8A HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2007
STUDENT LIFE
Spending the holidays with a significant other
Students brave stress of meeting parents, being away from home
BY ALISON CUMBOW editor@kansan.com
The holidays are coming, and we've seen most of it before: being delayed in airports getting home or being stuck in winter traffic, posing with Santa for the best picture ever or waiting in line so our nieces or nephews could, and drinking way too much eggnog, or way, way too much.
Against the odds though, some brave boyfriends and girlfriends will take that risk this holiday season. Many will be bringing home their significant others, hoping to get through the family dinners and the gift openings and make it out alive to the new year. Three couples were willing to share their experiences.
But one scenario many college students haven't experienced before is bringing home a significant other to join the fun. For some, it could seem that adding a stranger to the mix of oddball, rather eccentric aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents could be a feat not worth battling.
Carlos Perez Beltran, Caracas, Venezuela, junior, is a veteran when it comes to spending the holidays with his girlfriend's sister, Sylvia Niccum, Olathe senior, and her family have invited Beltran into their home for the past two years to celebrate Thanksgiving. Niccum said she wasn't worried about what her family was going to think about Beltran when they first met him.
"My family is very easygoing," she said, "but I was glad when they said they liked him."
Beltran said the way his family and her family celebrated Christmas wasn't very different, except for one thing.
"In Latin America, family comes first," he said. "Not that it's not the same case in the U.S., but back home one would not consider spending Christmas away from home. Hence, I have never spent Christmas in the U.S., but my girlfriend has spent several away from her family."
Nicum has accompanied Beltran to Venezuela twice for Christmas, and the turnout was very successful — Beltran said his family would love to have her back.
Although the previous holidays went smoothly, Beltran said he was going to do one thing differently this year.
"Last year I bought her family one present, and I ended up getting gifts from each one of her family members, so I felt really bad," he said.
Although Niccum and Beltran will not spend Christmas together this season, he is planning for better present etiquette this year and said he was going to buy small gifts for each of her family members.
Unlike Beltran and Nicum,
Megan McClure, Manhattan
sophomore, will be spending the
holidays with her girlfriend's family
for the first time this year.
McClure and her girlfriend,
Lindsay Tippett, Tempe, Ariz.
senior, have met each other's families
only briefly before.
"She's going to introduce me to her brothers, family lifestyle and old friends," McClure said. "I'm wav excited."
Because McClure met Tippett's family earlier this year while moving Tippett into her Lawrence
apartment, McClure said she thought she had already made a good impression with her girlfriend's parents.
"They can see how happy Lindsay is with me," she said.
McClure said that her parents wouldn't have a reason not to like Lindsay and that she wasn't too nervous about them meeting her, although it wouldn't be for the holidays. McClure, who was confident going into the chaotic season of the holidays at a new family's house, had advice for others in the same situation.
"Help out if you see the opportunity," she said. "Being friendly is key, and having a sense of humor doesn't hurt."
Michael Beam, Shawnee sophmore, will also spend the holidays with his significant other. His family has invited his girlfriend of five months, Jennifer Macan, Kansas City resident, to its home for the first time.
"I am excited to have her at one of our family gatherings." Beam said.
Another addition to his parent's house this season will be Macan's 15-month-old son, which thrills Beam's parents, who both love kids. Because the house will already be full of grandchildren, Beam said everyone would mesh really well.
>> LAWRENCE
"The only thing I'm worried about is my Dad's talking," he said.
"He talks a lot, and sometimes it is inappropriate."
Other than that, Beam said his girlfriend was looking forward to spending time with his family, and they with her.
— Edited by Rachel Bock
Top 10 options for students who can't go home for the holidays
1 Instead of relying on frozen dinners and ramen noodles for nourishment, make a home-cooked meal for yourself and a few friends or neighbors. Record a cookbook show on the Food Network, go grocery shopping for the ingredients and prepare the entire meal yourself.
2. Avoid daylong marathons of reality TV shows by tackling a few difficult books. Check out a number of classics from the library, cozy up with a mug of hot chocolate and start reading.
3. Volunteer to aid those less fortunate in the Lawrence community. Soup kitchens such as Jubilee Café, 946 Vermont St., will allow you to help the needy by giving your time — not your money.
4. Brace yourself for a semester of hard work by spending a day relaxing. Pick your three favorite holiday movies, prepare snacks and watch each movie back-to-back.
5. Start the new year with a productive attitude by taking on a new project. Rearrange your furniture to make your bedroom more livable, buy a houseplant, create a photo album or learn how to build a chair or a coffee table.
7. Spend your money wisely by
6. Use your free time to get organized. Go through your closet to identify clothes you no longer wear, and choose a worthy charity to donate them to. Are there any cans of green beans or jars of spaghetti sauce in your cupboard that you know you will never eat? Put them in a box and donate them to the Harvesters Community Food Network, 3801 Topping Ave., Kansas City, Mo.
learning how to make your favorite Starbucks beverage at home. The Internet is a good source for recipes Try several, and pick the best version.
8. Add a bit of greenery to your room. Buy a packet or two of seeds and a pair of flowerpots. Follow directions on how to plant the seeds and how much to water them. Keep them in your study area or give them as gifts for the holidays.
photos by Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
9. As an alternative to sappy holiday cards, send letters to grandparents, cousins or your old high school
classmates. Letters may be some-what old-fashioned, but taking the time to write and mail them will show your friends and family how much you care.
10. It is easy to lose touch of current events when your days consist mostly of relaxation, but make sure to stay informed about global and local news. Read your favorite newspaper online, and make an effort to watch the news on television every day.
— Helen Mubarak
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