Emily Krajci: Fond memories of fun Santa traditions

14 days until Christmas break now.

Needless to say, I'm very excited, as is everyone else on campus. Talk of Christmas dances on the tip of everyone's tongues. So naturally I tossed out my blog topic of this week, and in the process "caught" Emily Krajci, another fellow journalism major who is also in my class. (If you're interested in the media's influence today, check out her blog, The Price of Entertainment.)

When I asked Emily if she grew up believing in Santa, she said, "I suppose I did." (those early memories can be pretty foggy.) She thinks she probably knew it was her parents, but her mom would write "from Santa" or "Mrs. Claus" on the gift tags.

Emily said although she and her siblings would give Santa treats on Christmas Eve and receive gifts "from Santa" on Christmas Day, her parents were never pushy about Santa, insisting that Old St. Nick must be real. Her family just had fun with the whole Santa tradition. She also has 3 or 4 siblings who are still of the age to believe in Santa, so the older siblings join in being "Santa's helpers" to make the day fun and magical for the younger ones. 

"We've always put out carrots (for the reindeer) and cookies (for Santa) on a plate," Emily said. They've had a porcelain cup for years that has Santa designs all around it, and they fill it with milk for Santa as well.

Over the years Emily's family has sometimes diverted slightly from their tradition and done something creative, though equally fun.

Spreading that Santa Clause Cheer

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!

Though this passage I pulled from Clement Clarke Moore's famous poem, "T'was the Night Before Christmas," doesn't mention the name of person it describes, I'm sure you've already guessed who it is--Santa Claus, of course!

Moore's poem pictures Old St. Nick as we know him today and gave us the idea of his appearance and personality (plump and jolly) and his activity on the night of Christmas Eve (coming down the chimney to deliver gifts and his eight reindeer.)

Originally, Santa (St. Nicholas) was just an ordinary man.

Week 10: Telling your kids there is a Santa Claus vs. Telling them he doesn't exist

In case you didn't notice from my last post's title, I'm in the Christmas mood. In fact, we were actually decorating the house for Christmas when I typed out the post that I titled with a line from the Grinch song.

So since it's all I can think about right now, I'm finishing off my blog posting with a Christmas topic.

But first let's clear up something----------------SPOILER ALERT FOR CHILDREN!-----------------

"I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole."

Though I think I've mentioned him in one or two of my other posts, I have never formally introduced my brother Evan.

And now I have.

I'm featuring Evan for this week's topic mainly because he inspired this week's topic. Although he is not a full-fledged germaphobe, nor OCD about germs and cleaning, he is rather acutely aware of other people's less than hygienic habits.

"I'm grossed out by things easily. In general, other people gross me out." That's how he put it. And believe me, just because I'm family doesn't mean I'm excluded from that statement in any way. Nor my dad. Nor my mom. All people gross him out.

So this week I'm letting him tell his side, partially because it was rather fascinating to hear what bothers him exactly and why, and partially because I owe it to him for all those times I teased him (to my shame) about the way he wouldn't drink or eat after us. (Maybe this is a good time to confess that I even drank out of his drink once or twice and didn't tell him. I won't rat my dad out though...)

Excuse me, exactly how many germs are on that?

Apparently, I'm always one day behind. During my last week of blog posting, I found out about America Recycles Day the day after this national go green day. This time, I found tips for staying germ free during Thanksgiving...on Black Friday. Oh, well. Today is Thanksgiving in my mind. My mom was sick yesterday, so we decided to postpone the big feast one day.

The fact that my mom got sick at such an "inconvenient" time (Isn't that what always happens?) made me think about what caused her 24 hour virus. Germs obviously. But could she have avoided getting sick by being a little more OCD about germs? Perhaps so.

Now just a little clarification, in this week's topic I'm not exactly arguing for full-fledged germaphobia, which is actually considered a mental condition. (You should read some of the online germaphobe chat rooms where people advise other people how to calm themselves from a traumatic germ experience by sitting down and taking deep calming breaths for 15 minutes. And here's a funny article about "Confessions of a Germaphobe.") Actually, I'm arguing for being more germ-aware.

Maybe you're wondering, "Am I a germaphobe?" Chances are, you're not. But to find out how germaphobic (or germ-aware) you actually are, take this short quiz.

After researching germs for a while, I've been enlightened about the billions of germs waiting out there. If you wish to remain ignorant about how much grossness lurks on everyday items, don't watch this video.  

Scary isn't it? You'll probably be repulsed forever now by your toothbrush and ice and lemons from restaurants.

So what are some ways to keep those germs away?

Week 9: Obsessed with Sanitation vs. Building your Immune System

I took a week off, but now I'm back with a new and exciting topic! I tend to be the one who eats/drinks after (almost) anyone, with the reasoning that I'm building up my immune system with every new little germ I intake. This philosophy typically works too. I rarely get sick, and I definitely get sick less than my friends who are extremely careful to avoid germs.

But I know plenty of people who are the opposite. They avoid eating or drinking after others (even family), use hand sanitizer or wash their hands frequently. Some people I know do this because they are trying to avoid getting sick, but others are simply grossed out by the thought of sharing other people's germs.

So this week I'll be taking the position of what most people affectionately call "germaphobes."

On this issue, people sometimes have a very difficult time understanding the other side. Non-germaphobes find the obsession annoying, and often rather rude and snobbish. Germaphobes are often repulsed by the "nons" habits/practices of sharing and supposed "lack of sanitation." Hopefully, this week I can help share how germaphobes really feel, and why they obsess about sanitation. 

Jess Meyer: Advice about recycling from Down Under

Meet Jess Meyer, a senior international studies major, who grew up Australia. Beside the fact that Jess grew up speaking a with a different accent in a country 8-9,000 miles away, she said there is one major difference between Australia and the United States. Australia is clean.

She said that in Australia, you never see trash anywhere, whether in the streets, the mall, or wherever, on the ground. "People are very quick to pick trash up."

According to Jess, one of the main reasons Australians are so conscientious about littering has to do with the fact that Australians love animals. "If you threw a piece of trash on the ground an Australian would probably come up and give you a lecture about what animals could possibly eat the trash and die," she said. A website about Australia said, "Australia has more than 378 mammal species, 828 bird species, 4000 fish species, 300 species of lizards, 140 snake species, two crocodile species and around 50 types of marine mammal."

Since Australians don't leave trash laying around, it naturally follows that they'd be in favor of recycling, which they are. Jess said the Australian government really pushes recycling, but Australians are already very conscientious about it.

Jess gave several reasons in favor of recycling: