12/07/07
It’s that time of year for students to grab their pencils and get ready-not for finals, but to make their Christmas lists.
Santa Claus makes a list of who is naughty and nice. Then he checks it twice. People make lists detailing what they want to receive for Christmas, what they want to buy for the special people in their lives and what they need to do to prepare for the holiday. Wal-Mart and other retail giants even try to help out by making lists of their top Christmas items.
While many Baker University students said they believe Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and spending time with family, it also seems to be about making lists.
However, not every Christmas wish list is full of materialistic items.
Freshman Taryn Curry said if she could be granted any wish this holiday season it would be hard to choose one thing to wish for.
“There are so many things I would wish for,” she said. “I wish that we would not be fighting in war anymore. I wish that life would be a lot simpler than it is. I wish that people wouldn’t have to be homeless and beg for money.”
Senior Abby Burnett said what she would wish for is, in a way, world peace.
“I would wish for everyone to realize the reason for the season,” she said.
Burnett said Christmas symbolizes a lot of different things for her.
“Not only is it the birth of Jesus, but it is a time of sharing our faith and love and joy and peace, whether it be in the form of a gift or in some other non-materialistic way,” she said.
Burnett said her least favorite aspect of the holiday season occurs when people are worried about materialistic values.
“I hate how people get caught up in gifts and how much to spend and how big gifts need to be … the consumer side of it,” she said.
Senior Jared Weseloh said he thought people emphasize gifts too much.
“I hate how people get upset if they don’t get the right things,” he said. “I hate how people get up at three in the morning to be at stores by four. They are missing the point.”
Weseloh said Christmas is about more than receiving presents.
“Christmas means a time for family to get together. It’s a religious time to celebrate the birth of Christ,” he said.
Junior Ashley Sims also said materialism is her least favorite part of Christmas.
“Sometimes there is too much focus on that, and it’s sad. That’s not what Christmas is about,” she said.
Sims said she had yet to devise a Christmas list.
“I honestly don’t know what I want,” she said. “I guess I would just wish for a really good time and that nothing bad would happen anywhere.”
Sims is not the only student who hasn’t developed a Christmas list.
“I’m not big on gifts,” Burnett said. “I just want the family to be all together.”
Senior Clayton Kellerman said Christmas is his favorite time of year.
“It’s a good time to be with friends and family,” he said.
However, what Kellerman said he would wish for this holiday season is something he alone can achieve.
“One thing I would wish for, is to get an ‘A’ on all my finals, so I wouldn’t have to worry about any of my classes,” he said.
Sophomore Amy Olbert said her least favorite part of Christmas is that her grandpa died on Christmas day in 1994.
“If I could have any wish, I would wish to see my grandfather and my grandmother again,” Olbert said. “They had a great effect on my life.”