Holiday histories By Katy Humpert, Jayplay writer
The American story of Santa Claus
Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas or whatever you want to call him, is a character who transcends cultures worldwide. His American origins can be traced to the Dutch legend of Sinter Klaas, brought to the United States during the 17th century. In 1773, Washington Irving provided the first details about Saint Nicholas, describing his arrival on horseback on each Eve of Saint Nicholas. But it wasn't until writer Clement Clark Moore penned The Night Before Christmas in 1823 did Santa finally reach his true American form. Moore's poem included the names of the eight reindeer, his method of returning up the chimney by laying "his finger aside of his nose," and my personal favorite, Santa's signature laugh "like a bowl full of jelly." Santa himself was unavailable to comment on his history. He is busy this time of year.
Dreidel I will play
Source: Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2005.
For those who aren't familiar with Hanukkah, the dreidel is a traditional top-like toy associated with the holiday festivities. Professor Jerry Shandler of Rutgers University says the dreidel originated as a medieval gambling toy.Today children spin the dreidel and play cards during Hanukkah because games of chance are permitted during the holiday.
The four-sided top has, both religious and entertainment values, says Jonathan Boyarin, professor of Jewish Studies. Each side contains one Hebrew letter: nun, gimel, heh or shin. These letters either signify, in Hebrew, "a miracle happened there" or in Yiddish they stand for "nothing," "whole," "half" or "put." When a player spins the dreidel, depending on which side it lands, he will either do nothing, take the whole pot, take half the pot or has to put money or candy into the pot. It sure beats driving around looking at the neighbors' holiday lights.
Know your Kwanzaa
o word Kwanzaa comes from the Kiswahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza," which means "first fruits," says Tasha Keatheley, KU professor of African Studies. The origins of this holiday trace far back in history to first-fruit celebrations in ancient Egypt and Nubia. Keatheley says an African-American scholar, Maulana Karenga, devised the modern-day holiday following the Watts Riots in Los Angeles in 1966. The purpose of the holiday, according to Keatheley, is for friends and family to gather together to pay tribute to their African-American heritage. She says while every family celebrates in different ways, most holiday festivities include songs, storytelling, African drums, poetry and large traditional meal.
The holiday has also become increasingly popular in this past decade. Keathley says more than 20 million people celebrate Kwanzaa in the United States, Canada, England, the Caribbean and Africa.
Let's face it: It's the holidays, we're all poor and still have plenty of gifts we want to buy for our friends and family. To prevent your holiday shopping from taking a toll on your checkbook, here's a list of useful, practical holiday gifts great for friends and family that cost around $10 By James Foley, Jayplay write
Gourmet coffee and tea
Nothing starts a chilly winter morning better than a good cup of coffee. And why should it be the freeze-dried crap they sell at the grocery store? You can find a variety of tasty gourmet coffees and any of Lawrence's coffee shops. Milton's Café, 920 Massachusetts St., sells their coffee by the pound or half pound. Price varies upon the type of coffee, but they offer several varieties at or near the $10 per pound price range. The most popular blend is Dave's Blend, which sells for $11 a pound. The coffee will stay fresher longer if you buy the beans whole and grind them as needed, but they'll also grind it for you if you desire. If the recipient doesn't have his own coffee grinder, don't buy the coffee until the day before you plan to give it. This way they'll get to enjoy the coffee at its peak flavor.
House of Cha, 21 W. $9^{th}$ St., also sells plenty of affordable teas that make great gifts. They sell assorted types of oolong, green and herbal teas pre-packaged in 50 or 100 gram parcels all for less than $10. Fanny Shiang, co-owner, says Sencha is a good green tea for beginners because it's very accessible and far surpasses the quality of the green teas commonly found in teabags. They also sell more than 30 varieties of loose leave teas fot well below $10 an ounce.
If giving out back issues of Jayplay won't suffice, go to Border's or any other newsstand and peruse the magazine racks. Magazines always have subscription specials, especially around the holidays. Pick up a few copies of magazines that suit the interests of your friends and family, and look for those annoying subscription cards. Chances are at least one of them will offer an introductory subscription for around 10 bucks. A quick trip to the magazine rack found subscriptions to magazines such as Rolling Stones, Details, Wired and Health for less than $13.
Magazine favorites
Instead of giving cheap DVDs found in the Wal-Mart bargain bin, give a month's subscription to Netflix. For $9.99 a month, you can have a DVD of your choice mailed to your door several times a month. The faster you watch them and send them back, the more movies you can see in a month. Using this stretches the entertainment value of $10 well beyond the purchase of one DVD.
Unlimited movies for $9.99
Hand it off
When you're on a budget and need to find a gift for a person who's impossible to buy for, try checking out the second hand stores in Lawrence. The Consignment Flea Market, 731 New Hampshire St., has a little bit of everything, from paintings and cookware, to eclectic knick-knacks and jewelry. Owner Kitty Tinsman says that about 25 percent of her inventory costs less than $10. The store's most impressive asset is its wall of books, all priced at $3 a piece.
12.08.05 Jayplay
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