Featured image | Rowan Campbell
The holidays are finally here! Read on for some of the best the season has to offer.
Matt Dionne | Editor-in-Chief
I’m not a huge fan of Christmas—however, there is one Christmas tradition I do enjoy: the 12 Barz of Christmas. Twelve Barz started in 2003 as a gathering of friends before everyone left for the semester. Since then, it’s grown into one of the biggest bar crawls of the year, taking place in 40 cities across North America. Participants get a tshirt that gives them access to five bars during the night, and are split into teams, which determine which bars they will attend. There are also tasks on the shirt that must be completed, including: “dance off,” “sing a Christmas carol,” and even “kiss a random.” In addition to the tasks, patrons must also do 12 shots throughout the night that range from straight whiskey, to specialty drinks such as a broken down golf cart. It’s a great chance to escape the stress of exams and meet new friends—or potential flings.
Emilie Miranda | Executive Editor, Online
One event you can count on to bring excitement (and maybe some good old-fashioned stress) during the holidays is the annual IIHF World Junior Championship, which brings together the best international junior hockey talent for a two-week tournament where anything can happen. This year’s event is being hosted in Buffalo, so no 4 a.m. game starts, and runs from Boxing Day up to the gold medal game on January 5. It’s a great opportunity to see the next big NHL stars before they’re even drafted, as well as cheer about something with family and friends over the break. Besides, you know that’s all that’ll be on TSN over the holidays, regardless.
Munirul-Haq Raza | News Editor
My Christmas, in recent years, has revolved around catching up on reading about interesting topics, such as physics, history, or anthropology. I also love playing video games, watching holiday movies, spending some time with my mom, going to a variety of Islamic-themed events that happen near the year’s end—most of these are done while listening to hip hop and jazz. Most of my holidays are spent gaming, but I enjoy adding in the rest of these activities, so I feel at least be somewhat productive.
Dennis Bayazitov | Assistant News Editor
I don’t think I am the only student (I seriously hope not, anyway), who each year, time and again, finds himself in a dire back-and-forth of work and play, amid arguably the most decisive window of the semester.
Be it—ill-advisedly—starting episode one of Game of Thrones for the first time just before midterms, or confidently assuring myself I’ll rise extra early post-nightout Sunday morning to finish the term paper due at 11:59 p.m. that evening, or sifting through a sea of Wikis and Ted Talks, educating myself on all courses (other than the only ones I really need be learning), it seems that procrastination has become the one true activity I cannot wait to dive into immediately.
Naturally, for play-prone students like myself, the winter break is simply music to the ears—at last: a genuinely appropriate time to finally enjoy the things I love, with the people I love. Never has there been a more fitting time to take a break from taking a break.
Angelica Babiera | Arts Editor
Every year, my family and I follow this Filipino tradition called “Nochebuena.” It’s a Spanish word referring to Christmas Eve and translates to “the Good Night.” It’s a big feast that happens at midnight on December 24. My family and I spend the whole day prepping the food, cooking, cleaning the house, and wrapping presents. By 8 p.m., all the chores are finished, and everyone goes to their respective rooms to either sleep or relax until the large feast begins. For Filipinos, Nochebuena is our most important tradition. It celebrates love, gratitude, family, and God.
Alexander Colle | Sports Editor
My favourite part of Christmas would definitely have to be the gift-stealing game my family plays on Christmas Eve. How it works: everybody puts a gift of a similar theme in the centre of the room and gets a number. We start in numerical order, and if your number is called, you can either take a gift from the centre or steal another person’s gift. I personally love the risk of taking from the centre, since gifts can range from a mini air-hockey table, to PGA Tour 2004 for Playstation 2, to a spicy Italian sausage. It’s a fun game, and I look forward to it every year.
Jodie Vanderslot | Health Editor
I usually tend to go overboard on Christmas, trying to come up with new and interesting ways to get the people in my life as excited as I am. From the Christmas movies to wrapping presents, I love everything Christmas—but mostly, I love the snow. When it finally does decide to snow, my whole mood changes, and I feel like it is only then that the cold becomes slightly more tolerable. I love cracking the ice that lines the edges of the sidewalk, walking around my neighbourhood, and looking at the lights while it’s snowing—it makes me feel like I have a clean slate, which puts me in a more positive mood.
Basma Elbahnasawy | Multimedia Editor
What makes Christmas time extra special are the decorated streets, jolly spirit, and varieties of comfort food; the kind that feeds your soul—I am looking at you, Chimney Stax. The Toronto Christmas Market is the cherry on top of the Christmas cake when it comes to Christmas activities. It is also notorious for its lighted signs, which create amazing background lighting for an Instagram photoshoot. If you enjoy strolling through a wonderland of lights with live Christmas music playing in the background, then the Christmas Market is a must-see this holiday season. It will be open until December 23, so make sure to check it out while you can!
Anna Voskuil | Copy Editor
Nothing beats family traditions—especially when it comes in the form of a black-and-white classic called It’s A Wonderful Life. Every year, on a cold, quiet Christmas Eve, my mother, sister, and I would light up the fireplace, mix up some hot cocoa, and reminisce in a story that never grows old.
The simple story of George Bailey, a tired man who screams to the world “I wish I’d never been born!” only to witness what a world would be like without him in it, we watch how he heartwarmingly begins to honour and appreciate everyone dear in his life, and how important he truly is to everyone in his community—a wonderful reminder for us all. So, for all of you reading: this winter season, never forget, no matter how you are feeling—you are always worthy, and you will always be loved.
Rowan Campbell | Creative Director
My favourite thing about the holiday season is the cold weather and the wintery atmosphere. Despite my body’s high proclivity to getting sick, I’ll gladly take the risk for the chance to breathe in the crisp, fresh air, and kick through untouched snowbanks. Also, there’s nothing like coming home after a long day in the snow and drinking hot chocolate with my family under twinkling lights, as the smell of evergreen and pine wafts through the air. I love Halloween for the spooky atmosphere, and I love Christmas for the same—the pursuit of all things cozy, comfortable, and lovely.
