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The Battalion
Page 3 • Wednesday, December 3, 2003
Santa’s holiday helpers
Holiday volunteer opportunities abound in Bryan and College Station
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By Kim Katopodis
THE BATTALION
Becca Robinson is a full-time student with a job to help with her
financial obligations for school and is president of a campus organi
zation. With all of these demands on her time, Robinson still finds
time to volunteer at Phoebe’s Home, a shelter for battered and abused
women and their children.
“I just like to help out these kids,” Robinson said. “It’s touching to
be in the life of a child that has had their dad knock all their teeth out
and have them begin to trust you.”
With dead days and finals coming up, students have ample oppor
tunity to volunteer at organizations around Bryan and College Station.
Service during the holiday season does not have to be time consum
ing, either.
Sigma Tau Delta, Texas A&M’s English honor society on campus,
has gotten together with Phoebe’s Home to sponsor Phoebe’s ABCs
(Aggies Bringing Christmas), in which students and faculty can
donate presents, new and gently used, for the children as well as their
parents through the honor society.
After all the presents have been collected, the society and other
organizations on campus, will assist in sorting the donations into age
and gender groups to be wrapped for families.
Walking through Post Oak Mall, students may have seen a
Christmas tree by the food court. Paper ornaments bearing the names
of children in the area hang on this tree, which is part of the Salvation
Army’s Angel Tree program.
Sandra Becerra, a Salvation Army store manager, said the Angel
Tree program started two months ago.
“There were ads in the newspaper and on radio looking for fami
lies who want to participate in the Angel Tree program,” Becerra said.
“These are mostly low-income families or those on assistance, and the
elderly and the sick.”
The Salvation Army provided these families with gift and food cer
tificates for Thanksgiving. Now, for Christmas, the tree ornaments
provide a way for children in the families to receive gifts.
“On each angel is the name and age of the child, as well as what
they are asking for for Christmas,” Becerra said.
Becerra suggests people also buy clothes or shoes as gifts if the toy
the children want doesn’t take up the whole budget.
Leslie Jurisich, a senior information and operations management
major, said it’s important to give back to the community, especially at
this time of the year.
“Every year, instead of buying gifts for each other, my room
mates and I adopt an angel from the Angel Tree and buy gifts for
them,” she said.
The Bryan Housing Authority also runs a program similar to the
Angel Tree. Make a Smile Happen (MASH), collects new and gently
used toys for needy children. Sombra Davis, a representative from the
housing authority, said people are more willing to
help during the holidays.
“I think people tend to feel more
generous this time of year. People look
for things to do during the holidays,”
Davis said. “Quite frankly, people need
help year-round, and not just material
need, but emotional need, too.”
Robbins, along with Texas Saints, a campus
service organization dedicated to the betterment of
life for underprivileged children and their families,
is planning to volunteer at the Phoebe’s Home
Christmas party.
“The message we are
trying to get
out is to tell 1
students it is fine '
to just show up
during times like
dead days and give
your extra time
to people in f
need,” Robinson
said. “You reap benefits
far beyond what you expect;
Ivan Flores • THE BATTALION
"Bad Santa"
Dimension
Starring Billy Bob Thornton,
Lauren Graham
It’s hard to recommend “Bad Santa” without
seeming like a morally corrupt ghoul. Devoid of any
ethically positive life lessons or likable characters,
“Bad Santa” is rude, vulgar and sick. It is also one
of the funniest movies of the season. Full of raw
human nature in all its vice, Billy Bob Thornton and
Tony Cox play a pair of holiday-themed thieves who
I pillage malls annually while disguised as Santa and
I an elf. However, things have turned sour as Santa
I Willie (Thornton) has grown into an irate alcoholic
who frequently finds himself, amongst other things,
in a complete lack of bladder control. As Willie and
his “little” partner prepare for the year’s heist, a
lonely, overweight kid who is a few bricks short of
a load befriends Willie. While most Christmas
movie denizens would see a chance for redemption
and change, Willie sees a lonely kid with posses
sions ripe for the taking.
Not above stealing from children, Willie is a
morally corrupt individual who is amazingly well
played by Thornton. Cox is hilarious as Willie’s
minute partner-in-crime with a mouth as big as his
greed. Joining Cox and Thornton are Bemie Mac
and John Ritter in his last film. Mac brings in the
laughs as the head of mall security. Ritter has a rel
atively small role in the film, but plays the neurotic
mall manager to a T. The star of the show though,
is definitely Brett Kelly (the kid). A little slow in the
head, Kelly’s “Kid” is a sad reminder of the exis
tence of the less fortunate. Bursting with love and
compassion for the complete stranger Thornton is to
him, the kid opens his home and heart to the bad-to-
the-bone robber. Unfortunately, Willie does nothing
but use and abuse him. In one misadventure after
another, Willie slowly begins to care for the kid as
more then an easy ride. While never completely
learning the true Christmas spirit, the kid helps
Thornton to grow a bit as a person.
Children should definitely be kept away from
this movie, as it will not only break any hope of the
goodness of Santa, but also leave them with a whole
new range of four-letter vocabulary words. Director
Terry Zwigoff leaves behind the subtle humor that
existed in his previous movie, “Ghost World,” to
craft an over-the-top comedy full of wonderfully
wicked sight gags and cleverly bawdy dialogue.
For the soundtrack, the movie features a pletho
ra of Christmas songs; unfortunately, the lack of
original songs leads to a hackneyed choice of sea
sonal tunes. Other than that little nitpick, the movie
is a relatively enjoyable movie-going experience for
anyone with a dark side. The lack of any likable
character and the extreme raunchiness of the film
may turn off a few potential audience members, but
for any Christmas caroler who has become jaded at
the thought of the Christmas spirit, “Bad Santa”
holds a dark comedy with enough guilty pleasure to
keep even the Grinch grinning.
—Robert
Saucedo
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