By Austin Price, Staff Writer

Our next Christmas tradition is one of my personal favorites: the wearing of Ugly Christmas sweaters. Ugly Christmas sweaters didn’t actually start out so ugly. The original ugly Christmas sweaters were never intended to be ugly; they were actually pretty artistic and joyful. They were first known as “Jingle Bell Sweaters” and featured discrete Christmas themed decorations. However, as the years went by, these sweaters became more commercialized and took on a different meaning. 

By Austin Price, Staff Writer

One of my favorite holiday hobbies is decorating gingerbread houses and other baked structures of architecture. While they are fun to create and yummy to snack on, gingerbread houses started as a tradition not meant to be eaten, but instead meant to be used exclusively for decoration. Gingerbread houses originated in Germany during the 16th century. However, in order to build a gingerbread house, we need to start with gingerbread itself. 

By Austin Price, Staff Writer

Up next our focus is on a sweet treat, sugar plums. I am sure we have all heard of the magical Sugar Plum Fairy, featured in the iconic ballet, “The Nutcracker” or we have read Clement Clarke Moore's iconic 1823 poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas," which includes the line, "The children were nestled all snug in their beds / While visions of sugar plums dance in their heads." However, I am sure it has never occurred to you what a sugar plum is. Surprisingly, sugar plums often do not include actual plums. 

By Austin Price, Staff Writer

I think it’s safe to say that all of us have experienced the awkward moment when you open your door in December to be met with over-enthusiastic, community college glee club members ready to serenade you with Christmas carols in freezing temperatures. Quite frankly, I think this tradition is outdated and uncomfortable but let us look at the why’s behind these unsolicited, amateur performances happening on your front lawn. 

By Austin Price, Staff Writer

Our next winter legend is centered on the controversial and highly debated use of mistletoe. In America, mistletoe is a plant that is hung from the ceiling, used to encourage passersby of the plant to kiss one another beneath it. Initially, mistletoe came from older ceremonies of the Solstice season. Mistletoe, holly, and ivy, for instance, were gathered in their magical potency by moonlight on Winter Solstice Eve, then used throughout the year in Celtic, Baltic, and Germanic rites. Scientifically, mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant that produces small white berries and grows almost exclusively in trees. It finds its home like many seeds do – through bird droppings. As the seed begins to grow, the plant attaches itself to the “host” tree in order to steal water and the essential nutrients that it needs to survive. 

By Austin Price, Staff Writer

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Yes, indeed it is the holiday season, filled with cheap decorations, artificial hot chocolate, toxic deicing fluid, and claustrophobic Christmas mass. Despite all the stress and chaos, Christmas is and always has been my favorite holiday. And so, I take you on an exploration of Winter Wonders and Christmas Customs to get you through the most stressful and expensive time of year. With ancient traditions and mystical legends, Christmas spirits and eerie stories, the holiday season is a time to enjoy some fairytales and omens while also keeping that cheery, Christmas spirit.