when broken and examined in
cross section, the tree is likely to
be a spruce.
Blue spruce makes a
beautiful but expensive
Christmas tree, with needle
retention not as good as that of
a fir or pine.
Firs, especially the balsam,
are the most aromatic.
Traditionally, children
receive Hanukkah gilt, which
consists of money and gifts.
Lewis said his parents always
gave him and his sister
chocolate coins wrapped in foil
to represent gilt.
Also, the children play
Draydle, a game played with a
four-sided top, each side having
a Hebrew word. Together, the
four words translate to “A great
miracle happened here. ” Each
player adds money or takes it
out of a pot depending on the
bet placed and what the spin
indicates, Lewis said.
Laves said that historically
the Jewish community didn’t
exchange gifts, but times have
changed. Because Hanukkah
was so close to Christmas it was
hard for the Jewish children to
understand why they didn’t get
gifts. Today, they get a different
group of presents on each of
the eight days, he said.
What do you want for Christmas?
by Lawson Reilly
Remember this? You’re
walking down a velvet-roped
aisle, toward a fat guy in a red
suit trimmed with white fur.
He’s wearing a matching cap
and he has a bushy beard
flowing to his wide, black belt.
Just as you reach the
pedestal supporting his
oversized chair, he reaches
down and swings you onto his
knee. A few belly laughs
emerge from behind his beard,
and then the inevitable
question comes.
“What do you want for
Christmas?”
At this point, you either cry
for your mommy or whip out a
three-page list.
The yuletide season is upon
us, and that question is being
asked more frequently as
Christmas nears and shopping
days dwindle. At Ease got into
the spirit and asked students
what they want for Christmas.
The item at the top of
freshman aerospace
engineering major Jeff
Redding’s list mingles
Christmas with Aggie spirit.
“First, I want A&M to beat
Notre Dame, ” he says.
Redding’s wish was the
consensus among students
waiting in line in front of G.
Rollie White Coliseum for
Cotton Bowl tickets.
Sophomore general studies
major Perry Liston, who
started waited in line for tickets
Thursday afternoon, thought
awhile before deciding what
else he wants.
“I have straight teeth, and
’m not missing any either, ” he
says. “1 guess I want an
unlimited checking account for
my dad.”
Liston wasn’t the only
student with visions of green
stuff dancing in his head.
“Cash, ” replied senior
marketing major Jimmy Moore
to the question. “Lots of cash
would be nice. ”
Grades are the priority on
some students’ lists. Rhonda
Crowell, a junior elementary
education major, says she
wants a “B” in her calculus
class, while sophomore
general studies major Katina
Osth wants a new grade-point
ratio.
Rebecca Gillis, a
sophomore biology major, is
asking for divine intervention.
“I want a miracle, ” she says.
“That’s what I want. A four
point. ”
Some students, like senior
computer science major Kyle
Kennedy, couldn’t make up
their minds.
“I don’t know, ” he says.
“Decisiveness. I want
decisiveness. ”
Most students are looking
forward to the those things
which come in pretty, wrapped
packages. Junior geology
major Lisa Falquist says she
needs a computer for word
processing. She also thinks
hiking boots would be nice.
“I’m in geology, so I’m
going to need them, ” she says.
Falquist says she would also
like a Walkman portable stereo
since she finds that her job
reshelving books in the
Sterling C. Evans Library can
be boring sometimes.
Junior computer science
major Dan Schmitt wants new
seat covers to replace the ones
stolen from his car.
Beth Kirkpatrick, a genetics
graduate student, wants a
calculator.
“Just a plain, old calculator
that does scientific junk, ” she
says. “This semester killed my
last one. ”
Kirkpatrick also wants safe
air travel during the Christmas
break because her family lives
in Florida and Kentucky. She
says driving is a pain, but she
thinks flying has become too
dangerous lately.
Junior construction science
major Steve Knizner wants a
leather jacket and some
Gotcha paint guns so he and
his friends can run around
campus and shoot one
another.
In addition to new scuba
equipment, sophomore
biology major Ricky Smith
wants a method of land travel:
“I want probably what
everybody else does, ” he says.
“Who doesn’t want a new
car?”
Of course, there’s more to
Christmas than receiving, and
freshman business major Todd
Traylor was one of many
Aggies full of the generous
holiday spirit.
“You mean, besides world
peace?” he replied, when
asked what he wanted for
Christmas. “Snow, we haven’t
had snow in years. ”
Then he continued rattling
items off his list.
“I want a helicopter, ” he
says. “I’ve asked for a
helicopter for four years but
my mom says she can’t get
one.
“I’d also kind of like to see
the Smiths get back together,
or New Order. I know that’s a
terrible thing to ask for
Christmas, but... and socks, I
need socks...” }
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