a “dry run” for IChristmas, only without the gift-giving that sometimes gets in the way of the real reason for the holidays. Thanksgiving (because it does not involve gift giving) is less commericialized and therefore has remained much more traditional. Christmas, too, can regain some of its “lost traditions” if only it is looked at for what it is meant to be. Christmas, while not only a religious holiday, is also a traditional holiday. In my opinion, Christmas is best when it’s celebrated in an old-fashioned way. What I mean by old-fashioned is gathering the family together to celebrate just being together. I like to get together with my mom and my sisters and bake cookies while listening to Christmas carols more than I like opening gifts on Christmas morning, Christmas is only one day out of the year, yet many people spend months preparing for it. Sometimes they spend so much time and energy preparing, that when the day finally comes they are too exhausted to enjoy it before they begin cleaning up after the celebration. This year why not lie back and get back to basics - spen ding quality creative time with your family and friends as the holidays near. Whether you spend the time baking cookies, singing carols, or just sitting by the fire reliving past holidays, all that really matters is spen ding time with the people you really care about all year long, not just on Christmas day. with them. Her big blue eyes fill ed with tears. “What’s the mat ter,” I asked. “Don’t you want to go with your cousins?” She laid her head on my lap and wouldn’t answer. Sensing that there was more to this than I thought, I laid my books aside and took her on my lap. “Shelly,” I said, “Tell Mommy what’s the matter.” The tears were running down her cheeks as she sobbed, “Mommy, I just want to keep company with you.” I felt awful. Her real question was not whether she’d be able to go trick-or-treating, but rather, if Mommy was going to take out time for her that night. Needless to say, I assured her that Mom my would spend that evening with her. Since then I have actually got ten excited about this Hallo ween. Our windows are now dotted with shapeless characters my daughter calls “ghosties.” The garbage holds the remains of a pumpkin that met it’s fate in the hands of my daughter. A toothless jack-o-lantern now peers out into the night from his vantage point on our window sill. Pumpkin shaped sugar cookies await their day in the dark recesses of the freezer. Halloween isn’t so bad after all. Parents, let’s make sure we “keep company” with our kids, especially as we approach these busy holidays. We have all our lives to go to school but only a few years to be with our children. Well, Halloween is here again with all its ghosts and goblens, pumpkins and candy. In my opi nion this has got to be the most stupid holiday of the year. As a full time student and mother it’s hard to justify the time involved in taking my daughter trick-or- treating. But I think we as parents need to enter into the spirit of the season regardless of how time consuming or senseless it all seems. Several days ago my daughter asked me if she was going to be able to go trick-or-treating this year. I told her that if it was okay with her cousins she could go I Wooden shoe like to know? by Heleen Veenstra Editor Stereotyping becomes unacceptable Intolerance, narrow mindedness, prejudice, in justice, discrimination. These ¡are not very fun words, nor a ¡fun topic to write about. But ¡due to some things I have seen [around me the last couple of [weeks I want to write about it to, hopefully, get some points across. I I don’t want to talk about racial discrimination this time. [Simply because that is a whole [new subject and not very much [related to what I want to say. I would like to talk about those people who are being stereotyped and made fun off basically because of the way they look, dress, behave, or talk. First of all I would like to talk [about being stereotyped. Is every California blond dumb? Is every athlete a jock? Is every Sports Writer like Slap Max well? Does every black engage in criminal activities? Does every Dutch person wear wooden shoes? Can you judge somebody on the way they look? The answer is NO! You can’t and shouldn’t.Being stereotyped is really unfair, because in most cases it isn’t even true. These persons actually are being judg ed on...nothing. Then something else: is there any reason to make fun of somebody just because they are a little different than you are? I don’t think so! Everybody has their own way of dressing, behaving or talking. It’s kind of stupid that they are always the ones being made fun off. I mean, these persons have feel ings too, so why should they be hurt. Kind of ridiculous if you ask me. Also, making jokes about these people shows bad taste. That person who does that pro bably doesn’t have a good sense of humor and doesn’t know any better jokes. That is about the only excuse I can think of to justify this person’s behavior. I think all this shows a good dose of narrow-mindedness. If that person would have had the chance to really communicate with this group I’m talking about, that person would realize that they can be fun, without be ing made fun off. Do you unders tand what I mean? So from now on don’t be pre judice, narrow-minded, or even worse, intolerant of these people because it is really unfair and should be unacceptable. 1 1 ' rA m 1 3 You think you can tell who has AIDS You cant. Any partner could be the one that kills you. Protect yourself Before someone gets away with murder. ABSEAMUHL VfKntCIlUKBL Call 1-800-777-AIDS. In Portland 223AIDS. Prepared for Oregon Health Division by Turtledove Clemens, Inc.
