What is Kwanza?By Bismar Coto Tovar
- The candles are red, green and black.
- The holiday started in 1966
- The first US postage stamp commemorating Kwanzaa was issued
What is Christmas?
By Alyssa Resh
Christmas is a holiday for family and friends to come together, exchange gifts, and eat lots of food. While it started as and still is for many around the world, a Christian holiday representing the birth of Christ, many who follow other religions or even no religion at all, celebrate by decorating a tree and putting up stockings.
For many who celebrate Christmas, the highlight is when on the night of December 24th, a figure known as Santa Clause comes down the chimney to leave gifts under the tree to be discovered on Christmas morning Dec 25. Out of 195 countries, 160 of them celebrate Christmas.
By Alyssa Resh
Christmas is a holiday for family and friends to come together, exchange gifts, and eat lots of food. While it started as and still is for many around the world, a Christian holiday representing the birth of Christ, many who follow other religions or even no religion at all, celebrate by decorating a tree and putting up stockings.
For many who celebrate Christmas, the highlight is when on the night of December 24th, a figure known as Santa Clause comes down the chimney to leave gifts under the tree to be discovered on Christmas morning Dec 25. Out of 195 countries, 160 of them celebrate Christmas.
Christmas Fun Facts:
- Alabama was the first US state to recognize Christmas as an official Holiday
- The popularized image of Santa with a red suit was created by the coca-cola company
- Christmas trees were first used by the ancient Romans and Egyptians
What is Hanukkah?By Walter Ruano Rosa
Families that celebrate Hanukka give gifts each night, they light candles and place them in a special holder called a Menorah. They also sing songs and eat traditional foods, like potato pancakes, doughnuts stuffed with jam, and food fried in olive oil.
Hanukka is celebrated to commemorate the dedication of the second temple in Jerusalem and has been celebrated for over 1400 years.
Hanukkah Fun Facts:
The story of How the Grinch stole Christmas is the tale of a green monster that lives above the city of Whoville and hates Christmas so much, he wants to end Christmas and cause it to never happen again. There have been many versions of this over the years, starting with the first animated version in 1966, but the two versions most Central Middle School students would be familiar with are the live-action version with Jim Carry from 2000 and the newer animated version with Benedict Cumberbatch in 2018. But the big question remains, which one is better?
Both versions tell the story of the grinch’s battle against Christmas and how he dresses as Santa with his dog Max to steal all the decorations and presents from the citizens of Whoville. While both versions the Whos resent the grinch until little Cindy-Lou Who saves the day and helps the grinch to grow his heart by three sizes.
The biggest differences between the two versions are the live actions citizens of Whoville are less into the true meaning of Christmas, they are very materialistic, and less willing to forgive the grinch at first. This version does try to explore the back story of the grinch and tries to explain why he is the way he is. The Grinch is the true center of this version, with the town members playing a smaller role.
The animated version focuses on the family of Cindy-Lou Who and others in the town rather than the grinch himself. While we see the grinch interacting with these town members, it doesn’t focus on the grinch’s story as much as the live-action. This version is much more family-friendly and is slightly better for younger audiences as the live-action grinch can be scary for some.
In my opinion, which might be an unpopular one, the live-action grinch is better because of its focus on the grinch and his back story which makes the grinch more relatable and understandable as a character. The animated is a version that would be better suited for younger audiences or those just looking for a laid-back holiday film.
In a recent poll about favorite holiday movies, out of 330 Central middle school students who voted for the grinch movies as their favorite only 24 voted for the live-action version compared to 21 who voted for the animated. Home Alone took the top movie for the school with 79 votes.
Ingredients:
Directions:
5- When you’re ready to serve the coffee jelly, remove it from the fridge and cut the gelatin into cubes. Scoop it into a serving bowl or glass. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk, or custard.
- The word Hanukkah means "dedication"
- Fried foods on Hanukkah represent the oil that burned for eight nights on the first Hanukkah
- 17.5 million jelly doughnuts are eaten in Israel during Hanukkah
Grinch vs Grinch
by Karina Perez Garcia
The story of How the Grinch stole Christmas is the tale of a green monster that lives above the city of Whoville and hates Christmas so much, he wants to end Christmas and cause it to never happen again. There have been many versions of this over the years, starting with the first animated version in 1966, but the two versions most Central Middle School students would be familiar with are the live-action version with Jim Carry from 2000 and the newer animated version with Benedict Cumberbatch in 2018. But the big question remains, which one is better?
Both versions tell the story of the grinch’s battle against Christmas and how he dresses as Santa with his dog Max to steal all the decorations and presents from the citizens of Whoville. While both versions the Whos resent the grinch until little Cindy-Lou Who saves the day and helps the grinch to grow his heart by three sizes.
The biggest differences between the two versions are the live actions citizens of Whoville are less into the true meaning of Christmas, they are very materialistic, and less willing to forgive the grinch at first. This version does try to explore the back story of the grinch and tries to explain why he is the way he is. The Grinch is the true center of this version, with the town members playing a smaller role.
The animated version focuses on the family of Cindy-Lou Who and others in the town rather than the grinch himself. While we see the grinch interacting with these town members, it doesn’t focus on the grinch’s story as much as the live-action. This version is much more family-friendly and is slightly better for younger audiences as the live-action grinch can be scary for some.
In my opinion, which might be an unpopular one, the live-action grinch is better because of its focus on the grinch and his back story which makes the grinch more relatable and understandable as a character. The animated is a version that would be better suited for younger audiences or those just looking for a laid-back holiday film.
In a recent poll about favorite holiday movies, out of 330 Central middle school students who voted for the grinch movies as their favorite only 24 voted for the live-action version compared to 21 who voted for the animated. Home Alone took the top movie for the school with 79 votes.
Central Views
Students at Central Middle School were polled about their opinions on what are the best and worst parts of winter. These are the results.
Best Thing About Winter
1- Being with family 31.2%
2- Snow Days 29.4%
3- Hot Chocolate 13.8%
Worst Thing About Winter
1- Being Cold 38.8%
2- Being Bored 28.9%
3- The Wet Weather 14.5%
Best Holiday Movie
1- Home Alone- 23.9%
2- Nightmare Before Christmas- 17.3%
3- Polar Expres- 13.6%
Best Holiday Treat
(Students picked their top 3)
1- Hot Chocolate- 61.5%
2- Cookies- 60%
3- Christmas Cake- 26.4%
Holiday Recipies
How To Make Coffee Jelly
By Alyssa Resh
- two cups of strong brewed coffee (or espresso)
- two tablespoons sugar (or granulated sweetener)
- one tablespoon gelatin
- 1/4 cup water.
Directions:
1- In a small bowl, mix one tbsp of gelatin with 1/4 cup cold water. Mix well and let the gelatin “bloom.” Set aside.
2- Pour two cups of coffee into a small saucepan. Heat the coffee over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the coffee begins to steam, but don’t bring it to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat.
3- Add two tablespoons of sugar to the hot coffee. Then mix in the gelatin mixture. Mix with a whisk until the gelatin and sugar dissolve.
4- Pour the coffee mixture into an 8×8 baking dishpan or round 9inch pie plate. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for three to five hours, or until the gelatin is set. The coffee jelly will have a jello texture when it’s set.
2- Pour two cups of coffee into a small saucepan. Heat the coffee over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the coffee begins to steam, but don’t bring it to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat.
3- Add two tablespoons of sugar to the hot coffee. Then mix in the gelatin mixture. Mix with a whisk until the gelatin and sugar dissolve.
4- Pour the coffee mixture into an 8×8 baking dishpan or round 9inch pie plate. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for three to five hours, or until the gelatin is set. The coffee jelly will have a jello texture when it’s set.
5- When you’re ready to serve the coffee jelly, remove it from the fridge and cut the gelatin into cubes. Scoop it into a serving bowl or glass. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk, or custard.
No More Silent Nights!
Congrats to Ms. Ross and her family on their newest edition!
Wyatt Gregory Ross was born Friday, Dec 3rd at 7:10pm, weighed 7lbs 9oz, and was 20in long.
Looking Ahead!