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By PAMELA LEE
If Christmas isn’t always a merry
time of year, the “holiday blues” may
be the cause.
The holiday blues, psychologists
say, are stressors related to holiday
depression. The blues can be caused
by a lack of sleep, improper nutri
tion, loneliness or unmet expecta
tions.
“People have expectations of what
Christmas should be,” says a socio
logy lecturer.
People don’t always get the gifts
they want or the closeness of their
family, and this makes them de
pressed, Sandra Linton says.
Counseling psychologist intern
Noel Rather says students should
look at their expectations of the
Christmas holiday and be realistic.
“You can never have the perfect
Christmas,” Rather says.
To alleviate stressors from the
holiday blues, Rather says, “First,
look at your expectations of
Christmas and be realistic. Second,
realize that unresolved family issues
are going to still be there when you
get back.
“Third, prioritize. Take time out
for yourself, fourth, don’t expect a
perfect Christmas. And fifth, if you
can t spend the holiday with family,
get together with friends.”
Linton says, “Finding a nursing
home or mission where you can give
to others minimizes the holiday
blues.”
Holiday blues come around the
same time students are trying to fin-
Tips to brighten the holidays
The following is a list of ten
ways to brighten your holiday,
courtesy of the Student Counsel
ing Service Center:
1. Avoid the blues by not
going into the red. Set up a holi
day budget and stick to it.
2. Avoid chasing your tail. Set
up a holiday time budget.
3. No need to be a martyr.
Share the holiday responsibilities
with others.
4. Don’t talk to the ghost of
Christmas past. Avoid living in
the past.
5. No need to be Mr./Mrs.
Lonely. Spend the holidays with
someone you care for.
6. Find your holiday roots. Re
discover the true meaning of the
holidays.
7. Grin and bear itL When you
have to spend the holidays with
problematic people, make the
best of the situation.
8. Have yourself a merry little
Christmas or holiday. Think pos
itive.
9. Pace yourself like you
would running a marathon. Get
proper rest, exercise and nutri
tion.
10. Take a holiday vacation.
Even if it’s only in your mind.
Inexpensive gift ideas
to keep you out of the red
By YVONNE SALCE
It’s that time again — the time col
lege students see how far they can
push the limit on thier credit cards.
Forget about writing a check. Just
because the tattered and torn check
book survived another semester and
you still have checks left, that doesn’t
mean there’s money in the account.
Think about all the people you
have to buy Christmas gifts for:
girlfriend, boyfriend, mother, fa
ther, sister, brother, best friend,
boss, grandparents, the roommate-
you-can’t-stand, the roommate-you-
can-stand and the professor-who’s-
failing-you-a-week-bef ore-gradua
tion.
At this rate, there’s no way selling
your books could possibly buy gifts
for all these near and dear people.
Jean Law, director of counseling
for the Consumer Credit Counseling
Services, says even before gift buy
ing, students have a lot of holiday
expenses, such as travel, clothing
and entertainment.
“Planning ahead for the holidays
could mean less last-minute expen
ses,” Law says.
Law suggests guidelines to pre
vent entering the new year with new
debts:
• Make a list and stick to it. De
cide whether or not you need to give
as many gifts and set a price limit.
• Be creative and draw names
with large families or groups of
friends.
• As far as credit cards, be careful
with cards that read “No payments
until February.” Don’t go into de
layed billing if you have no idea
where the money is going to come
from.
• If you do use your credit card,
plan on paying the bill soon. “I’ve
dealt with people who are still pay
ing off Christmas debts from 1988,”
Law says.
• Limit your credit to one card.
It’s easier to track.
Melinda Loggins, account exec
utive for TRW Credit Data Services,
says self control is the key to pre
venting credit card debts.
“A lot of people do abuse their
credit cards during the holidays,”
Loggins says.
Students snould beware of apply
ing for instant credit, she adds. Ma
jor department stores usually offer
instant credit within 15 minutes to
students.
“Suppose a student goes through
the mall and applies for every credit
card,” Loggins says. “Those inquiries
are reported on thier credit history
as a red flag for future creditors to
see.”
Fortunately, there are gifts just
about every college student can af
ford — gifts under $20.
Gifts for men:
Christmas boxer shorts, cotton
$13, silk start at $28
Remote control cars and trucks,
available ih toy stores, $19.99 and up
Leather wallets, $15
Knit muffler, $10
Nerf football, Nerf basketball and
hoop, $6.99
Gifts for women:
Cosmetic organizer, $ 14
Hair accessories, clips and bows,
$4
Polyester “silk” scarves, $8
Polyester “silk” panties, 3 for $10
Leather gloves, $19
Lace ankle tights, rib stirrup
tights, $6.75-$ 10
Exercise videos, $9.99
Gifts for anyone:
Bart Simpson dolls, $2.99-$ 19.99
Christmas decorated socks, $6
Videos, $9.99
Compact discs, $9.99 and up
Compact disc storage box, holds
24 CDs, $9.99
Jump ropes, $2.99-$ 19.99
Hand weights for working out,
$6.99
Windmere’s Flexible Body Mas
sage, $9.99
One-cup Espresso Machine,
$24.99
Portable headphone stereos,
$19.99 and up
Gift certificate to McDonald’s, $5;
TCBY, $5; Plitt Cinema, $1 and up.
Other gift ideas include:
Christmas ornaments, daily plan
ners, calenders, picture frames, pets,
{ xrinsettias, wine and cheese, choco-
ates and cookbooks.
ish up school, she says. They are
wrapping up grades and will have to
deal with their parents again. This
can be stressful.
Linton says other people get de
pressed because of the change in
their normal structure.
“With all the free time, people sit
around and think about all their
problems,” Linton said. “Instead, see
what is missing from your life and
try to provide it.”
Before heading home for the holidays
LOCK UP!
By DONNA BANSE
The holiday season has arrived
and finals are just around the cor
ner. For most students, the end of fi
nal exams marks the beginning of
Christmas vacation.
Before students leave town for the
holidays, the University Police De
partment and College Station Police
urge students to take precautions
against the theft of belongings.
For students living on campus, the
ground floor of residence halls is the
most vulnerable, said Officer Betty
Lemay of the University Police De
partment Crime Prevention Unit.
Students often leave windows open
or unlocked and a criminal can enter
the hall very easily, Lemay said.
Lemay offers some tips for stu
dents leaving for the holidays:
• Label or engrave all valuables,
including textbooks, with a driver’s
license number.
• Take home valuable items like
televisions, VCRs or computers.
• Take pictures of any valuables
remaining in the room to insure
proper identification in case a crime
occurs.
• Check windows located by
E lants to make sure the window is
)cked properly.
• Secure bicycles to bicycle racks
with a case-hardened steel lock. The
lock should be secured through the
bicycle frame to the rack.
• Bicycles, mopeds and motorcy
cles can be parked in the parking
area in front of the UPD building.
This may be safer because UPD offi
cers can keep an eye on the bikes.
“During the holidays, residence
halls are patrolled daily by officer’s
to make sure all windows and doors
are locked,” Lemay said.
When the students are gone, the
UPD’s work load is lightened, said
Lemay.
“We have the advantage of being
able to concentrate our patrol on the
buildings and residence halls,” she
said.
students living off campus should
also take precautions to prevent
crime.
Officer Craig Anderson, a crime
g revention officer for the College
tation Police Department, offers
some safety tips to students who will
leave for the holidays:
• Make sure good deadbolts are
installed on all exterior doors. Be
sure to secure the deadbolt when
leaving the apartment.
• Install track locks on windows
to make it difficult for criminals to
gain entry. Nails may also be in
serted into the window frame to
keep the window from being opened
from the outside.
• Engrave all valuable items with
a driver’s license number. This will
aid the police if the item is stolen and
then pawned.
• Lock valuables in the closet.
® Install ^nti-lift devices on slid
ing glass doors. These bolt the doors
together and prevent a criminal
from lifting the doors out of the
tracks.
• Store any valuable jewelry in a
safe deposit box.
• Install timers on apartment
lights and televisions to give the ap
pearance that someone is living at
the residence.
• Stop daily papers and any other
deliveries.
• Inform the police department
before leaving town. Police officers
will patrol apartment areas to check
for burglary or unusual activity.
• Notify a friend or neighbor that
you are leaving.
The home safety devices are inex
pensive and can be purchased at lo
cal hardware stores, Anderson said.
“If you discover your home has
been burglarized, don’t touch any
thing,” Anderson said. “Just dial 911
and the police will come out and take
fingerprints.”