The holiday season is filled with traditions that have been passed down for decades. With spirit filling the air, it allows for people to be more creative with their hangouts and really get festive with their activities. Here are a couple of things to do with your friends or family this winter!
Baking Christmas cookies
Watching movies with family
Decorating your house
Shopping for gifts for family
Driving around to see lights people put up.
Have an ugly sweater decorating competition with family.
The best gift ideas for 2020 – because we all deserve it
As this unforgettable year is coming to a close, it gives us time to reflect on everything that has occurred in the past twelve months. However, the last month of the year is not as peaceful as one may think it is. With all the twists and turns that 2020 has thrown at us, one part has remained intact. It is the everlasting question of ‘What should I get for Christmas?’. This question, although timeless, causes a frantic among many. Whether you plan on being the gift giver, receiver or both, you can consider this piece your personal gift consultant.
For the person who has everything
Beginning with the basics, clothing is a classic gift that never gets old. Due to the fact that there is such a variety to choose from, picking clothes as a gift for somebody can be both a blessing and a curse. Finding the best clothes for the best person could prove to be a difficult task. Determining the style of the person you want to give clothes to is another important factor to keep into consideration. Their favorite color, what they usually wear, and what is on their wish list are all important hints that will eventually lead you to the perfect gift. Websites such as Boohoo.com, Shein, PrettyLittleThing, and Forever 21 all have great deals on items for seasonal items.
Uncommongoods.com is a website that features items that you cannot find anywhere else. This website has a cool feature in which you can actually click an option labelled ‘gift finder’ to type someone’s interests and it will provide you personalized results with gifts that are relevant to these interests. Some interests to choose from include music, art, cooking, gaming, and other hobbies someone might take a liking to. This feature saves you a lot of the time that you would have spent scrolling through pages of items searching for the perfect present. Even if a website does not have this option, narrowing down these qualities in your head, can prove to be very helpful.
Even if someone has just about everything you can think of, gifts do not have to always be some sort of physical object. Experiences can be bought and turned into long lasting memories. With the proper distancing and safety precautions, a trip could be an amazing gift. If you don’t feel comfortable going on a plane with the current state of the pandemic, a road trip could prove to be more of a fun experience. Taking a trip to see snow (especially if the person has never seen it before) would definitely be extraordinary. If you do not want to leave the state, however, there is a new artificial snow park right in Florida. It is called Snowcat Ridge Alpine Snow Park which has a play area, a bunny hill for small children, and a 60 foot tall snow tubing hill.
For mothers
For the parents or someone who is similar to a parental figure in your life, it is my personal belief that Etsy.com is the place to go.
One gift that may be great to give is a family portrait created by a real person and delivered to your home. These portraits can include family members and even pets! By simply providing an original picture of the family and sending it in, the artist is able to create these pictures which will surely warm the heart of the person you gift it to.
Another gift for parents could be a ceramic travel mug to take on the go (such as a Yeti Mug). These can be plain, with designs, or personalized; dependent on what you feel this person would enjoy the most. Amazon has a few of these but if you wanted to find a personalized gift, Etsy.com is known for individualizing products and having an abundance of creative vendors. Therefore, it is a good place to search if you want a gift that has a personal touch to it, even if it is not necessarily one that is listed.
Candles, soaps, and perfumes, Bath and Body Works have great products for good prices. In my personal opinion, smelling these scents in the store is a gift in of itself. Also, it is something that does not take much time to do. If you buy these in bulk, they can be a gift to more than one person of your list. Fathers, cousins, and others may like these as well. For men I recommend Mahogany Teakwood, for the Christmas vibe I recommend Fresh Balsam, and for a subtle year-round scent I would recommend Rose Water & Ivy.
For your significant other
One idea for Christmas gifting to a significant other could be matching shoes. Websites such as Converse, Vans, and Nike have the option to ‘design your own’ shoes. Keep in mind, there are a lot of ways to match with somebody without being tacky. Matching is all about complementing and coordinating, it is not necessarily equivalent to copying and duplicating the same shoe twice. One idea is to choose two colors and alternate them on each shoe. However, two of the same shoes can work just as well.
This was my personal favorite toy growing up and it also adds a nostalgic element to any gift. A reel viewer is perfect as a playback of all of your favorite moments together. By buying the reel viewer and choosing the pictures to include on it, you would be making a worthy investment since you can buy more discs with pictures later on and you already have the machine itself. It can even be made into a tradition!
For Others
Necessities are often overlooked when it comes to holiday gifting, however it occasionally proves to be the kind of present that one would be the most grateful for. Whether it’s a new charger, a replacement for something that is already old or broken, a wallet, hair/body wash, or even socks! A do-it-yourself kit full of self care items does not require much effort. A box or basket can be purchased from anywhere including the dollar store and filled with multiple small gifts! In fact, an alternative for a box could be a stocking to further the Christmas spirit. Small to medium sized items can fit in this ‘package’ as well, making it a good and creative idea to use this holiday season.
The holiday season is the best time to get in the spirit and fulfill your yearly sweet cravings. From seasonal flavors like peppermint and cinnamon to the simple joys that baking with friends and family brings, this time of year is the best time to indulge in sweet treats. Here are five simple and tasty holiday recipes that are guaranteed to make your holiday season a little bit less bitter.
Holiday Bark(S’mores):
Ingredients- Graham crackers, butter, mini marshmallows and chocolate.
Steps- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the graham crackers into a plastic bag and crush till it looks like little pebbles. Put about a ¼ cup of it aside and put the rest into a bowl. Add 1 cup of melted butter to the bowl and mix till like wet sand. Pour the crackers into a paper-lined, or sticky sprayed, baking sheet. Spread evenly and cover with marshmallows. Bake for 10 minutes. Then, after taking it out, spread the melted chocolate over the pan evenly with a spatula (You can melt the chocolate either in the microwave or over a pot of water in a bowl). Cover with marshmallows and the remaining graham crackers. Drizzle any remaining chocolate. Freeze for an hour, break into pieces and enjoy.
Peppermint Bark:
Ingredients- mini candy canes, milk $ white chocolate, and peppermint extract.
Steps- Crush the candy canes in a zip log bag and transfer to a bowl. Melt 4 cups of chocolate in a bowl and mix in ½ a teaspoon of the peppermint extract in. Pour the chocolate into a parchment- lined baking sheet, spread evenly and freeze for 5 minutes. Take the pan out and spread evenly the melted 3 cups of white chocolate over it with a spatula. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the chocolate and freeze for an hour. Break into pieces and enjoy.
Steps- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stinking spray. In bowl, combine a cup of butter and a cup of sugar (Blend until light and fluffy, preferably use an electric mixer ). Add an egg and a 1 ½ tablespoon of milk and beat till smooth. In another bowl, stir together the ½ teaspoon of salt & baking soda and 2 ¾ cups of flour. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the first bowl and beat till the dough comes together (kind like giant clumps of sand). Put the dough on floured surface, combine and roll out till it’s ¼ inch think. Use any cookie cutter of your choice and transfer to the baking sheet, with each cookie an inch apart. Bake for 6-8 minutes (cookies should be firm around the edge and soft in the middle) and let it cool. To make the frosting, in a large bowl , add 2 pounds of the powdered sugar, ½ a cup of butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 14 ounces of condensed milk. Bea until creamy and smooth, divide into smaller bowls and add the food coloring of your choice. Decorate the cookies with the frosting and M&Ms and enjoy.
Mint Chocolate Snowman Ritz Pops:
Ingredients- Ritz cracker, white chocolate, mint extract, chocolate shavings, lollipop stick and orange & back gel frosting.
Steps- Melt the white chocolate, cover a side of the cracker with the chocolate, add the chocolate shavings and lollipop stick. Add more of both the chocolate and the shavings and top with another cracker. Repeat to make more and freeze until the chocolate is hard. In a bowl, melt more white chocolate and add ½ teaspoon of mint extract for every pound. Dip the chocolate in until completely covered. Cut into a box or something similar to hold the pops, freeze and decorate. \
Strawberry Santas:
Ingredients- Strawberries, icing or whipped cream and mini chocolate chips.
Steps- Slice the tops and the top 1/3 off the strawberries. Squeeze some frosting/whipped cream onto the stop of the strawberry and replace the top. Decorate with buttons and hair, adding the chips as eyes.
Baking will forever hold a special place in celebrating the holidays, so make sure to bundle up and try a few recipes. Have a safe and happy holiday season this 2020!
A pandemic, protests, a presidential election, and everything else that has made 2020 a year that we will never forget. The turn of a new decade felt significant- and it definitely was, however, 2020 is finally coming to an end. With the new year approaching, there’s a sense of relief that the worst might be behind us. Even though things won’t change overnight, we can only be optimistic for what is to come. We can bring what we’ve learned into the new year while leaving behind everything that made this year so “special”. With the New Year creeping up close, here are some things that are a must and a bust for 2021.
Must: Keeping your masks on.
We all know that wearing a mask for hours on end is not fun, but it’s also not impossible. Keep your mask on for the safety of yourself and others. They work best to prevent the virus when everyone is wearing one. Taking “breathing breaks” is a great way to feel less overwhelmed, but wearing your masks is one of the smallest things that we can do to stay safe. Being responsible and smart is key currently, so hopefully we don’t have to keep this new mask tradition up in the coming years.
Bust: Parties
Come on, now. It’s hard being stuck inside the house alone, especially at this time of the year. Personally, I haven’t hung out with my friends in over 6 months. That’s why it sends me into a silent rage whenever I see people risking the health of themselves and others for a 20-person party where they can play Reggaeton over a loudspeaker. Keep any gatherings small, talk to people over the phone, and dance with your dog if it means keeping yourself and those around you safe.
Must: Self Care
Honestly, there are bigger things to worry about than your SAT scores at times. The current state of the world is taking a massive toll on people’s mental health. Take the time to relax, and step away from anything causing you stress. Make sure that you’re prioritizing yourself and check up on those around you to make sure that they’re also doing ok.
Bust: TikTok Drama
I heard two weeks’ worth of discourse about the D’Amelio sisters not eating escargot. Let’s focus on holding people accountable for something bigger. There are so many things going on around us right now that we do not have to be worrying about what people with “faux fame” are doing with their lives.
COVID-19 has changed everyday life as we know it, with the adaptation to this “new normal”, the question arises: how much will our new circumstances change holiday traditions? People practice different holiday traditions across the world, whether it’s the way they cook thanksgiving meals to leaving out cookies for “Santa” to enjoy. All these traditions are what make the holiday seasons so special and exciting for people of all ages. While adults are enjoying themselves at family gatherings and nights out with their friends, kids are excited to have a one-on-one conversation with Santa in hopes of getting what they want for the year.
With COVID-19 affecting the world as a whole and the way that people interact with each other, there is a lot of concern as to whether these holiday traditions will be allowed to continue without our compromising our health and safety. According to CNN news, kids will no longer be able to meet Santa, they will have to speak to him from across a vast piece of acrylic glass. Malls have also come with the idea of creating zoom calls for kids that look forward to meeting with Santa without having to break any social distancing guidelines. Because of this, holiday Christmas cards or family pictures with Santa will have to be put on hold for this holiday season. Another solution that has been implemented to make up for this unfortunate situation is creating an area near Santa where families can take pictures with him while remaining at a safe distance. These Santa encounters have incorporated props like large gift boxes, Christmas trees, and elves for those attending to still feel like they can get a better feel for the holiday season as well as a great holiday picture.
Another beloved local holiday tradition that was cancelled this year due to the pandemic was the Santa’s Enchanted Forest Holiday Theme Park. This park contained an abundance of rides, carnival games, and food booths for families and young adults looking for something fun to do with friends during the holidays. Miami residents look forward to the park every year, meaning there was considerable disappointment with its cancellation this year. According to Braddock student, Abel Cardoso, “The [spread of Covid] will definitely make people more weary of all the possible risks of infection and dangers of the virus during the holiday season.” With all the new adaptations that people must make this holiday season, a new question begins to pop into people’s minds. Will the new practices of social distancing and safety regulations cause new holiday traditions to arise? And will we ever be able to go back to our “normal” holiday traditions and gatherings? We are living in a time full of uncertainty so the questions that plague families across the nations cannot be answered but we all hope that these new accommodations that we must make won’t put a damper on this holiday season.
Hi! My name is Emilee Caldera and I have been working on the Watchdog Newspaper for four years now. This edition was very special to me because it is my last time working on the Watchdog. I am so grateful for all of our readers and the progress that the program has made over the years. Although my time on the newspaper has come to an end, the Watchdog will always hold a special place in my heart.
The Watchdog 