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ohhsthetartan.comDecember 20241Holiday Edition The Different Celebrations of theHoliday Season During the upcoming month, various holidays arecelebrated each with a different meaning. Theseholidays are important to people of various religions,and they have different traditions to celebratewith each other. Christmas is one of these holidays, traditionallyassociated with Christianity. As the Christmas seasonapproaches, families get excited for the nearingholiday. A fun tradition some families do is openingone present on Christmas Eve which is December24th. Then the next morning, the kids wake up andstart the magical day by handing out gifts fromunder the tree in the morning. When night falls,some families might commute with their relativesand have dinner. Leading up to one of the best daysof the year enjoyable activities might includeopening advent calendars to count down the daysuntil Christmas, Elf on the shelf and finding themthe next morning, or decorating a gingerbread housewith family and friends. People also enjoydecorating their homes with a tree, stockings andmistletoe. While Christmas is a popular holiday tocelebrate, not everyone does, several others acrossthe world celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Hanukkah is usually celebrated among the Jewishcommunity. The holiday is celebrated for eightnights, it starts on the night of December 25th andends on January second. During each day candles arelit to show what day of Hanukkah it is, so on thefirst day one is lit and by the eighth day all eightare lit. On the Menorah, the candles represent thedays the Temple lantern was lit. During Hanukkahgifts are not as common but if gifts are receivedthey’re usually small and personable like dreidls,jewelry, food, or money called gelt. This holiday istraditionally celebrated by lighting the Menorahnightly, playing with the dreidel, singing, and eatingfood. According to BBC, “Traditionally, there is aspecial game that children and adults playtogether. It involves a spinning top called a dreidel,which is a cube-shaped dice with a Hebrew letter oneach of the four sides.” Hanukkah might bedifferent than Christmas but it does not make theholiday any less enjoyable.By Lotus Olson
2Christmas Traditions Around theWorld: From Rollerblading toYule Goats Kwanzaa is another way people celebrate theholiday season. It is celebrated from December 26thto January first. Kids National Geographic states“The holiday honors African American people, theirstruggles in the United States, their heritage, andtheir culture.” Kwanzaa is celebrated by sharing ameal inspired by African foods, reciting poems andspeeches of African-American writers, and Africandrumming. During Kwanzaa, Zawadi are given, whichmeans gifts in African-Swahili. On each night ofKwanzaa, a candle is lit to represent the sevenprinciples of Kwanzaa: unity, self-determination,collective work and responsibility, cooperativeeconomics, purpose, creativity, and faith. While each of these holidays is wildly differenteach is unique. Each means something different toeveryone and brings people together. The holidayseason brings people joy and warmth no matter theholiday they celebrate. Christmas is a widely celebrated holiday, with allkinds of different ways to embrace the Christmasseason all around the world. From well knownChristmas feast to festivities,tThere are all kindsof different ways that various people decide tocelebrate their favorite yearly holiday, Christmas. Starting in Japan, during the holiday season in the1970s a group of visitors discovered it was verydifficult to find turkey in Japan. Instead of this,they settled for a fried chicken Christmas dinner.KFC took this opportunity and used it to theiradvantage, in 1974 they began serving chickendinners under the promotion ‘Kentucky forChristmas’. The KFC Christmas dinner has been farextended past its origins, as of now, KFC serves cakeand champagne, added to the original staples ofchicken and wine. Christmas Eve has become KFC’sbusiest time of the year in Japan, many customersnow pre-order their chicken dinners even sometimesmonths in advance to avoid hours of waiting in line.All of this for this now famous $40 meal. By Teagan Mullins
3 There are many who would argue that Christmasis one of the most stressful times of the year. Witheveryone rushing to buy the latest and most trendythings of the season. How do some people deal withholiday stress? Well, people who live in Finland (Finnsor Finnish people) take a relaxing hour in the sauna.In Finland, Finns spend an hour or few in the sauna onChristmas Eve to cleanse their body and mind. Theyenjoy the peace and quiet to relieve stress. Beforethe days of electric saunas, the warming of thesaunas had to be done days in advance in order toensure everyone in the family got a chance tocleanse their spiritual being. Growing up, some had running around the housetrying to find where the family elf hid. Norweginshad Hide Your Brooms. This Norwegian traditionstarted decades ago. The tradition has been passeddown through generations. Norwegians take thissuperstition to a new level. In Norway it's said thaton Christmas people across the country need to hidetheir brooms in their closets. Why? Well it's saidthat if they don't, the evil spirits that awaken onthis night will steal them and fly them across thecountry. It's recommended you do your festivecleaning before Christmas because we wouldn'twant anyone's brooms getting stolen, now would we? Have you ever been rollerblading? What aboutgoing to church on Sunday? I haven't, but thousandsof Venezulains do it every year on Christmas Eve!Families all over the country rollerblade to churchthe day before Christmas, this goes back severalgenerations, it's said to give Venezuelans a kickstart to the excitement of Christmas festivities. InVenezuela on this day, roads are cordoned off inorder to allow a safe and fast trip to church. Overall, Christmas is celebrated all over the worldfor various reasons. Some do it for religion, othersenjoy Christmas as merely a joyful and beautifultime of the year. With snowfall and lightseverywhere, it's the perfect time to partake inChristmas traditions, whether it's rollerblading tochurch, or just sitting around a fire with yourfamily, Christmas is a time of love and cheer. What's your favorite animal? If you live in theSwedish town of Gävle hopefully it's not a goat.During Christmas time in this town, a giant YuleGoat is built from straw during the Christmasseason. It's an iconic symbol of the SwedishChristmas. After the goat is built, the traditionleads to setting it on fire. That's surely a bonfire toremember.
4Yuletide: The Precursor ofChristmasBy Evelyn Dann Pine trees decorated with shiny red ornamentsand mistletoe to bring love and fertility both soundfamiliar, but not many know the true origins ofthese traditions. You may be thinking these obviouslybelong to the well-loved holiday of Christmas,however, you'd be mistaken. While these elementsare more commonly known for being Christmastraditions, they are actually rooted in a much olderholiday, Yuletide. Now you may find yourselfwondering, “What even is Yuletide?” Well wrap upin a warm blanket, sit around the fire, and tuneyourself in for a story. Dating back to as far as the 4th century andoriginally celebrated by the Norse and Scandinavianpeople, Yuletide, also known as Yule, is a 12-daycelebration of new beginnings. Typically pre-yulecelebrations begin at the end of November andearly December then the actual first day of yulemarks the first day of Winter. This year Yule beginsDecember 21 and ends January 1. The reasoningbehind Yule’s changing dates has to do with how theseasons halt and begin. Winter Solstice, or thebeginning of Winter changes every year to keep upwith the uneven rotation of the Earth. The samereason we have leap years, Earth actually takesslightly longer than 365 days to complete a rotationaround the sun so every 4 years we tack on an extraday at the end of February to make up for thetime. Now that's a fun fact to share at dinner! During the 12-day celebration, there are manytraditions that are more commonly associated withChristmas despite them originally being Yulecommemorations. Firstly and most commonlydecorated are the pine trees. According to Statista,about 88% of Americans celebrate Christmas, withthis, Christmas trees are quite common. Beautifulfaux and true trees decorated with lights andornaments and topped off with a star are a tokenstaple of Christmas that is actually borrowed fromYule. Yule trees were decorated with candles,fruits, and ornaments because many believed itwarded off negative spirits and offered protection.(History.com). Another tradition of Yule is hangingmistletoe, the Norse people believed it would bringfertility due to a story of the ancient Norse godOdin’s son. Regardless, this tradition was historicallyNorse and associated with Yule until the 18thcentury when Christmas in Germany began borrowingthe tradition. (History.com). While many Christmas traditions stem fromYuletide, it brings us together and shows how wereally aren't that different. This holiday season besure to keep in mind the traditions that camebefore. Yuletide and Christmas are times of loveand no matter where your traditions come from,they are just as special as any others.
5New Year's Traditions: Good Luck! New Year's is a time to celebrate a fresh start with new beginnings while reflecting on the past year. Manypeople have extremely peculiar ways of celebrating this. For example, they will shove grapes down their throat,wear colored underwear, or even bang and break things together to make noise. Everyone will do some sort ofcrazy tradition to celebrate the new year with excitement or bring good luck to their new beginning. By Brooke Lint12 grapes Originally stemming from Spanish culture, the “Doce uvas de la suerte”or, the 12 grapes of luck welcomes good fortune and prosperity in the newyear. The tradition explains that you should climb under a table and eatone grape per chime of the clock when it hits 12. Many people find thisvery challenging to do, but the ones who complete the task will see luck,success, and positive energy within the minutes. Midnight Kiss Another typical tradition of couples for New Year's is the midnight kiss. People believe that locking lips as theclock ticks 12 will strengthen an already existing relationship & offer good luck. On top of this, some think thatthe kiss will ward away evil spirits and bad energy. German immigrants brought the kissing tradition to theUnited States and it spread extremely quickly! Make Noise: Pots and Pans Similarly, the Irish brought the tradition of banging pots and pans together when the clock strikes 12 on NewYears because the noise will scare away unwanted spirits and poor fortune. Clayton Wiegele, Junior at Oak HillsHigh School, explains that “one year, I went out to bang pots and pans with my family and the neighbor got akick out of it!” Making noise with pots and pans creates great memories on New Year's! Bright Underwear Wearing bright-colored underwear can bring you all different types of great potential for the new year. Forexample, red or pink underwear will give you love, green will give you hope, white will give you peace, and yellowwill give you prosperity. Hanging Onions With all of the United States New Year's traditions originating from allover the world, we should start hanging onions outside of our doors on NewYear. The Greeks believe that hanging onions outside of your door on NewYear will promote growth, bring good luck, & provide a new beginning tolife. Adding to our good luck on top of all of our other traditions willensure a great year ahead! With all of the different ways people celebrate the new year, everyone is always trying to bring good luck,fortune, and happiness to their fresh start. Be sure to celebrate your New Year with bright undies, onions on thedoor, grapes down that hatch, a kiss on the lips, and pot-banging like no other!
610 Christmas Games To Grow Holiday CheerHave you ever been sitting around at your family or friend's Christmas party boredout of your mind? To solve your boredom problems you could play a Christmas gamethat the whole family will enjoy! Here are ten holiday-themed games to play thisyear!White Elephant 6-20 player This Holiday game includes a gift exchange. Every participant must get a gift. The bestway to get gifts is to set a price limit so people do not get mad at their gifts. To play, you first draw numbers to see the order. The first person picks a gift andunwraps it. This is where it gets fun. The people after can either steal an already-opened gift or pick an unwrapped one.Secret Santa4-30 playersEveryone writes their name and a small wish list on separate small slips of paper. Namesare drawn randomly, each person becoming the secret gift-giver for whoever they pick.When exchanging gifts, take turns opening presents and trying to guess who your SecretSanta is.By Logan Lauman
7Cookie From Forehead To Mouth1+ (Individual players)Seat the contestant in a chair and have them tilt their head back so a Christmas cookiecan be placed on their forehead. They have one minute to wiggle the cookie down theirface and into their mouth, without using their hands. If the cookie falls to the groundthey can pick it up and put it back on their forehead.Oven Mitt Present Unwrapping2-4 (Individual players)Seat two to four people in front of everyone and have them put on oven mitts. Placethree shoe-box-sized boxes that have been wrapped in festive wrapping paper in frontof each contestant. A person says to the people race to unwrap their gifts with theoven mitts on.
8What’s That Holiday Smell?2-8 (Individual players)Blindfold contestants and have them smell Christmas-themed objects that havebeen placed in different mason jars or little boxes. Players can then write downwhat their guesses are and give the person who gets the most correct answers afun Christmas-themed reward.Christmas Movie Poster Trivia2+ (Good for teams or individuals)Grab images from 20 or 25 popular movie posters and paste them on one sheet ofpaper or create a PowerPoint presentation to display them digitally. Cross out thename of the movie on the poster. Then give the sheets to the contestants whoeverguesses the most correctly wins a prize.Pin The Nose On Rudolph2+ (Individual players)Mount a paper picture of a cartoon reindeer on the wall and equip all participantswith a circular red cutout of Rudolph’s nose. Players must attach the red nose asclose as possible to the wall drawing while blindfolded.
9Name That Christmas Song/Lyric2+ (Best played in teams)Distribute a scoresheet to all teams where they will record their answers. A hostwill then play a short clip of a holiday song and allow teams to write down whatsong they believe it is. To mix things up, the host can also stop a song at any pointand ask for the next line of lyrics.Christmas Trivia2+ (Best played in teams)Distribute a scoresheet to all teams where they will record their answers. A hostwill ask rounds of questions to all groups who will then write down their answers.Be sure to mix up the difficulty level of the questions.
10Christmas Charades4+ (Best played in teams)This classic game is a hit in person. You can use an online idea generator to selectthe topic for each round. Once a topic is selected, one team member must use theirbody language to act out the concept as their teammates work to figure it out.You cannot talk! Use Christmas-themed ideas for a more entertaining charadesgame.I hope that these games quench your boredom and increase your holiday cheer at allyour Christmas parties this year!
Imagine waking up, the ground is covered in snow, the T.V. is on with the reporternaming schools that are off for the day. You wait for the rest of the alphabetto go by because you know your school is towards the end. Finally, withouthesitation, the reporter names your school, and joy overflows your body. The dayyou most look forward to during the winter is happening right now; a snow day.The possibilities are endless for the day and the fun starts right when the schoolis named off. Snow days are one of the best experiences that can happen duringyour life. This is because of the unexpectedness, and joy that it brings childrenand adults alike. During this article, I will be discussing the best opportunities andideas to do during a day off.11Snow Day: The Ultimate Guide to Irresistible FunBy Addison ChildsWhen asking juniors Clayton Wiegele andBrooke Lint what their favorite thing to doon a snow day was, without thinking, theyboth said, “Drink hot chocolate!” Hotchocolate brings the holiday spirit into a coldday and it gives a cozy vibe to any activitythat a person could be doing while drinkingit. Snow days are already so exciting andwhen adding hot cocoa the day only getsbetter.
12Another one of the best things that you cando on a snow day is to play in the snow. Thisactivity will bring out your inner child,especially when you have the opportunity tobuild a snowman. When building a snowman,nowadays parents and children go all out tomake their snowman the best. There arepaints, dyes, and accessories to make a snowday snowman the best experience. Building asnowman is very particular in making thesememories with your family or even byyourself will make the day more fun. One of the final things you can do on a snow day to make sure to capture the most funday is to sit at home, watch a movie, and eat popcorn while cuddled up on the couch withyour family and loved ones. Many movies can bring the holiday cheer back to you before orafter the holidays on a snow day. One of these could be the classic Grinch movie or any ofthe Hallmark movies that are played during winter. Watching movies with family andfriends while snow is falling and you are warm indoors is probably the best day spent whenit is cold outside. You can catch up on family memories or even just talk, but spendingtime with your family on these days is most important because these days come once in awhile. Snow days are the ultimate guide to fun and spending the day with family and friendswill only allow the day to be more eventful. Running through the snow, making hotchocolate, watching movies, and sledding are only a few of the endless possibilities ofactivities to do on a snow day. Make sure you make the most of the day and have funbecause the next day you might have to go back to school.
13Holiday Traditions In CincinnatiBy Owen Pelley In Cincinnati, the holiday season plays a major role in the city's culture andhistory. For example, many people enjoy attending the Festival of Lights atthe Cincinnati Zoo, the Holiday Junction at the Cincinnati Museum Center, andWinterfest at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio.The Festival of Lights is a cherishedtradition that resonates so closelywith the culture of Cincinnati as awhole. It has brought families andfriends together every year to enjoymillions of festive lights and displays and to see the animals in the holiday spirit as well. Visitors walk through amazing lightdisplays that help them to observe the holiday season in a new light. This event is verybeloved in Cincinnati and has been treasured for generations upon generations.Winterfest is an up-and-coming tradition amongCincinnatians that is beloved by the community andcontinues to grow in popularity each year. During thisevent, Kings Island transforms into a winter wonderland, it displays beautiful lights, festive parades, and even ice skating. The park also decoratessome of its most popular rides for the holiday season. Winterfest has grown as one of thetop destinations for friends and family to visit this holiday season.
The Holiday junction at the CincinnatiMuseum Center was one of my favoritesgrowing up as we went yearly. It trulycaptures the city’s history and love fortrains. This event features model traindisplays, a holiday village, a Lego 14adaptation of Cincinnati, and of course, a visit with Santa. In this event, there are manyarts and crafts that children and adults alike can participate in. These festivitiesgarner the attention of visitors of all ages and backgrounds which allows everyone toenjoy and embrace the holiday spirit in the city.Overall, these celebrations encapsulate Cincinnati's holiday spirit and the sense ofcommunity that Cincinnatians embrace as they attend these holiday traditions thatbring people from all walks of life together to celebrate the holiday seasontogether as one. These holiday events make living in Cincinnati truly feel specialduring the holiday season.
15Creative Places to Hide an Elf on the ShelfBy Chase DissingerTo get into the Christmas spirit, most families participate in the tradition ofhiding an Elf on the Shelf around their house for their children to find everyday.Although its fun to find places to hide the Elf and watch a younger siblingattempt to find it, nobody wants to resort to the pencil cup mounted on thefridge or the front door handle. Having a creative or difficult place to hide theElf almost everyday of December will make your younger siblings have a betterexperience trying to find their Elf.Somewhere on the Christmas TreePutting your Elf on the Christmas tree can provide asimilar experience to finding Waldo. The Elf cancamouflage among the ornaments or even with the colorof the tree and make a fun and difficult experiencetrying to spot it. Hiding it inside the tree can makespotting it even more difficult as well. Watching ayounger sibling stare at the tree attempting to spot theElf can get pretty humorous as well as seeing themfinally spot the Elf and light up with joy.
16In the BathroomAlthough it’s an odd place to hide your Elf, itcan be a pretty humorous place to put it. Theperson searching for the Elf may either simplyfind it in the bathroom or they get spookedwhen they suddenly spot it in the mirror sittingbehind them when they do their morningroutine. Although, that person may avoid thebathroom the Elf is in for the rest of the daybecause they value privacy.On a Ceiling FanPlacing your Elf somewhere inconspicuous cancreate an enjoyable time for someone to find.For example, an inconspicuous spot to placeyour Elf can be on a ceiling fan. Although youmay not be able to turn the fan on for therest of the day, it’ll be pretty comicalwatching someone walk right under it. Thelast place someone will expect to see the Elf ison a ceiling fan which makes a perfect“hidden-in-plain-sight” spot.
17Trapped in a Cup DrawerHiding your Elf in something like a cup drawer or acupboard can make an extremely difficult experiencetrying to find it because of the sheer amount ofdrawers in the average home. Once the person lookingfor it inevitably find it, it’ll be comical seeing the Elfstuck in a random up or trapped in a jar inside thedrawer. Inside a StockingAlthough it wont be difficult to spot, it’s still afestive place to place your Elf. Inside a stocking canmake a good spot for when Christmas Day comesaround or even when St. Nick comes. Even though thisspot isn’t as good as other spots, it is still nice to seethe Elf while spending time with family.The tradition of hiding an Elf and having someone look for it is very common amongfamilies. No matter what age you are, it can still be a gratifying experience finallyfinding the Elf that you’ve been searching for. However, the feeling can be extinguishedif the spot isn’t that creative or difficult. By using resources found around your home,you can continue the enjoyability of hiding and seeking an Elf on the Shelf.
Made with love and rich creamy flavors, this little concoction can beplaced into a jar and gifted with some mini marshmallows to brightenanyone's day. This recipe is a quick way to make bulk stocking stuffersfor any hot chocolate lover. The secret ingredient to this delicious hotchocolate mix is white chocolate. Even if you're not a fan of whitechocolate, it adds a magical creamy texture that makes this mix standout.18DIY gifts Homemade Hot Chocolate MixIngredients3 cups of milk powder (nonfat or whole)2 cups of powdered sugar1 ½ cups of cocoa powder1 ½ cups of finely chopped white chocolate chips¼ teaspoon of saltInstructionsWhisk everything together in a large bowlUsing a food processor, pulse the mixture until everything is finely ground. It’s done! Store this in an airtight container for up to 3 monthsTo actually make the drink, use ⅓ cup of the hot chocolate mix, in 1 cup of the milk of yourchoice and stir (water is also fine, but it won’t be as creamy). As an optional bonus, add some minimarshmallows or whipped cream to the drinkBy Bri Brown
For anyone less artistic, but still wants to becreative, this exploding box will give someone a miniphoto album for them to open. From friends to lovedones, this gift is for anyone.SuppliesColored paper of your choice (for the actual box)Colored paper of your choice (for the lid)Adhesive (glue stick preferably)Trimmer and scorer (scissors will work)PhotosInstructionsPrint off the template provided on the colored paperCut out the outlineThe blue lines are where you score inwardsFor the lid, score inwards and then glue the edges togetherNow, glue the photos to each of the four squares, you can add one in the middle tooNow decorate! You can be done now, or use any type of glitter, markers, stickers, or anything youdeem worthyAssemble the box!19Exploding Box
This is a super fun and good way to personalize a gift to yourdesire. It’s an easy craft for people of all ages and you can makeit as simple or as intricate as possible.SuppliesShrinky dink paperScissorsColoring supplies (Pencils and sharpies are highly recommended over anything else)Hole puncherKeychain ring (string can work too)InstructionsLook at the heating instructions on the shrinky dink you purchase, each brand is a little different.Preheat your oven to what the instructions tell youCreate the drawing of your dreams using the rough side of the shrinky dink paper, make sure itsabout 3 times the size of what you want it to be Cut out the design and leave a little room at the top of your designWith the excess space at the top, use your hole puncher to make a holeWith the rough side up, place the shrinky dink in the ovenAfter a few minutes, take your masterpiece out!Either insert the keychain ring or tie string through the hole, then you're done!20Shrinky Dink Keychain
‘Tis the season to spread joy, and with Christmas right around the corner, you may be scrambling to come upwith that cute and creative gift for your significant other. Sure, you could get something simple like a Nikehoodie, but I’m here to help you think outside of the box. Real thoughtful gifts require a carefulconsideration of your partner’s obscure interest, so they know you really love them. With the sappy stuffout of the way, I’ve formulated a list of gift ideas for your partner to help you out this holiday season.Now, you may be wondering, “What is a natalchart?” In simple terms, a natal chart is anastrological birth chart. During the COVID-19pandemic, the concept of Astrology started trendingon TikTok, which led to many girls found themselvesinterested in learning about their astrological signsand what they mean. There's a decent chance you’reaware of your astrological sign, but did you knowthat you have a sign for every single planet? Theinformation required to create a natal chart is thedate of birth, time of birth, and location of birth.Make sure to ask your girlfriend for this importantinformation before you get a custom poster madefor her.While a love letter is a very classic idea, it's also abudget-friendly idea and one of the most sweet andthoughtful ideas that anyone would love. To makeyour love letter different from a classic one, youcould write it on some vintage-looking paper, stainingthe page with coffee to make it visually appealing.If you decide to go this route, you should make sureto also get a little gift on the side like maybe astuffed animal you know they would love orchocolates.21Best Christmas Gifts For Your Significant OtherCustom Natal Chart Poster1. 2. A love LetterBy Mickey Weadbrock
Customized legos are a generally easy thing to findand are budget-friendly, ordering custom legos onlineor even making them yourself is a cute gift idea yourlover would adore. You could make them as key chainsso your boyfriend could keep a mini Lego you on his carkeys or you could buy a cute Lego house to buildtogether and put your custom Lego figures inside thehome to live together.With the new Call Of Duty Black Ops 6 releasing, I'msure you ladies have been battling to get attentionfrom your boyfriends. If your boyfriend is a consoleplayer, a sweet gift idea could be getting customizedgaming controllers with a color scheme he may like, ormaybe your name engraved into the controller. Ifyour boyfriend is a computer gamer like myself, youcould buy customized keycaps for his keyboard.Keycaps come in all sorts of different designs sohypothetically if he played something like Overwatchyou could get customized keycaps for that game.While the idea is slightly corny, it's also adorable because ofthe amount of thought put into this idea. To do this you needa jar and 100 little pieces of paper. On each piece of paper,you write a reason why you love your partner put every singlepiece into the jar, and give it to them. This is a good budget-friendly idea that will surely make your lover overjoyed.If your lover is a big fan of music, you should consider bringingthem a CD or buying a custom vinyl record. Music is one of thebest forms of love and anyone would love to receive a list ofsongs that remind you of them, the good thing about thesecustom vinyl records is that they are completelycustomizable, you could make the cover art a picture of youtwo together. Typically one side of the vinyl will containabout 15 minutes of music, leaving a total of 30 minutes ofmusic.223. Customized Lego Figures 4. Customized Gaming Gear5. Custom Vinyl Record 6. 100 Reasons Why I Love You
Past DealsPresent EquivalentDVD player for $17.99Year: 2004Original price: $37.99Store: BestBuy©Sony Blu-Ray Player for$66.99Original price: $74.99Store: Best Buy©Computer, Monitor, andColor Printer for $549.97Year: 2006Original Price:$899.97Store: BestBuy©Computer Set for $849.99Original price:$1099.99Store: BestBuy©15” LCD TV for $188Year: 2005Original price: NOTAVAILABLEStore: Target©24” Roku TV for $74.00Original price: $74.00- NOT ON SALEStore: Walmart©If you remember the holiday season beforeAmazon dominated the entire retail industry,you’ll remember the holiday shopping craze.People would wait outside of stores onThanksgiving night to get the best deals forgifts. Now that online retailers have comealong, in-person shopping is no longer a bigfactor for the holiday shopping season; thequestion is, is this a good or bad thing? Thereare many factors to consider; but in the end,it is sad to see in-person shopping becomenonexistent. Let’s compare and contrast in-person and online shopping.23Holiday Shopping: The Decline of In PersonShopping and Doorbuster DealsBy Nathan NiehausBest DealsWhen in-person shopping was in its prime, the deals wereexceedingly better than those seen today. Let’s compare somedeals from 20 years ago to deals now.It’s easy to see that deals are notwhat they used to be. Holidayshopping deals have reduceddrastically within the past 15 years;now you may ask, what is the reasonbehind this downfall? A big factorthat marked the decline of shoppingdeals was Amazon© and the increasein online shopping.
24Decline of In Person ShoppingThis chart proactively breaks down how people do their holiday shopping. The results show thatthe majority of people shop mostly online with some in store, followed those who equally shop in-store and online, then those who shop majority in-store with some online, and lastly exclusivelyonline. Although more people shop exclusively in-store than online, it still looks like most holidaygifts come from online sites.Shopping and holiday deals are just simply not what they used to be. The decline in in-personshopping has further worsened holiday deals. Fewer and fewer people are shopping in stores andwaiting outside for doorbuster deals. Although holiday shopping is much simpler now, and whatcould have taken weeks of searching for in-stores can now be done with a click on your phone; itis unfortunate to see in-person shopping and doorbuster deals go. In its prime, holiday shoppingwas more than an errand, it was a motivating force for the holiday season; now people buyholiday gifts from Amazon© and put forward no effort to go in-store for holiday shopping,almost making holiday shopping empty and worthless.
25Holiday RecipesCreating the Perfect Holiday DinnerIf there's one thing Americans love more than food, its holidays. Especially Christmas,where family and friends gather to give gifts and eat delicious food together. Thisbeing said, when having a large get together, everyone should chip in and bring a dish. So,if you really want to impress your family this holiday season, here are some of the bestdishes to bring to a holiday dinner.By: Clayton WiegeleThe renowned American holiday meal would not be completewithout the main dish: the glazed ham. After eatingourselves sick of turkey in November, you're more likely tofind a ham at gatherings instead. A glazed ham is sure tobe found at the center of the table at most American get-togethers this time of year, it's one of those things thatevery person's family takes their own twist on. A main side dish for this meal is “Tini’s Mac and Cheese”. Anyone who has been on TikTok in thelast month has surely seen a rendition of this recipe and the raving reviews it has. Tineke (Tini)Younger, the online chef and influencer behind the recipe, creates delicious and easy recipesthat she shares to her TikTok page with nearly ten million followers. Younger is known for herincredible looking recipes, which she makes seem so simple. Many people have recreated thisrecipe, while some users like Gabriella Grass find the recipe hard to recreate and struggle tomake the cheese sauce not curdle. In Grass’ case, she took the advice from commenters and hersecond try came out perfect! However, those who don't experience this issue swear by thedelicious recipe for their family gatherings. So forget Velveeta or Kraft, and head to@tinikeyounger on TikTok to create this masterpiece!
26 For dessert on our holiday menu, we have Snickers Salad, the mostpopular “weird” Minnesotan salad. The salad consists of chopped greenapples and snickers held together by cool whip and vanilla pudding. Aswith all Minnesotan salads, each family makes their own twist on thedish. Some choose to add marshmallows or top with caramel, otherschoose to add milk for a less viscous dish. Any way it is prepared, it issure to satisfy your sweet tooth and take up any room you have leftafter dinner!If you're looking to step up your giving-game this holiday season to impress your friendsand family, give these popular recipes a try!A Better Alternative to Expensive Coffee thisHoliday SeasonBy: Veda Ratliff The U.S. runs on caffeine, especially the country’s vast student population. Mayo Clinic,a top-ranked hospital, finds that “83% of teens ages 13-18 consume caffeine regularly.”The results of Mayo Clinic’s studies are most likely due to the busy life of a high schoolstudent, many of whom work and attend school full time. However, some coffeeconsumption isn’t practical but can act more as a treat. During the holidays, coffeeshops sell sweet seasonal menu items that can satisfy a sweet tooth as much as a tiredmind. Dunkin’, Starbucks, and the recent Biggby Coffee are a few popular coffee spotchains around Oak Hills High School. The price points of each shop vary, with Dunkin’ beinggenerally more inexpensive than the other options. Considering that many students canonly find work at minimum wage jobs and often buy these fancy coffees regularly, theaffordable option can make more sense for them without compromising quality andsatisfaction. Starbucks and Dunkin’ offered a similar flavor this holiday season: Holiday Cookie. The Dunkin’ official website describesits holiday cookie flavor as having “notes of brown sugar cookie and toasted almond.” Starbucks’ website didn’t include theflavor notes of their holiday cookie flavor, but theirs has a slightly different name, “Sugar Cookie,” and is typicallycombined with blonde espresso, almond milk, and sprinkles. After trying these as iced lattes, it’s clear that affordabilitydoesn’t always affect satisfaction in the context of coffee.
27A Starbucks iced sugar cookie almond milk latte as a grande (medium) costs $6.45. After trying and finishing the latte, myfinal numerical rating would be three and a half stars out of five. The sugar cookie flavor itself was high quality andtasted exactly like it promised. My first sip reminded me of a snowy winter day around Christmas, gathering with family,and baking sugar cookies. However, my biggest wish for this drink is that it would just have more of that flavor. The lackof flavor made the sweetness of the sugar cookie become overpowered by the strength of the espresso. Also, the sprinkleson top of the drink were a bold choice that was reasonable in theory, but wrong in execution. The sprinkles sink to thebottom and, when the drink starts to run out, the red and green hues make the drink look more muddy and slightlyunappetizing. The almond milk, however, didn’t seem to change the taste much and is a good option for the lactoseintolerant, especially now that nondairy drinks at Starbucks aren’t an upcharge. I would recommend getting this drinkwithout the sprinkles and with extra flavor. The Holiday Cookie Iced Signature Latte from Dunkin’ in a medium size will run you $4.97 and my rating of this drink wouldbe four and a half out of five stars, almost perfect. The best way to describe the flavor of this drink is a warm night bythe fire. The brown sugar notes make for a cozy feel and the sweetness is just enough. The brown sugar cookie flavoritself can give a bit of a toothache but mixed with the toasted almond to make the holiday cookie flavor, a perfectbalance is created. The name “Holiday Cookie” was a bit misleading, because it almost tastes like gingerbread instead of aholiday cookie, which would usually be a sugar cookie. The cookie crumble toppings, caramel drizzle, and whole milk makefor a playful drink when needing to satisfy that sweet tooth. Another seasonal holiday flavor that Dunkin’ shares with a popular coffee chain, Biggby Coffee, is cookie butter. TheDunkin’ website describes this one as having notes of “buttery cookie and toasted almond.” There isn’t a description of theBiggby Coffee cookie butter, but it is supposed to be unique to Biggby. When trying these in a cold brew with sweet foam, Ifelt that they ranked similarly, which still shows how price differences don’t always mean taste differences. The Biggby Coffee version of a medium cookie butter cold brew with sweet foam is $5.79 and I would give it about threeout of five stars. The first thing I noticed about this cold brew was how thick the syrup was. The thickness of the syrupisn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in this case, I could see syrup settling at the bottom of the cold brew, even right after itwas made. Despite this, the flavor was what is expected of a cookie butter syrup, it was sweet and had that slightlysavory butter aftertaste that set it apart from other cookie flavors, but there was another note that I noticed. A uniqueaddition to this syrup was the cinnamon powder that was blended with the cookie butter. It added to the savory aspectand gave it a bit of extra spice that I haven’t noticed in any other cookie-butter-flavored coffee. When the drink wasgetting low, I could mostly just taste the thick syrup sitting at the bottom, which was almost sickening. This made thebetter half of the drink generally unenjoyable. If I were to order this again, I would probably ask for it as a hot latte sothat the syrup could melt and mix into the steamed milk. Overall, I’ve concluded that the holiday coffee products from Dunkin’ is just as enjoyable or even more satisfactorycompared to their more expensive counterparts, Starbucks and Biggby Coffee. For students struggling to pay for theirholiday drinks this season, I would recommend switching to Dunkin’ if you haven’t already. For Oak Hills High School studentsin a hurry, one of the nearest Dunkin’ locations to the high school is on 5991 Glenway Ave.
28Best Christmas Playlist? Here’s What theTartan Staff ThinksBy Olivia HarleyAre you in need of a new Christmas playlist? Well here is what Tartan Staff ranks some of the top Christmas songsthis year. These songs are by the original singers and show different sides of the Christmas feeling. These songs areAll I Want For Christmas, Last Christmas, Underneath the Tree, Santa Tell Me, Carol of the Bells, Please Come HomeFor Christmas, Do They Know It’s Christmas, Mistletoe, This Christmas, and Jingle Bells. Other songs that some peoplehave ranked before are Little Drummer Boy, Holly Jolly Christmas, Santa Baby, and Let it Snow.#1- Overall number one was Last Christmas. This song came out on December 3rd,1984. This was created by the English pop duo Wham! Last Christmas was written andproduced by George Micheal. It was released on CBS Records internationally. LastChristmas topped the charts around Christmas but never on actual Christmas day.For instance, in 2021 it reached number one on New Year's Day.#2- All I Want For Christmas is ranked number two. All I Want For Christmas is byAmerican singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. This song was written and produced by herand Walter Afanasieff. The song was released on October 29th, 1994 by ColumbiaRecords. This song broke a Guinness world record for Mariah Carey giving her the mostnumber-one singles by a female artist in 2019.#3- The number three ranked was Carol of the Bells. The music for the carolcomes from the song written by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych. Thiswas made in 1914 but the English lyrics weren’t made until 1936 by Peter Wilhousky.The song premiered on October 5th, 1922 which resulted in the American Audiencesoon falling in love with the song.#4- Santa Tell Me is number four. Santa Tell Me was released on November 24th, 2024 throughRepublic Records. The song was made by singer-songwriter Ariana Grande. The song entered theUS Billboard Hot 100 at number 65 and peaked at number 11. The song continues to become amodern-day classic. Also on the Billboard Global 200 Santa Tell Me peaked at number 5.
29#5- Please Come Home for Christmas is ranked number five. Please Come Homefor Christmas was written and released in 1960 by American blues singer andpianist Charles Brown the song was also co-written with Gene Redd. The song hitthe Billboard Hot 100 in December 1961. This song peaked at number 76 on thischart.#6- Overall number six was Underneath the Tree. This song came out on October18th, 2013 by Kelly Clarkson. This track ranked the highest number for this songat eight on the Billboards Global 200 list. This song was named the ASCAP’s(American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) most popular Christmassong released in the 21st century in 2021.#7- The number seven ranked song was Do They Know It’s Christmas. The songwas released in the UK on December 7th, 1984. It entered the UK singles chart atnumber one, where it remained for five weeks. The song was written as a charitysong by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983- 1985 famine inEthiopia.#8- Jingle Bells was ranked number eight. Jingle Bells was written in 1850 by JamesLord Pierpont. Although at first it had nothing to do with Christmas it was a drinkingsong at first. It was first recorded in 1889 on an Edison cylinder, believed to be the firstChristmas song. It was originally called The OneHorse Open Sleigh. Jingle Bells was firstperformed on September 15th, 1857 at Ordway Hall.
30#9- The number nine song was Mistletoe. This song was released by Canadiansinger Justin Bieber on October 17th, 2011. This was written by Bieber and hisproducers Nasri Atweh and Adam Messinger. This was the lead single from hissecond studio album and his first Christmas album, Under the Mistletoe. Thesong reached the top ten in Canada, Denmark, and Norway and slightly missedthe top ten in the United States reaching the highest number at 11.#10- Overall number ten was This Christmas. The songwas released on September 27th, 2010. The song wasoriginally recorded by Donny Hathaway in 1970. Then ChrisBrown re-recorded the song and produced it again. Thissong was originally one of the five most dislikedChristmas songs of all time.In conclusion, most people like older songs that have been around for a long time. Even when looking at the numbersthe songs were more liked later on like with Last Christmas by Wham! coming out in 1984 but it didn’t reach its peakuntil 2021. The list of people's other favorite songs most put Little Drummer Boy which came out on December 19th,1958. Then thirty years later there was a mash-up made called Peace on Earth/ Little Drummer Boy. This provesthat after a while songs get more popular and relevant than most. As the list for the Tartan Staff goes down whenthe song reaches its peak gets further away or non-existent.
31“Santa with Muscles” and OtherRidiculously Bad Christmas MoviesBy Riley LoftusFrom so bad it's funny, to so bad it’s painful to watch, these movies will have you excited to get to the credits. Thereare many terrible Christmas films online, so many that it becomes difficult to find a bottom 5 or 10; instead, thisarticle will cover a handful of bad movies rather than crown a definitive last place. So without further ado, hereare (some of) the worst Christmas movies I could find.The movie on this list with the lowest score is Santaand the Ice Cream Bunny with 1.3/10 on IMDb.Suffice it to say it’s also the most bizarre. On paper,it seems normal enough, an unsettling bunny joins agroup of children, and together they attempt tosave Santa. However, this movie had no redeemingqualities. It wasn’t funny or enjoyable, just strange.What do you get when you cross a pro wrestler and ahalf–baked attempt at a heartwarming action film?Santa with Muscles follows Hulk Hogan as Blake Thorn, abillionaire who, after hitting his head, believes he is SantaClaus and must save a group of orphans from a band ofcartoonish supervillains. Hogan’s terrible acting and thenonsensical plot make for a hilariously bad movie. At onepoint Thorn gets pushed off the roof of a church by ananimatronic Santa, falls onto a moving garbage truck,wakes up cured of his brain damage, and immediatelyenters a high-speed chase with the police. It may be 2.6/10on IMDb, but it’s 10/10 in my heart.If you’re in the mood to watch a movie with little to no plot and worse acting than Santa With Muscles look nofurther than A Bulldog for Christmas. In this movie, a college student is transformed into a bulldog by “Chips” the“Christmas Spirit” so she can learn the true meaning of Christmas. From the beginning to the end, this film was alow-budget mess. The 3.8/10 on IMDb is much too generous.
32 In Santa Jaws, a shark terrorizes the main characterand his family after she is brought to life by amagical pen. As one would expect, this movie wasridiculous. Every character displayed such a high levelof stupidity that it was no surprise when a CGI sharkate them. It’s rated an appropriate 4/10 on IMDb. Thefunniest part of the movie was the amount ofseriousness invoked by characters screaming “That isnot a shark! That is Santa Jaws!” before gettingimpaled by a candy cane horn.After losing 69.5 million dollars, you would assumethat The Nutcracker in 3D would be good, right? Itwas painstakingly obvious that this movie lost so muchmoney for a reason. It has a 4.1/10 on IMDb and a 0%on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s also the scariest Christmasmovie I’ve ever seen. It strays far from the originalstory and turns the ballet into a political war film.Between the Nazi symbolism and hyperrealistic ratpeople, this movie leans far out of the Christmasgenre. This was the one movie on this list that Iregrettably watched as a child. I say regrettablybecause the shot of the rat king unhinging his jawhaunts my dreams to this day.Even though half of these films were downright awful, each was enjoyable in its own way. Santa with Musclesand Santa Jaws were ludicrous. A Bulldog for Christmas was mainly stupid but had its moments. TheNutcracker in 3D was unique, to say the least. Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny was just bad (the onlyenjoyment I got from that was the gorilla). Luckily, most of these films are free on YouTube; so, give them awatch if you ever want to expand your Christmas movie stockpile.