Winter Wonders and Christmas Customs: Carols
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 Quite frankly, I think this tradition is outdated and uncomfortable but let us look at the why’s behind these unsolicited, amateur performances happening on your front lawn.
Winter Wonders and Christmas Customs: Mistletoe
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.
Winter Wonders and Christmas Customs: Pine Trees
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.
Sibling Stereotypes and Common Family Dynamics
By Austin Price, Staff Writer
Many of us have siblings. Many of us love our siblings despite wanting to strangle them at times. Many of us ask our parents why they had more than one kid. Many of us see our siblings as our built-in best friends who have our back no matter what, but also will be murdered if they take one step into our room. For years we have asked ourselves why our relationships with our siblings are the way they are. We wonder why we have conflicted emotions towards the people we have grown up with. Taking a deep dive into the influence of nature vs. nurture, and the psychology of each family member in terms of their place in the group and their contribution to the rest, studies show that the order in which you are born may determine your feelings towards your siblings. This means that your place in the family could make or break the family’s dynamic.
Risky Driving, Road Rage, and Countless Fatalities
By Austin Price, Staff Writer
As a young driver, I can safely say that this past year has been a scarier driving experience than any other year of my life. Currently, it seems as if everyone on the road is aggressive, tired, distracted, or risky, and according to recent studies, they are. While bumper to bumper traffic may not be unusual for downtown Denver, it certainly is unprecedented for side streets and back roads. However, with constant construction and lane closures, driving has become more and more of a stressful battle to get to your desired destination without damaging yourself, your surroundings, your car, or the other drivers around you.
Many drivers are left asking themselves why driving, a standard and normalized part of society, has become such a taboo and dangerous situation. Is it stress over finances and the economy? Fear for the future of the environment? Or hesitation in human interaction as a lasting side effect from the COVID-19 pandemic? Better yet, is it a wicked combination of all three? Experts suggest that humans have become more volatile and shorter tempered, and this attitude has impacted their driving.