m
1861 '01 JaqiudDaa 'JepsjnilL
uofieueg sruo.-J
Aggie Ohristmas list
Austin carols
lack the spirit
By Cathy Saathoff
Battalion Staff
"The Austin Christmas Collec
tion" sounded like a good
idea. The album is a collection
of Austin's finest musicians
singing traditional and origin
al Christmas songs.
But the Austin carols just
don't cut it.
I expected to hear Christ
mas songs with a slight coun
try twang. What I heard was
your basic heartbreak-getting
drunk-trains-and-prison
brand of country lyrics, set
during Christmas.
The collection is definitely
not conducive to Christmas
spirit.
An example: in “Christmas
in a Honky Tonk," Bill and
Bonnie Heame moan "Tm
spending Christmas in a hon
ky tonk, new year's drunk in
jail."
Christmas should be
eggnog and carolling, not
beer and carousing. It's just
not right.
The general label of "Austin
music" covers too many di
verse styles here for one lis
tener to enjoy them all.
Gary P. Nunn opens side
one with "Pretty Paper," a
song that is reminiscent of
Christmas in a Nashville bar.
Nunn's melancholy voice is
enough to bring tears to your
eyes. But who wants to cry at
Christmas?
Rockin' around the Christ
mas tree could be replaced by
shufflin' around the Christ
mas tree in Rusty Wier's re
ndition of "Santa Claus is
Back in Town." Unless you're
a Corps Type, in which case
you would probably polka.
But most Christmas trees
just don't have room for either
step.(It's also a good song for
driving fast with the windows
down.)
Julie Christensen's "Have
Yourself a Merry Little Christ
mas" sounds like Streisand's
"Evergreen." "We Three
Kings" by Beto and the Fair-
lanes sounds like Lawrence
Welk trying to do disco. "The
Christmas Song," by Steven
Fromholz, almost sounds like
the Firestone Christmas re
cords your parents have, and
comes closest to capturing
what many people think of as
Christmas spirit.
But in most songs, Christ
mas is nothing more than a
word in the chorus.
Rudolph, the groovy rein
deer, is now a red-nosed red
neck, in Bob Livingston's
song. The idea has potential,
but the final product sounds
like a second-grade
schoolyard re-wording of the
original.
The album brings to mind a
bunch of misplaced rednecks
holding a Christmas memo
rial service at the site of the old
Armadillo World Headquar
ters, where so many of the
performers featured on the
album delighted fans of Au
stin music with their own
combination of country/jazz/
rock.
Give me Bing Crosby and
"White Christmas" anyday.
Everybody has their own
Christmas list; the Battalion
staff's is on page 3.
Other lists include stereos,
cars and jewels; some are less
adventurous, listing books, re
cords and clothes.
Most Aggies would be happy
to settle for lots and lots of grade
points. But some want more.
In case Santa should get a
hold of this issue, we've in
cluded a list for other folks
around campus.
The University: a special
events center. David Cassidy
could play a hall the size of G.
By Tom Solomon
Battalion Reporter
Rollie, but Aggies deserve
better.
H.R. "Bum" Bright: A new
nickname. Someone this impor
tant in Texas A&M's pecking
order should not be named
"Bum."
Frank E. Vandiver: many
years of job-security at Texas
A&M and many more wonder
ful reasons to give students the
day off after the tu game.
Tom Wilson: a Bowl of cotton,
for next year.
Reveille: a lifetime supply of
Alpo.
Aggie Band: an absence of
foreign whistles at out-of-town
football games.
Corps of Cadets: perma-shine
on all brass, shoes and boots.
Prarie film: to be put out of its
(and everyone else's) misery.
College Station: cold weath
er, so everyone will know it real
ly is Christmas. Snow would be
a nice touch. But no more rain.
Sterling C. Evans Library: in
vincible, unbreakable copy
machines with unlimited supply
of paper, five on each floor.
Dorm residents: a kitchen in
every room.
Students: A Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year and all
the grade points you need to
stay in school.
While many Texas A&M students have their
minds set on final exams and the coming Christ
mas holidays, some are working to gather food,
clothing, and toys for the poor in Bryan-College
Station.
The Saddle and Sirloin club, a group of animal
science majors, has a canned good drive going.
The club will have a box for donations in the
Kleberg Building lounge until about Dec. 20,
Deidra Cypert, club president, said.
The club is also accepting money donations,
and the club will give all donations to a needy
Bryan-College Station family, she said.
Hobby Hall on the Texas A&M campus is plan
ning a toy collection.
"It's our Christmas service project," Nicole
Williams, Hobby Hall president, said.
Each floor of the dormitory is collecting toys.
The two girls in each room are asked to buy and
donate together a toy worth about $5, she said.
They should put the toy in a bag, write on the
outside if the toy is for a boy or a girl, and what age
group it would be appropriate for.
All the toys collected will be given to the Bryan
Girls Club, Williams said.
"It's kind of a big sister-adopted little sister
thing. Everyone in the dorm is encouraged to
participate. I think we'll get an excellent re
sponse," Williams said.
Twin City Mission at 500 N. Main in Bryan is
also accepting donations for gift baskets for the
needy. The mission gave 76 baskets away during
Novwember, and expects to distribute up to 125
baskets this month, Joan Sebesta, executive sec
retary of the mission, said.
"We give baskets all year, not just at Christmas
time," she said.
"We try all year long to put a chicken in each
food basket. During Christmas and Thanksgiving
people donate more turkeys, and we can put tur
keys in each basket."
Several Texas A&M student organizations col
lect food and give it to the mission for distribution
to the needy, she said.
"Thanks to A&M we stored up on canned
goods for Thanksgiving. I don't know what we'd
have done without student groups like Circle K."
Circle K is a service-oriented student organiza
tion connected with the area Kiwanis club.
Twin City Mission also accepts clothing and
furniture donations for the poor, Sebesta said.
"We give anything that people really need."
The mission will have its annual Christmas par
ty for needy children Dec. 20 at 2:00. The mission
is expecting 150 children at the party. Each will get
a gift and a bag with candy, fruit and nuts, Sebesta
said.
They will be served punch and cookies, and an
area church will give a puppet show telling the
story of Jesus, she said.
"Aggie Owned & Operated"
SM&i
Do-Nuts
ft
Open Late Finals Week!
Qpen Til Midnight
Sun., Dec. 13 — Thurs., Dec. 17
Serving Fresh DoNuts & Special Orders
OPEN 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.
6 a.m.-ll p.m. Fri.-Sat.
7 a.m.-ll p.m. Sunday
3310 S. COLLEGE
South of Villa Maria 811-4096
“After 9 Special”
2 FREE GLAZED DONUTS
(With the Purchase of
Reg. Hot Coffee, Tea or Cocoa)
(After 9 p.m. Finals Week
With Coupon Only)
Charities offer food,
clothing for Christmas
Renaissance plans
improved facilities
This year's Texas Renaissance Festival had its share of rain show
ers, but even despite the downpours, 219,000 ate, drank and were
merry at the festival.
A festival information report said crowds attending the festival
consumed in mass quantities: 29,150 gallons of beer, 47.5 tons of
turkey legs, 10.5 tons of corn, 10.5 tons of baked potatoes, 11 miles
of spicey sausage, 82,000 large soft pretzels, 11,840 gallons of Dr.
Pepper and 18 tons of coconuts for Pina Coladas.
Festival officials say they are already planning for next year's
festival. The most major of the changes are the new privys (flush
toilets) being installed in festival privy areas.
4