Goodbye Delta

OPINION

Farewell to Delta College

Sesa Graham

A small-town girl with big dreams

I remember so fondly having my entire life planned out at the ripe age of 14. I knew what college I wanted to attend, my degree, and what my dream job would look like. Now at 25, with a few weeks left of college, I can tell you that I was completely wrong. In 2015, I went to the school I thought was best for my major and me until it wasn’t. I changed my mind what seemed to be a hundred times about what my plan was for my degree after realizing I wouldn’t enjoy what I thought I knew. I took some time off from everything and got to know myself better, my passions, interests, and dislikes. The one thing I had always had when everything else seemed to fail was writing. It started as a passion and blossomed into what I saw myself doing as a career. Delta College helped show me that passions can become a reality.

Onto the next chapter

When someone asks me, “What’s next after graduation?” I sit on that question for a minute, think about the 14-year-old version of myself, and laugh inside because even though I know what I want my next step to be, it’s alright if a different path comes into my view, and I take that step instead. Maybe I will go on to another college and further my education; maybe I will become a freelance journalist, or maybe I will finish the book I have been writing for months that I have been putting off. Whatever my “maybe” is, I know it will be right for me.

Graduation: The end is near

When I took some time off from school, the one comment I heard more than any other was, “It’s going to be so hard to go back; most people that drop out never even go back.” I am happy I got to prove them wrong. I write this with less than a month left before I graduate from college, yearning for the next step in my writing journey. I have many people to thank, especially Delta College and the Delta Collegiate, for allowing me to immerse myself in an education that has helped me grow and strive for a better future. Without Delta College, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to find the Delta Collegiate. The Delta Collegiate, the advisor, and the staff became my family and my passion in college this last year. I learned how to become an Editor-in-Chief, a leader, a friend, and a more organized individual. Without them, I couldn’t have survived my last year of school in the journalism program.

A special thank you

I never thought this day would come. I am unsure if my mother ever thought this day would come. If you have seen Gilmore Girls, then you know who Lorelai Gilmore is, and my mother is the real-life version. She had me at a young age and worked her way up to provide a loving home and good life for me. She didn’t get to finish college, and sometimes, I think she lived vicariously through me because she grew up too fast. Not only is Gilmore Girls our favorite show to watch together, but it makes being a first-generation graduate that much more special. As Rory Gilmore said in Season 3, Ep. 22 (with some changes done by me), “My ultimate inspiration comes from my best friend, the dazzling woman from whom I received my name and my life's blood, Heather Wyckoff. My mother never gave me any idea that I couldn't do whatever I wanted to do or be whomever I wanted to be. She filled our house with love and fun and books and music, unflagging in her efforts to give me role models from Anne Rice to Louisa May Alcott to P!NK. As she guided me through these incredible twenty-five years, I don't know if she ever realized that the person I most wanted to be was her. Thank you, Mom, you are my guidepost for everything.”

graduation caP and sash dec 2022; Photo credit: sesa graham

EDITORIAL

Merry Christmas versus Happy Holidays, a ridiculous battle of phrasing

Has anyone ever said Happy Holidays to you? Did you feel offended or gracious for the wellwishing? Were you upset they weren’t more specific in their greeting, that they did not tell you Merry Christmas? Around the country, many people take offense to the phrase Happy Holidays.

A plethora of holidays fall throughout the winter season and many people do not celebrate Christmas. There are also many who do not celebrate anything at all.

The Delta Collegiate staff believes that the phrase “Happy Holidays” is meant to be inclusive for all the holidays and people who celebrate them. It is not meant to diminish any other holiday or lessen their value or worth.

While the term dates to the 1840s and grew in popularity in the 1860s, it still receives negative feedback to this day. It is often criticized as an attack on Christmas or a way to take the Christ out of Christmas. People use the term to include the plethora of holidays one may celebrate in the winter months. It encompasses past traditions and celebrates new ones.

Onnie Stone is the Photographer for the Delta Collegiate and shared their opinion on the topic.

“’Happy Holidays’ is a phrase that encapsulates all holidays that someone may be celebrating,” said Stone. “It’s common courtesy to say and ensures that whoever you’re speaking to will feel accepted and included.”

Sometimes it is hard to know what holiday or tradition someone may be celebrating, especially if they are a stranger or not close to you. It is in our human nature to want to give someone a pleasant greeting or farewell and that can be harder during the winter months which are chucked full of holidays.

“You probably wouldn’t say “Happy Thanksgiving!” to someone who does not live in the U.S.,” Stone said regarding the phrase Happy Holidays. “So, just the same, you wouldn’t say “Merry Christmas” to someone who does not celebrate Christmas. This doesn’t demean those who celebrate Christmas; it’s an all-inclusive way to spread holiday spirit.”

December is known as the month of celebrations because so many holidays are observed. Throughout the entire month, you can see signs of celebrations and holidays, often Christmas or Hannukah related.

Christmas has been one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the United States for many

decades. With that said, the country’s population has grown in diversity, culture, and religion and continues to do so. Many other holidays and celebrations are observed throughout the month.

Being inclusive is so important to so many people. Assuming positive intent when someone says “Happy Holidays” is always the best practice. If they are saying it to you, it is most likely a way for them to wish you well.

Heather Kittle is the Head of Video Production for the Delta Collegiate and also weighed in.

“Saying ‘Happy Holidays’ during the holiday season is in no way meant to take away or dismiss other holidays around this time,” said Kittle. “There are many religions that have a holiday around this time of the year, roughly all within the same week or two. It is meant to be inclusive for everyone. To be offended is to be an asshole.”

Curious about what others may be celebrating?

Hannukah begins on Dec. 18 this year and ends on Dec. 26, the holiday typically falls in either November or December.

It is a Jewish holiday that spans over eight nights to honor and remember the Maccabean revolt in Egypt. Each night a candle is lit from left to right on a menorah, a special candle holder. Many people also give gifts, often of money, to children each night. Dreidel games are also played, and foods like latkes and sufganiyot are eaten.

The Winter Solstice will be on Dec. 21 this year and is usually on Dec. 21 or 22. This is the shortest day of the year. This means that it has the shortest amount of daylight for the year because the earth is at the farthest point from the sun. It is considered a Wiccan or Pagan holiday and is celebrated with festivals.

Festivus is celebrated on Dec. 23 by many and was made popular by the sitcom “Seinfeld” in the 1990s. To celebrate there is a raising of an aluminum pole, dinner, an airing of grievances, and the feats of strength demonstration. A writer on the show shared that the holiday was actually invented by his father and celebrated by his family dating back to 1966.

Christmas is the Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ on Dec. 25. People will often decorate their houses and put up either a real or artificial Christmas tree with ornaments and lights. It is a religious, cultural, federal, and commercial holiday. Many will attend church services in honor of the day. Most people will celebrate with their family and friends on both Christmas Eve and Christmas day with gatherings, meals, and gift exchanges.

On Dec. 26 the African American holiday of Kwanzaa begins through the first day of January. “Kwanzaa” is from Swahili meaning “first fruits” and is meant to celebrate African cultures, customs, family, life, and unity. Most families will partake in large meals that have a variety of food from African countries; there will be singing, dancing, and storytelling. While this is a rather new holiday, dating back to 1966, around five million people celebrate it each year.

New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, is a huge celebration across the states that include food, parties, fireworks, drinking, and millions of Americans watching the ball drop down to the start of a brand-new year. Since 1870, New Year’s Day has been a federal holiday and is said to be a day of recovery from the festivities of the night before.

Merry Christmas, Joyous Kwanzaa, and Happy Hanukkah are some of the many saying to express a happy greeting for the holidays. Happy Holidays is said to encompass any and all holidays that will be celebrated, whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah, Festivus, or if you only ring in the New Year.

haPPy holidays graPhic dec. 5, 2022; graPhic: courtney elisech

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DISCLAIMER Since 1961, the Delta Collegiate has been written and produced by Delta students for students without any input or oversight by administration. e paper does not represent the views of Delta College, its faculty, sta or administration. Stories are selected by the student staff members to bring reliable information and entertainment to our readers.

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