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For the final Last Word of the Fall 2022 semester, we decided to close out with the SM staff’s thoughts on various Christmas topics. Get ready to enjoy thoughtful reflections, passionate Christmas-themed rants, and even a lovely poem. Wishing you a merry Christmas from the Student Movement family!

Christmas in Argentina
Chris Ngugi, Pulse Editor
Beach. Sunshine. Lonely. That is what my Christmas will look like this year. For more context, I am studying abroad in Argentina for the school year, and I plan on staying in South America for the Christmas break. In reality, I won’t quite be lonely for the holiday; I’ll be surrounded by friends. However, for the first time, I won’t be surrounded by family. It will be much hotter here than the freezing wintery weather I’m used to in my Michigan home, but can I truly feel the warmth of Christmas without my family? What is Christmas, if not a day for family? Maybe this is the Christmas when I get to find out.

Sorry for the mild taste of existential dread there; force of habit. On a cheerier note, I get to travel all over South America for the holidays! My December travels include world wonders like Machu Picchu and the famous beaches of São Paulo and Viña del Mar. Not to mention, people are really getting into the Christmas spirit here. Even with the one-hundred-plus degree weather (Fahrenheit), the streets are lined with Christmas trees and decorated lamp posts. This Christmas season will undoubtedly be different than any I’ve ever had, but I think that’s ok. In fact, I think it’s fantastic! I hope you have a fantastic, warm, and beautiful Christmas, too; Happy Holidays!

Christmas Break Plans
Solana Campbell, Arts & Entertainment Editor
After the panic of finals dies down, I’ll be headed home for the holidays. Since my birthday falls two days after Christmas (December 27), I have to admit that this is my absolute favorite time of the year. All in one week, I get to celebrate Christmas Day, my 21st Birthday, and the coming of a new year that promises to hit a refresh on my current habits (or so we can hope). What can I say, it’s the best week of the year!
This year, I’m hoping to split my week between all my favorite people: my family, extended family, my partner, and my best friends. It is a bold and gutsy endeavor, and the jury’s definitely still out on whether I’ll be successful, but my plans reminded me of what the holidays are all about: the people you love and who love you. Each of us are blessed with only a few short years to spend on this earth, in the great scheme of things, and every year I’m blessed to find myself ending the year surrounded by people I love dearly. So this holiday season, and this upcoming new year, I hope you all find yourself surrounded by your loved ones, whether it's friends or family, and just take the time to soak in all the love you can. I know we’ll need it for the year ahead.

More Festivities! More Fun!
Grace No, Humans Editor
My family never took Christmas super seriously as a holiday and I didn’t really mind that, even when I was little. We don’t have any long standing traditions surrounding it or deep sentiment and I kind of just like having the opportunity to pick out fun presents for the people I care about. I do really enjoy this time of year though, because all the snow and lights and decorations that start going up in December makes everything feel more fun and silly. I wish that we would all be more extravagant and over the top with decor and fashion more times out of the year—maybe that would take away from the special feeling, but honestly I don’t think so. If we all had a little more fun with the way we interact with other people instead of saving it all up for the holiday season, I don’t see any downsides to that. This is why I’ll be wearing my Christmas socks and sweater year round, and why people should leave their Christmas decorations on their lawn for longer. It’s just silly and we need more silliness in the world.

A Christmas Confessional
Alexander J. Hess, Ideas Editor
Ok, so I have a confession. But first: context. My favorite part of the Christmas season are festive music and films. When my family decorates for Christmas on the Friday after Thanksgiving, we always begin the festivities with bringing up the boxes and  boxes of decorations and watching “White Christmas.” However, like I said, I have a confession. Even though I love Christmas-specific entertainment, I have never seen a number of movies that are considered “core” Christmas movies. Namely, the “Home Alone” series. I know. Tragic. I can hear the collective scream of scandalized AU students. But honestly, I’m kinda scared to watch it. My freshman year, I watched another Christmas classic (“Elf”) and. . .let’s just say I don’t think I was missing much. So, I’m nervous to watch it because I’m not sure which is worse: not having seen “Home Alone” or not liking it.  But what do you all think? Should I “repent from my sinful ways” and watch “Home Alone”?

Why “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” is the Best Christmas Movie
Alannah Tjhatra, Editor-in-Chief
People always say that the original is better than the sequel, but in terms of the “Home Alone” franchise, this is absolutely not the case. With a whopping 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Chris Columbus’s “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” is nothing short of a masterpiece. Here are some reasons why it’s the best Christmas movie of all time.

First of all: why invent a new plot when you can just reuse an old one? “Home Alone 2” is basically the original “Home Alone” but set in New York City. Instead of Kevin being left alone in his house, our young protagonist has a whole city to run through. Instead of robbing houses, the Wet Bandits are robbing a whole toy store. And instead of learning about the importance of family from a scary but sweet old man shoveling snow, Kevin teaches a lesson about trust to a scary but sweet old lady feeding pigeons in Central Park.

Secondly: Kevin McCallister is living the childhood dream. Sticking your head out of a yellow taxi as you cross the Brooklyn Bridge? Pigging out on ice cream in a Plaza Hotel room that you have all to yourself? Eating pizza in a limousine? Watching a concert in the secret rooms of Carnegie Hall? I want his life so badly. (Minus being tormented by bandits.)

Now, I know there are profound themes in“It’s a Wonderful Life.” I think that “Carol” is beautifully written and masterfully filmed. I believe in the magic of “Miracle on 34th Street.” But absolutely nothing will ever compare to a classic like “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”

Uhh Alannah You’re Wrong: My Top 7 Christmas Movies
Terika Williams, News Editor
Let's be honest, Christmas isn’t just a day, it's a culture. December 1st to the 25th is where the Christmas spirit is. (All you weirdos that start playing Christmas before Thanksgiving, please do better.) Watching Christmas movies is the perfect way to foster the Christmas spirit. Personally, I have a list of 7 movies that I must watch during these 25 days. Ok, let's go.

Firstly I must watch:
“The Santa Clause”
“The Santa Clause 2”
“The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”

These movies fixate on Scott Calvin, played by Tim Allen, and his struggle being Santa Clause. These are the  perfect family movies and usher in the warm Christmas vibe. Next I must watch:

“Home Alone”
“Home Alone 2: Lost In New York”
“Home Alone 3”

Now, this is where Alannah's opinion becomes null and void. Many people stop at Macaulay Culkin’s Home Alone Movies and never make it to “Home Alone 3,” but let me tell you, it is a certified banger according to Terika Williams. Lastly, we’ll end out with a romance movie. Before I name movie 8, I will list a few honorable mentions: “The Holiday,” “Holidate,” and “The Grinch.” My last movie is….

“Love Actually”

This movie represents many love stories: the good, the bad and the ugly.  Kelly Clarkson belts out “Underneath the Tree” with passion that gets me in the holiday mood.

P.S: There are some movies that would never make my list personally. If you want to argue about this please find me. I'd love to talk. “The Polar Express” qualifies as a horror movie because the cartoon style is creepy, and “Elf” is boring.

Christmas will be Different This Year
Kayla-Hope Bruno, Photography Director
Christmas will be different for me this year. I am another year older and wiser than I was last year. I have grown and developed a new perspective on life. I am not as concerned as I used to be with knowing what my parents got me for Christmas or making sure that I see the Saks Fifth Avenue holiday light show and the giant Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. The commercialized and materialistic aspects of Christmas do not interest me anymore; I have realized that I want this Christmas to be one filled with sentimentality.

I want to be more intentional with my self-care, my relationships with my loved ones, and my time away from school. I want to spend quality time with my parents, talking about the things that I have missed while being away from home. I want to talk with friends and family members who I have not spoken to in a while. I want to learn a new recipe with my mom and watch tennis with my dad. I want to be well rested and watch as many YouTube videos and Christmas movies as my heart desires. This year, I just want to take more time to be present.

Christmas – Wait, It’s Already December?
Lily Burke, Copy Editor
Christmas really snuck up on me this year. You know when you’re just minding your own business, standing in line or something, and a friend comes up behind you and taps your shoulder? And then you jump because you were startled, but then you turn around and see that it is your friend, and then you are immediately happy because you are glad to see them? That’s how Christmas is feeling this year. I was just going along, beginning my bi-annual end-of-semester panic at the piles of work that remain to finish, and then the Christmas carols, twinkling lights, candy canes, sugar cookies, and ‘what are your Christmas plans?’ questions came and tapped me on the shoulder and scared me out of my mind by how fast things are coming to a close. I am very glad to see the holiday season arrive, though I still am too focused on surviving these next few weeks to get too jolly. But soon, finals will be done, the days will be merry and bright, and I know things will turn out alright.
Also, “Elf” is a trash Christmas movie, I am not wrong about this. The best Christmas movie is any Hallmark Christmas movie set to 2x the speed in a language I don’t understand. Oh, and the Peanuts Christmas movie is so nostalgic. Lastly, I love to bake Christmas cookies, so if you have any festive holiday recipes, please send them my way!

Unpopular Opinion: Things We Need to Retire this Christmas Season…
Shania Watts, Website Editor
I love Christmas and I enjoy most traditions associated with the holiday. I love the music, the movies, the food, and the lights! However, there are just some traditions that I feel we need to retire. I may offend some people, so beware!

Nothing quite brings in the Christmas spirit like a good Christmas playlist with all our favorite classics. "White Christmas", "Last Christmas", "This Christmas", "Blue Christmas", "A Holly Jolly Christmas", "The Christmas Song"…you get the point, the list is endless and repetitive, but let’s be honest: we all love it! However, my friends, there is one song that irks the depths of my soul every time I hear it interrupt some random, yet lovely Christmas playlist I pulled up on Spotify. That song happens to be “My Favorite Things.” If you grew up Adventist, you know this is a beloved classic within our denomination. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love “My Favorite Things,” but for some reason it really just dims my Christmas spirit. Sure, it makes references to silver-white winters, brown paper packages, sleigh bells, and snowflakes. Yes, Julie Andrews sang it for a Christmas special in 1961. BUT never was this song composed with the intention of being a Christmas song. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to force myself to associate “My Favorite Things” with the warm, fuzzy feeling I get every time I hear Nat King Cole’s rendition of the “Christmas Song,” or Mariah Carey belting “All I Want for Christmas is You.”  I may be the only person who feels this way, but someone needed to say it.

Also, eggnog is an abomination to society. I’m not talking about the vegan eggnog that comes in the cute carton. No, I’m talking about homemade, dairylicious eggnog. The margin of error for making this odd drink is very wide, and few people make it well (and even when it's considered "good" eggnog, it's still just awful). Everything about it is unappetizing: its consistency is unsettlingly thick, it’s made with raw eggs and milk, and the flavor is simply off-putting. I think it’s time we retire this awful drink!

Lastly, I don’t understand why people love “The Polar Express.” I wholeheartedly agree with Terika! This movie is probably one of the creepiest films I’ve ever watched. Aesthetically speaking, the animation is atrocious, and the plot gives me the ick. Like the train conductor is literally kidnapping kids, and promising them a visit with Santa Claus. It’s giving white van abductor vibes. I would really like someone to explain to me why this movie is considered a Christmas classic. 

My Christmas
Scott Moncrieff, Faculty Advisor
Shoveling snow
Hanging out with Lilia
Dusting off my Spanish
Pine needles on the dining table
Taking the family Christmas photo
Time standing still and moving too
Playing Christmas music with friends
Wearing a Christmas tie with black shirt
Reading updates in everyone’s Christmas letters
Hiking the California desert with the extended family
Greetings, hugs, together times, goodbyes, hugs, tears
Thinking about eggnog, and deciding, no, not this year
Train stations, airports, parking garages, rental agreements