PAW PRINT December 2014
Opinions l5
Budget holiday shopping ideas Long hair, don’t care By MORGAN McFALL-JOHNSEN Staff Writer
By LARA NOWAK Staff Writer
On a shopping budget this holiday season? With the holidays rapidly approaching, it’s time to start thinking about fun ideas for gifts for friends and family. Here are some easy and inexpensive ideas for your holiday shopping: Get them a good pair of socks. To battle the freezing winter weather, there’s nothing more crucial than a pair of warm, comfy socks. Urban Outfitters offers quality-made socks for both men and women, mostly between $1015 per pair. Try knee-high socks as a trendy and affordable gift for girls—they are perfect for the winter weather and are a stylish must-have this season. The great thing about socks is their variety; experiment with different colors and patterns. If the person you are shopping for is more adventurous, take a risk with bolder patterns and brighter colors. If they prefer something more plain, stick to the basics—you can’t go wrong with a plain pair of cozy knit socks. Make a fun photo collage or album. For closer friends, a photo collection can be a fun idea for a DIY gift. Collect pictures from memorable moments throughout the years: family vacations, important events, or funny moments. Use a photo album to gather all of your fond memories in a way that is both timeless and creative.
This year, spread the holiday cheer by finding the perfect gift for friends and family. Photo courtesy of christmasstockimages.com
Make your hair grow four inches in three months. Photo by Brittany Lundberg
Get them an ugly holiday sweater. For someone with a sense of humor, there is no gift more suitable than an ugly holiday sweater. They come in all styles and sizes and are the most festive way to celebrate the holiday season. For inspiration, check out My Ugly Christmas Sweater online for some cheap and funny options. Another alternative is to look in stores around the city, as many stores carry holiday sweaters throughout the winter. Shops like Ragstock offer a fun and affordable selection. Give them a few good reads. The holiday break is a great time to curl up on the couch with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa. Pay a visit to your local book-
In the past three months, my hair has grown at least four inches. It’s a noticeable change and people comment on it all the time. For someone who took four years to grow it anywhere past her shoulders, this is a big deal. It’s gone through such rapid growth so suddenly without breakage, dryness, or split ends because I’ve allowed it to function the way it’s made to. After spending a month in a national forest with seven other teenagers, only washing our hair four times while we were there, I noticed that mine was softer, longer, and stronger than it had ever been. Although they don’t smell great, the natural oils released by your scalp contain the exact nutrients required for your hair’s health. You needn’t maintain anything or go out of your way to take care of it. That was my awakening to the idea that our hair, and the human body, knows how to take care of itself. We didn’t evolve to need drugstore beauty, skin, or haircare products. We’re not designed to wash our hair every day. We’re designed to be self-sufficient. Of course, it’s not socially acceptable to not wash your hair and, I would feel disgusting if I didn’t, so I’ve turned to treating it in as close to naturally as possible. It’s paid off; I haven’t needed to it for months, and I don’t think I will again for quite awhile. The only sacrifice has been the miniscule amount of time it takes to mix ingredients and the loss of the appealing smells of commercial shampoos. I can no longer flip my hair and send a wave of flowers or coconuts washing over the people sitting next to me. I think the powerful, synthetic scents are a fair trade-off for saving a ton of money and having long, healthy hair. The ingredients for my shampoo cost about $30 and make about five months’ worth, with a lot of oil left over. After two bottles of Dr. Bronner’s and ten months, you’ve spent about $40 total on shampoo. And you don’t have to do anything else to your hair. On the other hand, if you use Aussie shampoo, for example, ten months costs about $50. Then you have to use conditioner, which is another $50. Then you might use some frizz-deferring product or hairspray or smoothing agent, which is even more money. If you leave your hair alone, it does a lot of that stuff by itself.
store or try shopping online for a few books for a friend or family member. If you visit a bookstore, the staff can oftentimes offer helpful suggestions based on the taste of the person you are shopping for. Try wrapping the books you choose in a festive ribbon, and including a few tasty snacks for them to enjoy as they read. Everyone deserves the present that will help them get the most out of their break, whether that means staying warm in the freezing winter weather, or keeping cozy inside with a good book to read. Spread the holiday cheer; give your friends and family the gift that will make their celebration special this year.
10 best holiday movies of all time By ANNE KLEINAITIS Staff Writer
10. “Home Alone” If you’re a 90s kid, chances are you’ve seen “Home Alone.” Macaulay Culkin stars in this classic film about a boy who was left behind while his family went on vacation. This classic is set in Chicago, which is all the more reason to add it to your Holiday movie list. 9. “Frosty the Snowman” As the first animated movie, “Frosty the Snowman” was a hit in 1969 and remains a hit today. Fun fact: the movie actually came after the song. The song was first released in 1950, and peaked at number seven on the US Pop Singles chart. 8. “Nightmare Before Christmas” Jack Skellington lives in Halloween Town, full of monsters, ghosts, goblins, and witches. However, Jack wants to live in Christmas Town, which leads him to steal the position of Santa Claus. The surprisingly lovable Jack Skellington makes this Tim Burton film a favorite for both Halloween and Christmas. 7. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” This stop-motion t.v. special originally aired in 1964. Rudolph, the outcasted reindeer with a glowing red nose, wins the hearts of the audience during his adventure with an elf named Hermey. Ultimately, his nose proves useful to save his friends and save Christmas. 6. “Love Actually” This movie follows the love
“It’s A Wonderful Life” is a 1946 film produced and directed by Frank Capra. Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org 3. “A Charlie Brown Christlives of many people in London, with each relationship connected mas” This t.v. short tackles the mato another in some way. On Christmas, some characters fall in love, terialism associated with Christwhile others experience heart- mas and reminds the audience of break. A great Christmas rom-com. the true meaning of the holiday. A “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree” 5. “It’s a Wonderful Life” George Bailey contemplates is now a standard term given to suicide, as he feels others would forlorn Christmas trees. 2. “The Grinch” be better off without him. HowOriginally aired in 1966, “Dr. ever, an angel shows George how terrible the town would be if he Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole wasn’t there. George realizes that Christmas” remains a family falife is truly wonderful, and the vorite. The song, “You’re a Mean heartwarming ending makes this One, Mr. Grinch” is still played on movie a must for any Christmas the Christmas radio station today. 1. “A Christmas Story” movie marathon. This classic is the number one 4. “Elf” Starring Will Ferrell, “Elf” tells Christmas movie because even afthe story of a human raised at the ter 30 years, it is still hilarious and North Pole. Buddy the Elf strug- beloved by people of all ages. Adgles to find a place in both human ditionally, TBS runs it for 24 hours and elf society, but ultimately re- straight beginning on Christmas alizes that his unique talents save Eve. “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!” Christmas.
Castile soap is a natural soap made from oils (rather than animal fats) and sodium hydroxide (potassium hydroxide for liquid soap), which is an alkali used to react with the oils and produce soap. All of the sodium or potassium hydroxide is used up in the reaction and none remains in the final product. Dr. Bronner’s is a known brand of castile soap. Their lavender soap smells the best and carries all the benefits of lavender oil, which has turned out to be a miracle fix-all. It has astringent and antiseptic qualities, which make it good for acne-related redness or swelling, as does tea tree oil. Other magical all-around solutions include baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and cornstarch. Just check your labels: if it’s not one of the first three ingredients, it’s not a major component of the product, so be careful of so-called moroccan oil hair conditioners or lotions “infused” with shea butter. And I needn’t remind you how much we don’t know about many of the chemicals beauty and cosmetic companies put into their products: parabens, formaldehyde, fragrance, and triclosan. There’s also the issue of animal testing and toxic environmental pollution. You pay extra money to damage the natural vitality of your skin and hair, spend extra time on maintenance, and endorse unethical companies that contribute to the decline of the natural world. Mix your own shampoo with watered-down Dr. Bronner’s (because applying straight castile soap to your hair will dry it out), essential oils, and jojoba oil. There are hundreds of other ways to do it with many different choices of ingredients - just Google it and see. If you choose to make such a change, there are a few minute differences you have to get used to, if only because you’re accustomed to the consistency of commercial shampoo or the specific texture of your wet hair immediately after you wash it. These are small adjustments in mentality, and they’re absolutely worth it. Here’s a recipe to start you off: ¼ cup castile soap (Dr. Bronner’s is great.) ½ cup water ¼ tsp jojoba oil or olive oil 20-40 drops of essential oil Pour water into a bowl and carefully mix in all the other ingredients. It’s that simple.