Wednesday, December 6, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 5
Holiday Guide
Even before Halloween hits, merchants target Christmas shoppers
A sea of seasonal gifts lines the shelves of Kohl's, 3240 Iowa St. Retail stores often begin promoting Christmas merchandise in October to lure shoppers weeks before the December holiday. Photo by Melissa Carr/KANSAN
By Brandon Stinnett Special to the Kansan
Each year, the Christmas season arrives a little bit earlier, and for good reason - retail stores want it that way.
Kenny Biley, co-manager at Wal-Mart,
3300 Iowa St., said retail stores roll out Christmas merchandise earlier every year in an attempt to lure shoppers into the Christmas spirit.
In the past, the Christmas shopping season began at Thanksgiving. But now stores are having Christmas sales before Halloween.
"If you get it out early in the customers they will buy it," Biley said. "If you think about it, getting it out just gets customers in the Christmas spirit early."
Biley said Wal-Mart featured its "early set" of Christmas items, such as yard art and window decorations. The store put out the rest of its holiday merchandise, such as Christmas trees, the day after
Thanksgiving.
The early-arriving Christmas season doesn't bother Bryan Lisbona, Shawnee junior. Lisbona, who works at Kohl's.
Department Store, 3240 Iowa St., welcomed an early start to Christmas.
"It's a joyous time," Lisbona said. "I'm glad it goes on for more than just one day
of the year."
the year Lisbona said Kohl's replaced Halloween merchandise with Christmas items during mid-October.
Lisbona said he had seen the same trend with students on campus.
"I've already seen students walking around here wearing Santa Claus hats," Lisbona said.
"It gets people feeling like they should be doing something Christmasy," Post said.
Jill Post, Westmoreland freshman, said she thought the Christmas season officially began once Wal-Mart set up its Christmas aisle.
Post said some people used shopping to take the place of more traditional Christmas activities.
"I think it depends on the person," she said. "Some people are caught up with the materialistic side of Christmas and some people still have the traditional Christmas."
Post said she wished the Christmas season began after Thanksgiving. She said people would have more appreciation for the individual significance of both of the holidays.
Edited by Kathryn Moore
Jolly holiday spirit depresses some students
By Katie Teske
Special to the Kansan
Some students look to the holidays with euphoria, but others dwell at the other end of the spectrum in depression.
day depression Wade said that unrealistic expectations were the main cause for depression around the holidays.
Seasonal depression is not related to seasonal affective disorder, which is caused by lack of sunlight, said John Wade, staff psychologist for Counseling and Psychological Services at Watkins Memorial Health Center. However, because Thanksgiving and Christmas are during the winter months when there is less light, seasonal affective disorder may coincide with holiday depression.
"There is so much build-up around the holidays," he said. When the time actually comes, it may not live up to students' expectations, he said.
Joug Witt, clinical director for the Lawrence Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, said that people see on television how others celebrate the holidays and they compare it to how they celebrate. If it's different, they feel as if something is wrong.
Witt said that people who have problems with traditional ceremonies because of religious or personal reasons have another option: They can build their own tradition. That way, they feel involved in the celebrations but don't have to participate in things that make them uncomfortable.
Holidays can be painful for people who can't afford the material things or can't travel, Witt said. They think they need to have or do certain things to celebrate, such as volunteering.
Wade said people should make a conscious decision not to stress out. Keeping a normal routine and getting plenty of rest and exercise helps reduce stress.
TIPS TO AVOID SEASONAL DEPRESSION
Keep a normal routine
Get plenty of rest
Get plenty
Exercise
Get plenty of re
Keep busy
For help with seasonal depression, students can visit Counseling and Psychological Services at Watkins Memorial Health Center
— Source: John Wade; staff psychologist at Watkins
Some students, such as Robin Mendoza,
Leavenworth junior, don't enjoy the holidays because they associate them with bad events. She said she hasn't enjoyed the holidays since she was about 10 years old.
Mendoza's uncle died last year on Thanksgiving, and her stepfather left on Christmas.
"Anniversary dates of a death are usually
more difficult," Wade said. "Especially if it's a more recent death."
Witt said students who associated holidays with negative events could try to build in a positive event each year.
Anxiety about seeing families also can cause strain. Students may be able to escape family problems when they leave for college, Wade said, but they will have to face them when they return home for the holidays.
Free time is another reason for seasonal depression, Wade said. Students who are leaving friends to go home and who have a lot of extra time can be depressed, so they should try to keep busy.
Along with feeling blue during the holidays, the period following a break can be depressing. Wade said it was helpful for students to plan some activity when they got back because people often experienced a letdown after a big event.
- Edited by Kimberly Thompson
Offices get chilly, staffers take break during winter recess
Special to the Kansan
Bv Travis Reed
Every semester, jubilant students bolt out the door from their last finals, intoxicated with relief and brimming with schemes of how they will spend their long-anticipated winter break.
But many students may not realize that life goes on at the University of Kansas In their absence. Most offices on campus stay open during winter break, and staff members aren't uniformly afforded the same respite as students. They have to use vacation time if they want a lengthy winter break. Additionally, spikes in natural gas prices that have clamped campus thermostats may persuade faculty and graduate teaching assistants to do more work at home this year than at the office.
for several years. But that wasn't the
"What's new is that we're dropping the temperature in buildings where we can, where we know they won't be occupied," Johnson said.
In accordance with new cost-cutting measures, the temperature will be kicked down to 65 degrees from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and to 55 degrees after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
sale in those buildings Johnson said most employees won't be affected by the change, as they plan to use vacation time during winter break.
"We make it a practice not to impose on individual employees by saying they have to take vacation time, because there's always something that needs to be done." Johnson said.
"It's a big charge to the end of semester, not only for faculty and GTAs, but also for support staff. Most people really welcome that opportunity to have some time for their families," she said.
Lynn George, the University's employment manager for human resources, said each year a handful of employees who don't want to use vacation time are temporarily assigned to other offices for work during break. For example, the libraries typically have a lot of books to repair and reshelve, and could use extra help, she said. Or employees may be placed in offices where staff is limited or where there is a special project to complete.
- Edited by Sarah Smarsh
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